Orleans County is bordered by Lake Ontario and Monroe, Niagara, and Genesee Counties.
County Formed: 1824
Parent County: Genesee
Daughter Counties: None
Major Land Transactions: Morris Reserve 1791; Holland Land Company Purchase 1792-1796
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
- Other Online Resources
- Selected Bibliography
History
Orleans County was initially inhabited by Seneca tribes until the arrival of European settlers in 1803. Orleans County was founded on November 12, 1824, after separating from Genesee County. The county seat is the Village of Albion. Major land transactions in Orleans County include the Morris Reserve purchase of 1791 and the Holland Land Company Purchase of 1792-1796. Initially, Orleans County was sparsely settled, however the population rapidly grew over the course of the 19th century. The early economy of Orleans County was focused are subsistence crops such as wheat. However, as the population of Orleans County grew, its agricultural production diversified. Furthermore, Orleans County was known for quarrying red Medina sandstone, an important building material. Red Medina sandstone produced in Orleans County was used to build the Erie Canal and New York Central Railroad.
Repositories, Resources, and Societies - County
Orleans County Clerk
Website: Orleans County Clerk
Address: 3 South Main, Courthouse Square, Albion, NY 14411
Phone: (585) 589-5334
Orleans County – Town and Village Clerks
Birth, marriage, and death records are maintained by the clerk of the municipality in which the event occurred. See municipal websites for more details.
Orleans County Surrogate’s Court
Address: One South Main Street, Suite 3, Albion, NY 1411-1497
Phone: (585) 589-4457
Orleans County Public Libraries
Orleans is part of the Nioga Library System; see www.niogalibrary.org to access each library. Many hold genealogy and local history collections including books and newspapers. Also see listings below for Hoag Library and Lee-Whedon Public Library.
Orleans County Historical Association
Website: Orleans County Historical Association
Address: PO Box 181, Albion, NY 14411
Orleans County – All Municipal Historians
While not authorized to answer genealogical inquiries, 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. For example, the Kendall Town Historian website contains place names, important dates, histories, and information on resources available at the town hall. See contact information at www.orleansny.com/Departments/PublicRecords/CountyClerk/Genealogy.aspx, the Government Appointed Historians of Western New York at www.gahwny.org/p/orleans.html, or the Association of Public Historians of New York State at www.aphnys.org.
Orleans County Genealogical Society
Website: Orleans County Genealogical Society
Address: Albion Town Hall, 3665 Carendon Road, PO Box 103 Albion, NY 14411
Email: ochomefront@yahoo.com
Repositories, Resources, and Societies - Regional
Milne Library at Suny Geneseo: Special Collections: Genesee Valley Historical Collection
Website: Milne Library at SUNY Geneseo: Special Collections: Genesee Valley Historical Collection
Address: One College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: (585) 245-5194
SUNY Fredonia: Daniel A. Reed Library: Archives & Special Collections
Website: SUNY Fredonia: Daniel A. Reed Library: Archives & Special Collections
Address: Fredonia, NY 14063
Phone: (716) 673-3184
University of Rochester: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation
Website: University of Rochester: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation: Manuscript and Special Collections: Rochester, Western New York, and New York State
Rush Rhees Library, Second Floor, Room 225, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0055
Phone: (585) 275-4477
Western New York Genealogical Society
Website: Western New York Genealogical Society
Address of Library: Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Grosvenor Room, One Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203
Phone: (716) 858-8900
Address of Society: PO Box 338, Hamburg, NY 14075-0338
Email: info@wnygs.org
Western New York Heritage Press
Website: Western New York Heritage Press
495 Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard, Cheektowaga, NY 14225-2503
Phone: (716) 893-4011
Email: emaillist@wnyheritagepress.org
Repositories, Resources, and Societies - Local
Alphabetized by location
Hoag Library (Swan Library): Genealogy and History
Website: Hoag Library (Swan Library): Genealogy and History
Address: 134 South Main Street, Albion, NY 14411
Phone: (585) 589-4246
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library
Website: Lee-Whedon Memorial Library
Address: 620 West Avenue, Medina, NY 14103
Phone: (585) 798-3430
Email: info@medinalibrary.org
Medina Historical Society and Museum
Website: Medina Historical Society and Museum
Address: 406 West Avenue, Medina, NY 14103
Phone: (585) 798-3006
Civil, Vital, and Public 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: 1800-1940 (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 Orleans County Clerk’s Office: 1855, 1856*, 1875, 1892, 1905 (1825, 1835, and 1845 are lost)
- State originals at the NYSA: 1915, 1925
- Microfilm at the FHL, NYPL, and NYSL
- Many years are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com
- For 1865 census indexes see NYGenWeb Project in Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions below.
Other 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:
New York, Land Records, 1630-1975. Includes land and property records.
New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971. Includes wills, letters of administration, and guardianship papers.
For both collections, choose the browse option and then select Orleans to view the available records sets.
New York Heritage Digital Collections: New York State Newspaper Project
The website provides links to digital newspapers collections in 26 counties (currently) made accessible through New York Heritage, New York State Historic Newspapers, HRVH Historical Newspapers, and other providers.
NYGenWeb Project: Orleans County
Part of the national, USGenWeb volunteer initiative, the website provides information and resources for county research.
Selected Bibliography
Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions
- County of Orleans Abstracts. Syracuse: Central New York Genealogical Society, 2000. Abstracts for a range of genealogical records originally published in the quarterly Tree Talks. A name index is on the CNYGS website.
- Daughters of the American Revolution, comp. 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 at http://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.
- Kelly, Arthur C.M. Index to Tree Talks County Packets: Orleans County. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002.
- “Marriages by Justice Ammon Blair, Orleans County, 1840-50.” NYG&B Record, vol. 140, no. 4 (2009): 285-286. [NYG&B eLibrary]
- NYGenWeb Project, Orleans County. “Index to the 1865 New York State Census.” www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyorlean/1865cen.htm
- Sheldon, Nellie M. Marriages 1826 to 1837, Murray, Orleans County, New York: Copied from Original Manuscripts. San Diego: Nellie M. Sheldon, 1964.
- Worden, Jean D. “Book I, Subject Index includes a listing by county of the cemeteries, churches, towns, and other sources of records transcribed by the DAR.
Other Resources
- Beers, D.G. Atlas of Niagara and Orleans Counties, New York: From Actual Surveys and Official Records. Philadephia, 1875. [NYPL Digital Gallery]
- Child, Hamilton. Gazetteer and Business Directory of Orleans County, NY, for 1869. Syracuse, 1869.
- Gardepe, Carol D., and Janice Dates Regester. A History of the Town of Yates in Orleans County, New York. Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Bros, 1976.
- Historical Album of Orleans County, NY: With Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Private Residences, Public Buildings, Fine Blocks, Prominent Residents. New York: Press of W.E. Morrison & Co., 1979. First published 1879.
- New Century Atlas of Orleans County, New York. Philadelphia: Century Map Co., 1913.
- New York Historical Resources Center. Guide to Historical Resources in Orleans County, New York, Repositories. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, 1982. [books.FamilySearch.org]
- Signor, Issac S.Landmarks of Orleans County, New York. Syracuse, 1893. Includes American Indian history, topography, early land, divisions, early settlement, military, industries, business, transportation, Erie Canal, town histories, medicine, biographies, and family sketches.
- Swart, Joseph. Swart’s Orleans County, NY, Directory, 1894…Medina, NY, 1894.
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.