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Yates County, New York Genealogy

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Guide to Yates County, New York ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Penn Yan
Organized: February 5, 1823
Parent County(s): Ontario
Neighboring Counties
Ontario • Schuyler • Seneca • Steuben
Courthouse
New York, Yates County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ny-yates.png


County Information

Description

The county was named for Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Yates County Courthouse
415 Liberty St
Penn Yan, NY 14527
Phone: 315-835-6308
Yates County Website

The Yates County Courthouse is the home for the County Clerk, Surrogate's Court and Public County Historian.

Yates County, New York Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1880 1908 1880 1788 1788 1823 1663
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1880. General compliance for births by 1915 and deaths by 1890.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]

Towns
Villages
Hamlets
Census-designated places


History Timeline

  • 1 January 1826: 60 square miles of Steuben County was partioned and added to Yates, which included Starkey, Dundee, and Lakemont, New York.
  • 15 April 1828: 10 square miles was partioned from Yates, and passed to Seneca and Tompkins Counties, mostly in the forest.
  • 17 March 1860: Ontario County was authorized to gain land from Yates, but it was never put into effect.
  • 18 April 1946: Yates gained 10 square miles from Schuyler and Seneca Counties, which produced the current borders of Yates County.

Resources

Bible Records

  • 1581-1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Yates County, New York online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See New York Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1830 19,009 —
1840 20,444 7.5%
1850 20,590 0.7%
1860 20,290 −1.5%
1870 19,595 −3.4%
1880 21,087 7.6%
1890 21,001 −0.4%
1900 20,318 −3.3%
1910 18,642 −8.2%
1920 16,641 −10.7%
1930 16,848 1.2%
1940 16,381 −2.8%
1950 17,615 7.5%
1960 18,614 5.7%
1970 19,831 6.5%
1980 21,459 8.2%
1990 22,810 6.3%
2000 24,621 7.9%
2010 25,363 3.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Federal
1810

  • Adelaide Bell Baggerly Chase, Index of U. S. census, 1810, Ontario County, New York including Steuben, Wayne & Yates counties (Washington: A. B. B. Chase, 1946.), FS Library Film 813656 Item 5

U.S. Census Mortality Schedules for New York, 1850-1880:

  • Available online at Ancestry ($).
  • Deaths are included for the 12 months prior to the census, 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, and 1879-80 beginning 1 June and ending 31 May of the census year.[6]
  • Basic contents of the records include: Name, sex, age, color, marital status, place of birth, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. 1870 also has parents' birthplace. 1880 lists how long a resident of the county.
  • Also on FS Library Films 1415128–42.
  • The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see Yates.

State

Source 1825 1835 1845 1855 1865 1875 1892 1905 1915 1925
Ancestry.com - - - Yes - Yes Yes - Yes Yes
FS Library Films Yes Yes
FamilySearch Images - - - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
New York State Library Films Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes - Yes Yes

New York State 1865 and 1875 Census Marriage, Mortality; and 1865 Soldier Mortality records:

  • Images available online at New York State Census, 1865 and New York State Census, 1875. Click on the link to go to the page, then click on the ‘Browse through images’ link and select your county, then select an ancestor's town and browse to the end of the population schedule until you find the Marriage, Mortality, and 1865 soldier mortality schedules.
  • Includes marriages and deaths for the 12 months prior to the census, ending 1 June of the census year.
  • Marriage entry content: Husband's name, wife's name, ages and previous marital status, month and day and place of marriage, and church or civil ceremony.
  • Death entry content: Name, age, sex, color, marital status, month and day of death, native state or country, occupation and cause of death.
  • 1865 deaths of officers and enlisted men entry content: Name, age, marital status, citizenship status, enlistment date, original regiment, original rank, regiment at death, rank at death, promotions, death date and place, manner of death, surviving associates, and burial place.
  • Also on microfilm. See the FamilySearch Library line in the above State Census Chart.

