Monroe County was formed on February 23, 1821. Located in Western New York, Monroe is bordered on the north by Lake Ontario, and further surrounded by the counties of Wayne, Ontario, Livingston, Orleans, and Genesee. Monroe thrived as an industrial county due to its use of the Genesee River to power its mills, and its use of the Erie Canal to facilitate the transport of goods. The county is now home to approximately 750,000 people.
If you are searching for ancestors in Monroe County, a good place to start would be the Monroe County Department of Public Health: Office of Vital Records. Their holdings include all birth and death records that occurred in Monroe County from 1880–present. Cities, towns, and villages forward their records to the county for this consolidated district. And, copies can be ordered online! Visit their website here: http://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-VitalRecords.php
If you are looking for further, in-depth material, try contacting one of Monroe County’s many local repositories and resources that specialize in local history. The Wheatland Historical Association, for instance, was formed in 1972 to preserve the history of Wheatland, NY. The WHA maintains the Skivington Local History Room, home to many original town records, as well as scrapbooks, diaries clippings, and photos. To find out more information, visit their website: www.townofwheatland.org/History
NYG&B members have access to all our original county guides on our website. Each guide was created by experts in the field in order to direct researchers to these local, unique resources. To learn more about the benefits of membership, see our membership page HERE.
Additionally, last year we published the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer, which is filled with gazetteers, maps, and research guides to each of New York’s 62 counties. Since our last printing, there have been many updates and changes noted.
Good luck with your research!