Nassau County, New York Guide

Nassau County is located just east of New York City, and with Suffolk County (to its east) comprises what is generally considered Long Island. Long Island Sound separates Nassau County from Westchester County and Bronx County to the northwest and Fairfield County, Connecticut, to the north. ​

County Formed: 1899

Parent County: Queens

Daughter Counties: None

Major Land Transactions: None

 

Nassau County Map
Map of Nassau County

Table of Contents

 

 

History

 

American Indians may have lived on Long Island as far back as 12,000 years ago. The European settlement of what would become Nassau County began in the early 17th century, when 50 English families from the towns of Weathersfield and Stamford, Connecticut, crossed Long Island Sound to arrive at Manhasset Bay. They established the town of Hempstead on land purchased from the Massapequa, Merioke, and Rockaway Indians. In 1683, the counties of Kings, Suffolk, and Queens were created, and for many years constituted what was considered to be Long Island.

Within a few generations, Long Island had become a patchwork of farms sustained by slave labor. In contrast with the wealthy planters of the south, most slaveowners in New York were yeomen farmers who owned only one or two slaves. Though slaves were more integrated with their owners' families than their counterparts in the south, they were nonetheless subject to harsh working conditions and severe limits on their personal liberties, made ever more intolerable by local laws that were intended to prevent slave rebellions and keep slaves in their place. Beginning in the 18th century, pressure began to build to abolish slavery in New York State. On Long Island, the abolitionist movement was fueled by a sizable population of Quakers. Still, it was not until 1827 that slavery finally ended in New York.

In the mid-19th century, a network of railroads was built across Long Island, facilitating access to New York City. The continuing enhancement of transportation technology allowed for the development and growth of suburban towns across the island. Between 1900 and 1930, the population of Nassau County swelled from about 55,000 to over 300,000. During this time, Long Island also became a popular spot for wealthy New Yorkers looking to establish country estates.

The suburbanization of Long Island continued throughout the 20th century and into the present. During World War II, an aviation industry was established in Nassau County to feed the demand for war planes.

Nassau County was split from Queens County in 1899; at the same time, Kings and Queens Counties became boroughs of New York City. Today, Nassau and Suffolk County are considered to be the two constituent counties of Long Island. The name Nassau was selected in honor of William III, governor of the Netherlands and member of the house of Nassau.

Further Reading

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – County

 

Nassau County Clerk

Website: Nassau County Clerk

Address: 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501

Phone: (516) 571-2664

Land records 1899–present; naturalization records 1899–1987; county originals of the New York state censuses 1915 and 1925; marriage records 1907–1935; mortgages; and indexes. Land records and maps prior to 1899 from Queens County are available on microfilm; indexes on microfilm as well.

 

Nassau County – City, Town, and Village Clerks

Website: Nassau County – 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.

 

Nassau County Surrogate’s Court

Address: 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501

Phone: (516) 493-3800

Holds probate records, 1899–present. Onsite computerized index and ordering system.

 

Nassau County Public Libraries

Website: Nassau County Public Libraries

Most libraries have special collections and archival materials relating to local history and genealogy, including newspapers, maps, local histories, photographs, scrapbooks, and pamphlets. Selected libraries with strong collections are listed below.

 

Nassau County Historian

Address: 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501

Phone: (516) 383-1557

 

Nassau 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. For example, the Oyster Bay town historian maintains a page on the town’s website with selected Civil War and vital records.

 

Nassau County Historical Society

Website: Nassau County Historical Society

Address: PO Box 207, Garden City, NY 11530-0207

Phone: (516) 538-7679

Email: webmaster@nassaucountyhistoricalsociety.org

Society’s collection is housed in the Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University (see below). Publishes an annual journal.

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Regional

 

Hofstra University Library Special Collections Department: Long Island Studies Institute

Website: Hofstra University Library Special Collections Department: Long Island Studies Institute

Address: Joan & Donald E. Axinn Library, Room 032, 123 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549-1230

Phone: (516) 463-6407

Email: lisi@hofstra.edu

Holdings include Hofstra University Long Island Studies Institute collection, collection of the Nassau County Historical Society, reference collection of the Nassau County Museum, and James N. MacLean American Legion Memorial Collection. Materials include books and manuscripts, family papers, genealogies, local histories, census materials, government documents (including Queens and Nassau property records on microfilm), photographs, and newspapers. See the online catalog for descriptions and some specific finding aids for the Rare Books and Manuscript division.