Church Records


Baptist

Yates County Church Records at Cornell University's Study Center for Early Religious Life

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Ancestors may have been involved in municipal, state, or federal court cases and actions. See also New York Court Records and United States Court Records.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories

  • 1873 History And Directory of Yates County (1873) at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
  • American agriculturist farm directory of Yates, Schuyler, Tompkins and Seneca counties, New York, 1914: a rural directory and reference book including a road map of the four counties covered (New York: Orange Judd Co., 1914), FS Library 812856 Item 4
  • Bootes, Fenton E., Mrs., Index to business directory, New historical atlas of Yates County, New York, Everts, Ensign & Everts (pub. 1876): includes name, date of settlement, nativity, (Microreproduction of original published: [S.l. s.n.], 1955. 9 leaves), FS Library Fiche 6081210
  • History and Directory of Yates County, Volume 1 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

  • The Danes of Yates County: the history and traditional arts of an ethnic community in the Finger Lakes region of New York State FS Library

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • History and directory of Yates County: containing a sketch of its original settlement FS Library
  • History and directory of Yates County: containing a sketch of its original settlement by the Public Universal Friends, the Lessee Company and others, with an account of individual pioneers and their families; also of other leading citizens, including church, school and civil history and a narrative of the Universal Friend FS Library
  • Sources of clues, Yates County, New York FS Library

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records

Books

Index to Deeds Transmitted from Ontario County 1788-1823
Index to Deeds Transmitted from Steuben County 1796-1826
Index to Mortgages Transmitted from Ontario County 1788-1826

Materials available through the FamilySearch Library:

Deed records, 1823-1910; index, 1823-1965 FS Library
Grantor Index 1823-1965 (10 volumes)
Grantee Index 1823-1965 (10 volumes)
Deed records 1823-1905 (94 volumes)
  • Deeds transmitted from Steuben and Ontario counties, 1790-1855; index 1800-1823 FS Library
General Index 1800-1823 (2 volumes)
Deeds, Steuben and Yates 1796-1854 (2 volumes)
Deeds, Ontario and Yates 1790-1855 (5 volumes)
  • Homesteads, 1851-1907 FS Library
  • Lis pendends, 1832-1950 FS Library
  • Miscellaneous records, 1823-1913 (3 volumes) FS Library
  • Mortgages, 1823-1852; index, 1823-1883
Mortgagee Index 1823-1881 (2 volumes)
Mortgagor Index 1823-1833 (2 volumes)
Mortgages 1823-1852 (16 volumes)
  • Honor Roll of Century Land in Yates Co., State of New York, 1953 FS Library
    This includes a list of original land owners and dates of purchase for land which has had continuous owner- ship for 100 years.
  • United States loan mortgage, 1837-1902 FS Library

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Ontario CountySteuben CountySchuyler CountySeneca CountyNY YATES.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
Middlesex NY.

Migration

Military Records

General

Civil War
Town registers. The New York town clerks kept a bound register of all soldiers from their town serving in the Civil War 1861-1865. Registers are arranged by county, and town. Some town registers are missing. The registers include an index at the start of each town.

Content. Many register entries include full name, residence, date and place of birth, parents names, marital status, date of enlistment and muster and rank, discharges, death, or promotion.

Access. The original registers are at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. Microfilm copies are found at the FamilySearch Library (FS Library Film 1993401-37). They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($). Available towns. Registers are available for:Barrington · Benton · Italy · Potter · Starkey · Torrey.
Regiments. Service men in Yates County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.[7]

- 8th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company A
- 15th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company C
- 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company L
- 22nd Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company A
- 33rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I
- 55th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A B and G
- 76th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A B C D E F and G
- 87th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A
- 126th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A B E and G
- 148th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B F and I
- 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies C and F
- 194th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D and E
  • Yates County's "boys in blue", 1861-1865: who they were and what they did FS Library
  • Diary of Royal George Kinner, a Civil War soldier FS Library
  • Jones, Paul.The Irish Brigade. (Gaithersburg, Maryland Olde Soldier Books, [199-?]) FS Library 973 M2ji

World War I

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

FamilySearch Library Collection

  • Naturalization of aliens over 18 years, 1898-1899 FS Library
  • Naturalization of aliens under 18 years, 1865-1898 FS Library
  • Naturalization records, 1823-1958; index, ca. 1823-1956 FS Library
    • Card Index 1823-1956
    • Loose papers 1820-1913 (not in chronological order before 1851)
    • Declarations of Intent 1855-1906 (old style)
    • Declarations of Intent 1906-1958 (Federal)
    • Petitions for Naturalizations 1906-1958 (Federal)

