Chautauqua County, New York Records
Chautauqua County, New York (Map It) was created on March 11, 1808 from Genesee County. The county was named for a Seneca word of uncertain meaning.
Chautauqua County is bordered by Erie County (northeast),Cattaraugus County (east), Warren County, Pennsylvania (southeast), Erie County, Pennsylvania (southwest).
Chautauqua County Cities and Towns include Dunkirk, Jamestown, Arkwright, Busti, Carroll, Charlotte, Chautauqua, Cherry Creek, Clymer, Dunkirk, Ellery, Ellicott, Ellington, French Creek, Gerry, Hanover, Harmony, Kiantone, Mina, North Harmony, Poland, Pomfret, Portland, Ripley, Sheridan, Sherman, Stockton, Villenova, Westfield. Villages include Bemus Point, Brocton, Cassadaga, Celoron, Cherry Creek, Falconer, Forestville, Fredonia, Lakewood, Mayville, Panama, Sherman, Silver Creek, Sinclairville, Westfield. Hamlets include Frewsburg, Laona, Hamlet, Irving, Maple Springs.
MapGeeks.org has is a collection of old New York maps.
Chautauqua County, New York Courthouse Records
Chautauqua County, NY Courthouse
The Chautauqua County Courthouse is located in Mayville, New York. Also contact local Town Clerks. They are responsible for vast amounts of local information from deeds, property transfers, and genealogical materials. Research on place and road names, the history of property transfers and much more are available through your Town Clerk. They are a tremendous resources. Learn More About State of New York Court, Tax, Land and Probate Records.
The Clerk's Office DOES NOT DO RESEARCH. Most staff will assist people in finding the materials, but it is up to the individual to do the research.
The following dates indicates what vital, land, probate, and court records are in Chautauqua county. The date listed for each record is usually the earliest registration filed. The date does not indicate that there are alot records for that year and does not mean that all such events were actually filed with the clerk.
Chautauqua was attached to Niagara County until 1811, but records kept in Buffalo were burned by the British in 1813.
- Chautauqua County Clerk has Land Records from 1811, Court Records from 1811 and Naturalization Records. State court naturalization records remain in custody of the county clerks. Older court naturalization records have been transferred to the National Archives--Northeast Region. The County Clerk is the keeper of most civil and criminal trial court records for Supreme Court and County Court, naturalizations, marriages (1908–35), censuses (Some county clerks' offices hold duplicate copies of some of the State censuses taken periodically between 1825 and 1925 and copies of the federal census), as well as deeds and mortgages.
- Chautauqua County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1811. The County Surrogate Court Clerk maintain records of wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, orders and decrees, and appointments of guardians; and filed papers, including original wills, petitions for probate (gives date of death and lists next of kin), performance bonds, property inventories (seldom found after ca. 1900), administrator's or executor's accountings, etc. Surrogate's Courts create comprehensive indexes to records and files.
- Chautauqua County Treasurer is responsible for the collection of taxes.
- Chautauqua County Historian maintains archival holdings for virtually every facet of the county’s history. The county, town, city or village Historians may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.
In New York State Law: "§ 57.07. Local historian; appointment; maintenance of historical edifices.
A local historian shall be appointed, as provided in this section, for each city, town or village, except that in a city of over one million inhabitants a local historian shall be appointed for each borough therein instead of for the city at large; and a county historian may be appointed for each county."
Counties therefore are not REQUIRED to have an appointed county historian, but are ALLOWED to appoint such an historian. Cities, Towns and Villages "SHALL" appoint a historian, although there doesn't appear to be any dire consequence if one should fail to do so: the Village of Philmont in Columbia County, for example, has neglected to refill the office since the death of their last historian.
Chautauqua County, New York Census Records
- Learn More: State of New York Census Records
- U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragmented), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
- U.S. Census Reconstructed Records: 1660-1820
- State Population Schedules: 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
- Other State Census Schedules: Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920, Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, Non-Population Schedules 1850-1880
- U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Selected U.S. Federal Census Agriculture Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Selected U.S. Federal Census Industry Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Union Veterans Schedules: 1890
Chautauqua County, New York Vital Records
- Learn More: State of New York Vital Records
- Birth and Death Records: from 1880 to present
- Marriage Records: from 1880 to present
- Divorce Records: from January 1963 to present. Earlier Records are in the County Clerk's Office.
