Orange County, New York Records
Orange County, New York (Map It) created on November 01, 1683 as one of 12 original counties created in the New York colony. The county was named in honor of William of Orange-Nassau (1650–1702), who became King William III of England .
Orange County is bordered by Dutchess County (northeast), Putnam County (east), Rockland County (southeast), Sullivan County (northwest), Ulster County (north), Westchester County (south), Passaic County, New Jersey (south), Sussex County, New Jersey, (south) and Pike County, Pennsylvania, (southwest).
Orange County Cities and Towns include Blooming Grove (town), Chester (village), Chester (town), Cornwall on Hudson (village), Cornwall (town), Crawford (town), Deerpark (town), Florida (village), Goshen (village), Goshen (town), Greenville (town), Greenwood Lake (village), Hamptonburgh (town), Harriman (village), Highland Falls (village), Highlands (town), Kiryas Joel (village), Maybrook (village), Middletown (city), Minisink (town), Monroe (village), Monroe (town), Montgomery (village), Montgomery (town), Mount Hope (town), New Hampton, New Windsor (town), Newburgh (town), Newburgh (city), Otisville (village), Port Jervis (city), Sugar Loaf (village), Tuxedo Park (village), Tuxedo (town), Unionville (village), Walden (village), Wallkill (town), Warwick (village), Warwick (town), Washingtonville (village), Wawayanda (town), Woodbury (town) .
MapGeeks.org has is a collection of old New York maps.
Orange County, New York Courthouse Records
Orange County, NY Courthouse
The Orange County Courthouse is located in Goshen, 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 Orange 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.
Record Loss. Courthouse built in 1739 was destroyed by fire in 1774.
- Orange County Clerk has Land Records from 1703, Court Records from 1703 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.
- Orange County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1787. 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.
- Orange County Treasurer is responsible for the collection of taxes.
- Orange 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.Â
Orange 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
Orange County, New York Vital Records
- Learn More: State of New York Vital Records
- Birth and Death Records: from 1880Â to present
- Marriage Records: from 1880Â to present
- Divorce Records: from January 1963 to present. Earlier Records are in the County Clerk's Office.
- Locations:Â New York State Dept of Health, Vital Records Section
- Vital Records Online:Â USAVital or Social Security Death Index
- Vital Records by Mail:  Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate, Genealogy  Applications.
- In Person:Â New York State Dept of Health, Vital Records Section, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237; (518) 474-3077, (518) 474-3038 Information
Orange County, New York Resources
- State of New York Archives and Societies
- RAOGK Volunteers for New York
- Orange County Genealogical Society
- Orange County Genealogical Society Research Room
- Central New York Genealogical Society
- The Hudson Valley Institute
- Newburgh Free Library
- Goshen Library and Historical Society
- New York Genealogy Research Community
- Orange County, New York Message Boards
- Orange County, New York Genealogy Boards
Orange County, New York External Links
- New York Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
- Historical Newspapers from New York (1719 - 1992)
- Middletown Times Herald (Middletown, New York)
- The Times Herald Record (Middletown, New York)
- Middletown Daily Argus (Middletown, New York)
- Middletown Times Press (Middletown, New York)
- Middletown Daily Herald (Middletown, New York)
- Evening Gazette (Port Jervis, New York)
- Middletown Daily Times (Middletown, New York)
- Middletown Daily Press (Middletown, New York)
- Orange County, New York Books - Amazon
- Graveyard inscriptions of Orange County, N.Y.
- Orange County, New York deaths : from the Independent Republican, Goshen, New York
- Inscriptions of German Reformed Cemetery at Montgomery, Orange County, New York
- Orange Co., New York - FindaGrave
- St. James Protestant Episcopal Church records
- History of the First Presbyterian Church of Monroe, New York : 1783-1956
- Church records, Reformed Dutch Church, Berea, Orange County, N.Y., 1823-1899
- Records of the Dutch Reformed Church
- Directory, Moulton Memorial Baptist Church, Newburgh, N.Y.
- New Windsor Presbyterian Church record
- Index to Eager's history of Orange County (New York)
- Portrait and biographical record of Orange County, New York
- The History of Orange County, New York
- Orange County, New York Links - Cyndi's List
- Orange Co. NYGenweb
- Newburgh, New York Directories, 1889-92
- Orange County directory for 1870
- Orange County, New York Ancestry Database Collections
- Newburgh in the World War
- Obstructions of the Hudson River during the Revolution
- Orange County, New York Military Records