Tompkins County, New York Records

Tompkins County, New York (Map It) created on April 7 1817 from Cayuga County and Seneca County. The county was named in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins (1774–1825), the 6th Vice President of the United States.

Tompkins County is bordered by Cayuga County (north), Cortland County (northeast), Tioga County (southeast),Chemung County (southwest), Schuyler County (west), Seneca County (northwest) .

Tompkins County Cities and Towns include Town of Caroline, containing Brooktondale, Caroline Center, Caroline Depot, Slaterville, Slaterville Springs, Speedsville; Town of Danby, containing, Danby, West Danby; Town of Dryden (town), containing, Village of Dryden, Village of Freeville, Etna, Varna, West Dryden; Town of Enfield; Town of Groton, containing, Village of Groton; City of Ithaca; Town of Ithaca, containing, Village of Cayuga Heights, East Ithaca, Forest Home, Northeast Ithaca, Northwest Ithaca, South Hill; Town of Lansing, Village of Lansing; Town of Newfield, containing, Newfield Hamlet; Town of Ulysses, containing, Hamlet of Podunk, Village of Trumansburg.

MapGeeks.org has is a collection of old New York maps.

Tompkins County, New York Courthouse Records

The Tompkins County Courthouse is located in Ithaca, 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 Tompkins 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.

• Tompkins County Clerk has Land Records from 1817, Court Records from 1817 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.
• Tompkins County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1817. 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.
• Tompkins County Treasurer is responsible for the collection of taxes.
• Tompkins 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. 
• Tompkins County Health Deptment

Tompkins 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

Tompkins 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

Tompkins County, New York Resources

• State of New York Archives and Societies
• RAOGK Volunteers for New York
• Finger Lakes Genealogical Society
• Central New York Genealogical Society
• Crooked Lake Review
• Tompkins County Public Library
• John M. Olin Library
• The History Centeand Reference Services
• Tompkins County Museum
• New York Genealogy Research Community
• Tompkins County, New York Message Boards
• Tompkins County, New York Genealogy Boards

Tompkins County, New York External Links

• New York Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
• Historical Newspapers from New York (1719 - 1992)
• Tompkins County, New York Books - Amazon
• Unpublished records of births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths
• The old cemetery at Dryden, Tompkins County, New York : records of inscriptions and genealogical notes
• Tompkins Co., New York - FindaGrave
• The Scenery of Ithaca and the head waters of the Cayuga Lake
• Old Indian trails in Tompkins County
• History of the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, New York during one hundred years
• Tompkins County, New York Links - Cyndi's List
• Tompkins Co. NYGenweb
• New York Farm Directory, 1914: Yates, Schuyler, Tompkins & Seneca Counties
• Ithaca, New York Directories, 1888-91
• Cornell and Princeton University Directories, 1922
• Gazetteer and business directory of Tompkins County, N.Y. for 1868
• Tompkins County, New York Ancestry Database Collections
• Tompkins County, New York Military Records