Oneida County is bordered by Oswego, Lewis, Herkimer, Madison, and Otsego Counties.
County Formed: 1798
Parent County: Herkimer
Daughter Counties: Jefferson 1805; Lewis 1850; Oswego 1816
Major Land Transactions: Holland Patent 1769; Chenango Twenty Townships 1789-1794
Table of Contents
- History
- Cities, Towns, and Villages
- Repositories, Resources, and Societies – County
- Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Regional
- Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Local
- Civil, Public, and Vital Records
- Federal Census Records
- State Census Records
- Online Resources
- Selected Bibliography
History
Oneida County was originally occupied by the Iroquois tribes that lived in the area before European settlers arrived. Founded on March 15, 1798, Oneida County branched off from Herkimer County. Oneida County’s seat is located in the City of Utica and has various daughter counties, including Jefferson, Lewis, and Oswego. Oneida County was named after the Oneida tribe of the Iroquois nation. Some significant land transactions include the Holland Patent of 1769 and the Chenango Twenty Townships of 1789-1794. Early settlers' triumph in the area attracted many more settlers to follow their lead by purchasing low-cost fertile farm land that had easy access to water power used for textiles, mills and transportation. The Erie Canal travels through Oneida County and further contributed to the economic affluence of the area. When textile production began to move to southern states, the local governments did their best to attract a diverse network of businesses to guarantee the continued prosperity of the county.
Repositories, Resources, and Societies – County
Oneida County Clerk
Website: Oneida County Clerk
Address: Oneida County Office Building, 800 Park Avenue, Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (315) 798-5776
Email: countyclerk@ocgov.net
Oneida County - City, Town, and Village Clerks
Website: City, Town, and Village Clerks
Birth, marriage, and death records are maintained by the clerk of the municipality in which the event occurred; see Introduction to County Guides for details of other records which may also be held by municipal clerks. For contact information, see municipal websites. Unlike most city clerks, Utica City Clerk holds some vital records not available at the New York State Department of Health.
Oneida County Surrogate's Court
Website: Surrogate's Court
Address: Oneida County Office Building, 800 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (315) 266-4550
Oneida County Public Libraries
Website: Oneida County Public Libraries
Oneida County is part of the Mid-York Library System.
Utica Public Library
Website: Utica Public Library
Address: 303 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (315) 735-2279
Oneida County History Center
Website: Oneida County History Center
Address: 1608 Genesee Street, Utica, New York 13502-5425
Phone: 315-735-3642
Email: ochs@oneidacountyhistory.org
Research Inquiries: historyinquiries@oneidacountyhistory.org
Oneida County - All Municipal Historians
Website: Oneida County – All Municipal Historians
While not authorized to answer genealogical inquiries, city, town, and village historians can provide valuable historical information and research advice; some maintain collections and webpages which may include transcribed records, local histories, and other genealogical material.
Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Regional
Central New York Genealogical Society
Website: Central New York Genealogical Society
Address: PO Box 404, Colvin Station, Syracuse, NY 13205
Email: cnygs@yahoo.com
SUNY at Oswego: Local History Collection
Website: SUNY at Oswego: Local History Collection
Address: Penfield Library, Special Collections, Oswego, NY 13126
Phone: (315) 312-3537
Email: archives@oswego.edu
Fulton-Montgomery Community College: The Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Study Center at Evans Library
Website: The Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Study Center
Address: 2805 State Highway 67, Johnstown, NY 12095
Phone: (518) 212 - 7685
Email: libinfo@fmcc.edu
Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Local
Alphabetized by location
Boonville Historical Club
Website: Boonville Historical Club
Address: Dodge-Pratt-Northam Arts & Cultural Center, 106 Schuyler Street, Boonville, NY 13309
Phone: (315) 942-4251
Erwin Library and Institute
Website: Erwin Library and Institute
Address: 104 Schuyler Street, Boonville, NY 13309
Phone: (315) 942-4834
The Carriage House Museum of the Queen Village Historical Society
Website: The Carriage House Museum of the Queen Village Historical Society
Street Address: 2 North Park Street, Camden, NY 13316
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 38, Camden, NY 13316
Phone: (315) 245-4652
Email: historycamdenqvhs@gmail.com
Paris Historical Society
Website: Town of Paris Historical Society
Street Address: 2241 Oneida Street, Clayville, NY13322
Mailing Address: PO Box 62, Clayville, NY 13322
Phone: (315) 737-8611
Clinton Historical Society, Museum, and Munson Library
Website: Clinton Historical Society
Street Address: 1 Fountain Street, Clinton, New York 13323
Mailing Address: PO Box 42, Clinton, NY 13323
Phone: (315) 859-1392
Email: clintonhistoricalsociety1@gmail.com
Hamilton College Library
Website: Hamilton College Library
Address: 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
Phone: (315) 859-4479
Email: askref@hamilton.edu
Kirkland Town Library
Website: Kirkland Town Library
Address: 55½ College Street, Clinton, NY 13323
Phone: (315) 853-2038
Marshall Historical Society
Website: Marshall Historical Society
Address: PO Box 232, Deansboro, NY 13328
Phone: (315) 853-6887
Deerfield Historical Society
Website: Deerfield Historical Society
Address: 6329 Walker Road, Deerfield, NY 13502
Phone: (315) 724-0413
Email: OurDeerfieldHistory@gmail.com
New Hartford Historical Society
Website: New Hartford Historical Society
Address: 2 Paris Road, PO Box 238, New Hartford, NY
Phone: (315) 724-7258
Email: historicalnh@yahoo.com
Civil, Public, and Vital Records
Civil Records are those created, recorded and/or maintained by a governmental body and include births, marriages, deaths, censuses, property, and probate. NB: The New York State government began collecting vital record data in 1880. Birth, marriage, and death records from New York State (excluding the five boroughs of New York City) after 1880 on can be obtained from the New York State Department of Health. For vital records previous to 1880, consult the municipality in which the event took place. Learn more about New York's vital records in our online guide.
