This collection contains histories and directories of Erie County, New York. These volumes provide crucial historical context that can help researchers uncover more records and develop a deeper understanding of their Erie County ancestors.
The volumes in this collection also contain genealogical and biographical information—apart from the names listed in the directories, many of the histories include biographical sketches, lists of county officers, and other details of the people that lived in the county.
Searches entered from this page will query all volumes in the collection. Read below for detailed information on the contents of each volume and waypoint links.
Memorial and family history of Erie County, New York, Vols. 1 & 2
This volume is a biographical compilation of important people from Erie County. Researchers will find the family history of the people featured throughout this volume. Information like dates of birth, education, name of parents and children are available. Researchers will also appreciate that alongside valuable information, they will get a narrative family history that adds good, colorful context to lives of the people that made notable contributions to Erie County, New York.
This volume is text searchable – searches entered from this page will query the entire work.
This volume was published by the Genealogy Publishing Company in 1906.
History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, Vols. 1 & 2
By 1884, which is when these two volume were published, Erie County was still a relatively young county in New York State. Documenting its history up until this point came with challenges. The writers of this book sought to overcome that challenge to document the big events that took place in Buffalo and Erie County such as its involvement in the War of 1812 and its contributions during the Civil War. There are also biographical sketches of important people from the region that could be of value to researchers.
Both volumes are text searchable – searches entered from this page will query the entire work. The images can also be browsed by clicking the waypoint links below.
Sections include:
Volume 1:
- Table of Contents for Vol. 1
- History from 1620 to 1801
- History from 1802 to 1860
- History of the Region During the Civil War
- Information on Infantries
- The Erie Canal, Railroads, Erie County Agricultural Society, County Buildings, and Civil List
- Biographical Sketches
- History of the Towns of Erie County
- Newstead | Clarence | Amherst | Tonawanda | Grand Island | Alden | Lancaster | Cheektowaga | Marilla | Elma | West Seneca | Hamburg | East Hamburg | Aurora | Wales | Evans | Eden | Boston | Colden | Holland | Sardinia | Brant | Concord | Collins | North Collins
Volume 2:
- Table of Contents for Vol. 2
- History of Buffalo
- Churches of Buffalo
- Professionals, Secret Societies and Public Institutions of Buffalo
- Buffalo Cemeteries
These volumes were edited by H. Perry Smith in 1884.
History of Buffalo and Erie County, 1914-1919
This volume contains the history of Buffalo and Erie County during the World War I era. Researchers will find information about the role that this region played during World War I. Along with the history of the region’s contributions to the war effort, researchers can also find the rosters of soldiers, volunteers and institutions such as the Red Cross, the Knights of Columbus, and more
This volume is text searchable – searches entered from this page will query the entire work. The images can also be browsed by clicking the waypoint links below.
Sections include:
This volume was compiled and edited by Daniel J. Sweeney in 1920.
Knights of Pythias Directory and Buffalo Street Directory and Guide
This volume is a street directory for 1894. This volume compiles the addresses of members of the Knights of Pythias from Buffalo, New York.
The Knight of Pythias is a fraternal organization established in the 1800s that still exists today. It has lodges in the United States and around the world. During the fraternities’ period of growth in the late 1800s, the City of Buffalo had a sizable population of men who were members of the Knights of Pythias. In 1894, 1,300 members of this fraternity lived in Buffalo.
This fraternity was growing when Buffalo was growing as a city as well. This street guide gives researchers a glimpse of the space Buffalo occupied geographically in 1894. This guide documents Buffalo’s street almost two decades after its famous park system was completed. Knowing this can help researchers because the city began to grow around the geographic area that this volume covers.
Researchers who had ancestors who were members of the Knight of Pythias fraternity would find this guide and directory valuable. This directory is organized alphabetically by street name.
This volume is text searchable – searches entered from this page will query the entire work.
Click here to view this volume.
This directory by Albert J. Kuebler and Fred Kraebel in 1894.
Suggested citations for this collection:
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, “Erie County Histories and Directories” digital images, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, (www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org), 2021.