Westchester County, New York Records

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Westchester County, New York Courthouse Records
Westchester County, New York Census Records
Westchester County, New York Vital Records
Westchester County, New York Resources
Westchester County, New York External Links

Westchester County, New York (Map It) created on November 1, 1683 as One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony. The county was named for the city of Chester in England .

Westchester County is bordered by Putnam County (north), Fairfield County, Connecticut (northeast), Bergen County, New Jersey (southwest), Rockland County (west), Bronx County (south).

Westchester County Cities and Towns include Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Rye, White Plains, Yonkers, Bedford, Cortlandt, Eastchester, Greenburgh, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mamaroneck, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Ossining, Pelham, Pound Ridge, Town of Rye, Scarsdale, Somers, Yorktown. Villages include Ardsley, Briarcliff Manor, Bronxville, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Ossining, Pelham, Pelham Manor, Pleasantville, Port Chester, Rye Brook, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Tuckahoe. Communities include Amawalk, Armonk, Baldwin Place, Banksville, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, Chappaqua, Cortlandt Manor, Crompond, Cross River, Croton Falls, Crugers, Eastchester, Eastview, Fairview, Golden's Bridge, Granite Springs, Greenville/Edgemont, Hartsdale, Hawthorne, Heritage Hills, Jefferson Valley-Yorktown, Katonah, Lake Mohegan, Lincolndale, Millwood, Montrose, Peach Lake, Pocantico Hills, Purchase, Purdys, Salem Center, Scotts Corners, Shenorock, Shrub Oak, Somers, South Salem, Thornwood, Tompkins Corners, Valhalla, Verplanck, Vista, Waccabuc, Yorktown Heights.

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

Westchester County, New York Courthouse Records

Westchester County, New York Courthouse
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Westchester County, NY Courthouse

The Westchester County Courthouse is located in White Plains, 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 Westchester 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.

  • Westchester County Clerk has Land Records from 1683, Court Records from 1683 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. Records, with indexes for 1680—1897, are held at the Records Center and Archives. Later deed records are with the county clerk.
  • Westchester County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1775. 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.
  • Westchester County Treasurer is responsible for the collection of taxes.
  • Westchester 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. 

Westchester County, New York Census Records

Westchester County, New York Vital Records

Westchester County, New York Resources

Westchester County, New York External Links

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