Newspapers


Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

  • The Union record FS Library
    Contains information also on the Ball family. published by Ball International Union and Keuka College
    • Index to Tree talks county packet, Yates County, New York FS Library
  • Yates past: newsletter of the Yates County Genealogical Historical Society FS Library
  • Index to Tree talks county packet, Yates County, New York FS Library

Probate Records

Probate records (wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions) for New York are held in the office of the county Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Probate Petitions In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. These petitions are often found in the estate files.[8] See New York Probate Records for online resources, details, links, and more.

A project is underway to index and transcribe the 30 books of Wills recorded in Yates County since 1823. See the Every-Name index to Yates County Will Books for those currently on line.

Currently there is an online index for the first 180 boxes of probate files which includes an alphabetical index to principals and heirs and packet lists. See the Surrogate Court Records website for the online index

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. Vital records from 1880/1882 are kept by town and village clerks, although some (Kent’s and Putnam Valley’s) are available in the County Historian’s Office. See:

  • New York Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources by Gordon L. Remington. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. FS Library Book 974.7 D27r; At various libraries (WorldCat); Alphabetical list including date founded, if a town history exists, church and cemetery sources, and if a Civil War register (TCR) exists.

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage or death were first recorded at the local level in the village clerk, town clerk, or city clerk’s ledger book.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Divorce judgment papers often include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children. Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.

  • Pre–1787 All divorces were granted by the governor or legislature and were very rare.
  • 1787–1847 All divorces were granted by the court of chancery. These records are found in the New York State Archives or for the New York City area at the New York County Clerk's office.These divorces were granted only on the grounds of adultery.
  • 1847–present All divorces are handled by the county Supreme Court where the divorce was granted. Divorce files in New York are sealed for 100 years. Contact the County Clerk for information about divorce records.

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Yates County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1984). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.782 A3g and film 1425056 Item 9. Includes index. Includes sources for family history and genealogy.

County Historian
Yates County Historian's Office
417 Liberty Street, Suite 0032
Penn Yan, NY 14527
Phone: 315-536-5147
Email: historian@yatescounty.org
Website

Genealogical Resources:
Census from 1790 - 1925, indexed.
land records from 1788 to present, indexed
Cemetery records. A computer database of all known cemetery burials in the County.
Tax rolls as early as 1790, most from the 1860's and all from the 1890's to the present.
Military records
Newspapers
Court records from all county court including the Surrogate Court
Immigration and naturalization records
A large and growing collection of town and village records on microfilm, including minutes, vital records, road surveys, school records and more.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Penn Yan Public Library
214 Main St.
Penn Yan, NY 14527-1796
Phone: 315-536-6114
Website

The Penn Yan library holds a comprehensive collection of local newspapers and more.

Museums

The Oliver House Museum and
The L. Caroline Underwood Museum
200 Main Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527
Phone: 315-536-7318
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Yates County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see New York Societies.

Central New York Genealogical Society
Box 104, Colvin Station
Syracuse, NY 13205
Email: contact@cnygs.org
Web Contact Form
Website

Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publishes Tree Talks (At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 B2t) quarterly with annual index.
Counties served: Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.

Yates County History Center
107 Chapel Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527
Phone: 315-536-7318
Website

County maps from 1790-1969, Marriage and death records, 1820's-1990's taken from newspapers, genealogies and other records; census indexes, 1790-1865; Penn Yan County directories, 1879-1990; local history; special collections including photographs; cemetery records; county history; school records; and more.

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Yates County, New York" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yates_County,_New_York, accessed 26 Nov 2018
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Yates County, New York. Page 488-493 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 490-492.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 493. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Yates County, New York," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yates_County,_New_York, accessed 2 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Arlene Eakle, and Johni Cerni, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984), 103. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27ts.
  7. ↑ Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912). Internet Archive digital copy; At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Film 1486494-96; Fiche 6083559-64; Book 974.7 M2p.
  8. ↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 479. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27rb 2004. Henry B. Hoff, "Navigating New York Probate," American Ancestors 12 (Fall 2011): 54.
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