Columbia County, New York Records
Columbia County, New York (Map It) was created on April 4, 1786 from Albany County. The county was named in honor of Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the European explorer .
Columbia County is bordered by Rensselaer County (north), Berkshire County, Massachusetts (east), Dutchess County (south), Ulster County (southwest), Greene County (west), Albany County (northwest), Litchfield County, Connecticut (southeast).
Columbia County Cities and Towns include Ancram (town), Austerlitz (town), Canaan (town), Chatham (town), Chatham (village), Claverack (town), Claverack-Red Mills, Clermont (town), Copake Lake, Copake (town), Gallatin (town), Germantown (town), Ghent (town), Greenport (town), Hillsdale (town), Hudson (city), Kinderhook (town), Kinderhook (village), Livingston (town), Lorenz Park, New Lebanon (town), Niverville, Philmont (village), Stockport (town), Stottville, Stuyvesant (town), Taghkanic (town), Valatie (village).
MapGeeks.org has is a collection of old New York maps.
Columbia County, New York Courthouse Records
Columbia County, NY Courthouse
The Columbia County Courthouse is located in Hudson, 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 Columbia 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.
- Columbia County Clerk has Land Records from 1786, Court Records from 1786 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.
- Columbia County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1786. 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.
- Columbia County Treasurer is responsible for the collection of taxes.
- Columbia 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.
Columbia County, New York Census Records
- Learn More: State of New York Census Records
- U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1790, 1800, 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
Columbia 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
Columbia County, New York Resources
- State of New York Archives and Societies
- RAOGK Volunteers for New York
- Columbia County Historical Society
- Columbia County, NY On-Line History, On-Line Historical Archives
- New York Genealogy Research Community
- Columbia County, New York Message Boards
- Columbia County, New York Genealogy Boards
Columbia County, New York External Links
- New York Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
- Historical Newspapers from New York (1719 - 1992)
- Columbia County, New York Books - Amazon
- Calendar of wills of Columbia County, New York
- Chatham & Hudson Monthly Meeting, Columbia County, New York: Quaker Records
- Gravestone inscriptions of the Hudson City cemetery, Hudson, Columbia County, N.Y.
- Gravestone inscriptions of Columbia County, New York,
- Deaths copied from the Rural respository
- Gravestone inscriptions of the Village Cemetery, Hillsdale, rear of Herrington and Bell houses N. Hillsdale, Old Cemetery, Hill
- Gravestone inscriptions of the Esselstyne Farm on road from Martindale to Harlemville, Harlemville Methodist Cemetery
- Gravestone inscriptions of the Boston Corners Cemetery, Boston Corners, Union Cemetery, Ancram, Old Cemetery
- Gravestone inscriptions of the Germantown Reformed Church Cemetery, Germantown
- Gravestone inscriptions of the cemetery adjoining the Reformed Church of Linlithgo, town of Livingston
- Inscriptions from graveyards in the northern part of Columbia County, New York.
- Marriages and deaths from the Northern whig, published in Hudson, N.Y., 1823-1828
- Cemetery records of Old Orchard Cemetery, Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y.
- Columbia Co., New York - FindaGrave
- Biographical sketches of the distinguished men of Columbia County
- Rensselaerswyck, New York Settlers, 1630-58
- History of the city of Hudson, New York
- A historical sketch of the town of Clermont
- Columbia County, New York Links - Cyndi's List
- Columbia Co. NYGenweb
- Hudson, New York Directories, 1887-91
- Columbia County, New York Ancestry Database Collections
- Columbia County, New York Military Records