Federal Census Records
Population schedules: 1790-1940 (except 1890).
Online at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Findmypast.com (free to NYG&B members).
Access on Findmypast:
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State Census Records
- County originals at the Oneida County Historical Society: 1825, 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1915, 1925 (1845, 1892, and 1905 are lost). State originals at the NYSA: 1915, 1925
- Microfilm at the FHL, NYPL, NYSHA, and NYSL
- Many years are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
- 1825 New York state census—only the indexes for the Towns of Paris and Western survive. The originals for these indexes are held at the Oneida County Historical Society. Microfilm is only available at the FHL.
Online Resources
General Resources
There are vast numbers of records on Ancestry.com that pertain to people who have lived in New York State. A search of the online card catalog by county may reveal lesser known resources that pertain to a locality, such as town records, abstracts, transcriptions, city directories, and local histories.
FamilySearch has extensive collections of New York records, including religious records, which are searchable by name and location, but not by county. The following collections include record images (browsable, but not searchable) that are organized by county.
NYGenWeb Project: Oneida County
Part of the national, USGenWeb volunteer initiative, the website provides information and resources for county research.
Maps
- New York, Land Records, 1630-1975 - Includes land and property records.
Other Records
- New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 - Includes wills, letters of administration, and guardianship papers.
Selected Bibliography
Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions
- Barber, Gertrude Audrey. “Abstracts of Wills of Oneida County, NY.” Typescript, 1939. [Ancestry.com]
- County of Oneida Abstracts. Syracuse: Central New York Genealogical Society, 2000. Abstracts for a range of genealogical records originally published in the quarterly Tree Talks.
- Daughters of the American Revolution, comps. New York DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report. Since 1913 DAR volunteers have transcribed many thousands of unpublished cemetery, church, and town records throughout New York. The reports are at the DAR Library; copies are at the NYSL and the NYPL. The DAR has a searchable name index to all the GRC reports athttp://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=6. See Jean Worden’s index below for a listing by county of the New York record sets that were transcribed by the DAR before 1998.
- Hatcher, Patricia L. “Marriages by Rev. Israel Brainerd in and around Verona, Oneida County, 1807–1849.” NYG&B Record, vol. 141 (2010), no. 3: 221–225, no. 4: 310–313. [NYG&B eLibrary]
- Kelly, Arthur C. M. Index to Tree Talks County Packet: Oneida County. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002.
- “McConnellsville, Oneida Co., NY, Cemetery Inscriptions.” Typescript, 1931. NYPL, New York. Transcribed and indexed by Kenn Stryker-Rodda for The Long Island Historical Society, 1955. [NYG&B eLibrary]
- Pitcher, James S. From the Files of the Town Historian: Ava, Boonville, West Leyden, Lewis. Boonville, NY: Adirondack Communities Advisory League, 1995.
- Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Whitesboro in the Town of Whitestown, Oneida County, NY.” Typescript, 1920. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
- Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed . “Records of the Paris Religious Society in the Town of Paris, Oneida County, NY.” Typescript, 1921. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
- Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the Society of Clinton, a Congregational Church in the Village of Clinton, in the Town of Kirkland, Oneida County, NY.” Typescript, 1921. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
The materials above are a compilation of resources available, with an emphasis on online resources, which might be useful to someone doing research within this county. The inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement of its content or accuracy. Please send any additions or corrections to webmaster@nygbs.org.