- Locations: New York State Dept of Health, Vital Records Section
- Vital Records Online: USAVital or Social Security Death Index
- Vital Records by Mail: Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate, Genealogy Applications.
- In Person: New York State Dept of Health, Vital Records Section, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237; (518) 474-3077, (518) 474-3038 Information
Chautauqua County, New York Resources
- State of New York Archives and Societies
- RAOGK Volunteers for New York
- Chautauqua County Genealogical Society
- Chautauqua County Historical Society and McClurg Museum
- Central New York Genealogical Society
- Western New York Genealogical Society
- Bemus Point Historical Society
- Busti Historical Society, 3443 Lawson Road, Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 483-3670
- Carroll Historical Society
- Celeron Historical Society, Edison LeRoy, 22-C Bradmar Court, Celeron, NY 14720
- Chautauqua Institution Archives
- Chautauqua Township Historical Society
- Clymer Historical Society, Roger Westley, P. O. Box 114, Clymer, NY 14724
- Dunkirk Historical Society
- Ellington Historical Society
- Fenton History Center, Christin Stein, 67 Washington Street, Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 664-6256
- Findley Lake & Mina Historical Society, Community Building, Findley Lake, NY 14736
- French Creek Historical Society, R. D. 2, Clymer, NY 14724
- Hanover Historical Room, 68 Hanover Street, Silver Creek, NY 14136
- Harmony Historical Society Museum
- Kiantone Historical Society
- Lily Dale Historical Museum, Library and East Streets, Lily Dale, NY 14136
- Painted Hills Genealogy Society
- Point Chautauqua Historical Society, 5997 Diamond , Dewittville, NY 14782, (716) 753-2772
- Robert H. Jackson Center
- Sheridan Historical Society, Sheridan Town Hall, Main Street, Sheridan, NY 14135
- Silver Creek Historical Center, 172 Central Avenue, Silver Creek, NY 14136
- Valley Historical Society, Main Street, Sinclairville, NY 14782
- Yorker Museum, Park & Church , Sherman, NY 14781, (716) 761-6789 or (716) (716) 287-3963
- Fenton History Center
- Chautauqua Institution Smith Memorial Library
- Darwin R. Barker Library and Historical Museum
- Patterson Library
- Reed Library
- Dunkirk Historical Museum
- New York Genealogy Research Community
- Chautauqua County, New York Message Boards
- Chautauqua County, New York Genealogy Boards
Chautauqua County, New York External Links
- New York Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
- Historical Newspapers from New York (1719 - 1992)
- Dunkirk Evening Observer (Dunkirk, New York)
- Evening Observer (Dunkirk, New York)
- The Dunkirk Observer Journal (Dunkirk, New York)
- Lake Shore Observer (Dunkirk, New York)
- Chautauqua County, New York Books - Amazon
- Gravestone inscriptions of Fluvannah [sic] Cemetery, Fluvannah, [sic] N.Y.
- Gravestone inscriptions of Chautauqua Cemetery, Chautauqua, N.Y
- History of Evergreen cemetery
- Yorker cemetery record, Sherman, New York
- Chautauqua Co., New York - FindaGrave
- A complete index to more than 10,000 personal names mentioned in Andrew W. Young's history of Chautauqua County, New York
- The Jamestown evening journal index, January 1900-December 1905
- Chautauqua publications
- Index of Chautauqua County, New York
- The Chautauqua region [of] New York
- Index to History of the town of Harmony
- History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people
- History of Chautauqua County, New York
- History of Chautauqua County, New York : from its first settlement to the present time : with numerous biographical and family
- The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y.
- The conquest of Chautauqua.
- Chautauqua County, New York Links - Cyndi's List
- Chautauqua Co. NYGenweb
- Jamestown directory, 1879-80
- Gazetteer and business directory of Chautauqua County, N.Y. for 1873-4
- Chautauqua County, New York Ancestry Database Collections
- Soldiers of the American Revolution : who at one time were residents of, or whose graves are located in Chautauqua County
- Supplement to soldiers of the American Revolution, Chautauqua County, New York
- Chautauqua County, New York Military Records