 

Patchogue-Medford Library: Celia M. Hastings Local History Room

Website: Patchogue-Medford Library: Celia M. Hastings Local History Room

Address: 54-60 Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772

Phone: (631) 654-4700 ext. 240

 

Stony Brook University: Center for Global and Local History

Address: Stony Brook University Department of History, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4348

Phone: (631) 632-7488

 

Stony Brook University: Special Collections & Archives

Website: Stony Brook University: Special Collections & Archives

Address: Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, Room E-2320, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4348

Phone: (631) 632-7488

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Local

 

Alphabetized by location

 

Baldwin Historical Society and Museum

Website: Baldwin Historical Society and Museum

Address: 1980 Grand Avenue, PO Box 762, Baldwin, NY 11510

Society’s archives include letters, journals, newspapers, maps, postcards, and photographs. Provides research assistance.

 

Long Island University: C.W. Post Campus: B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library: Cedar Swamp Historical Society Collection

Library Website: Long Island University: C.W. Post Campus: B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library: Cedar Swamp Historical Society Collection

Library Address: 720 Northern Blvd, Brookville, NY 11548

Library Phone: (516) 299-2928

Society Website: Cedar Swamp Historical Society

Society Address: PO Box 458, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Collections date from 1763 and include letters and deeds, maps, ephemera, books, and other records documenting the history of Cedar Swamp, the Society of Friends, and the Long Island Railroad.

 

The Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook

Website: The Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook

Address: PO Box 351, East Rockaway, NY 11518-0351

Phone: (516) 887-9094

Email: hserl@optonline.net

Holdings include books about both communities, cemetery records, biographical files, and Davison genealogy.

 

Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society

Website: Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society

Address: PO Box 500, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Email: info@fbhsli.org

Documents history of the Bethpage Purchase (Bethpage, Farmingdale, Melville, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Plainedge, and Plainview). Website features photographs and historical articles.

 

Franklin Square Historical Society and Museum

Website: Franklin Square Historical Society and Museum

Address: John Street School, Nassau Boulevard, PO Box 45, Franklin Square, NY 11010

Phone: (516) 352-1586

Maintains research library; also the George and Helen Christ Fosters Meadow Heritage Center, a collection of books and documents, genealogies, and photographs documenting the history of Fosters Meadow, a former German American farming community in Nassau County.

 

Freeport Historical Society and Museum

Website: Freeport Historical Society and Museum

Address: 350 South Main Street, Freeport, NY 11520

Phone: (516) 623-9632

Email: freeporthistoricalsociety@yahoo.com

Cemetery records, Freeport census (1898 and 1912), 1911 Freeport High School Alumni Records, photographs, and theater playbills. Many records online.

 

Glen Cove Public Library: The Robert R. Coles Long Island History Collection

Website: Glen Cove Public Library: The Robert R. Coles Long Island History Collection

Address: 4 Glen Cove Avenue, Glen Cove, NY 11542-2885

Phone: (516) 676-2130

Email: glencove@glencovelibrary.org

Map collection, photograph collection (including postcards and negatives, mid-1800s to present), history pamphlet file organized by subject, local newspapers on microfilm 1700s–present, documents, manuscripts, and records including family papers and diaries, 1665–present, periodicals; and artifacts and memorabilia.

 

Hempstead Village Historical Society

Address: c/o Hempstead Public Library, 115 Nichols Court, Hempstead, NY 11550

Phone: (516) 481-6990

Email: Hempstead@nassaulibrary.org

Holdings include newspaper articles, census materials, and local history.

 

Hicksville Public Library: Hicksville Historical Society Collection

Website: Hicksville Public Library: Hicksville Historical Society Collection

Library Address: 169 Jerusalem Avenue, Hicksville, NY 11801

Library Phone: (516) 931-1417

Society Address: PO Box 443, Hicksville, NY 11802

Society maintains a local history room in the library with census materials, maps, and estate information.

 

Jericho Public Library: Local History Collection

Website: Jericho Public Library: Local History Collection

Address: One Merry Lane, Jericho, NY 11753

Phone: (516) 935-6790 ext. 28

Books, family histories, periodicals, photographs, artwork, archival boxes (including clippings, diaries, letters, manuscripts, pamphlets, memorabilia, and documents), and oral histories 1700s–present.

 

Levittown Historical Society and Museum

Address: Levittown Memorial Education Center, 150 Abbey Lane, PO Box 57, Levittown, NY 11756-0057

Phone: (516) 731-5728

Email: Levhistsociety@aol.com

Holdings include local history, census materials, maps, and property information.

 

Locust Valley Historical Society: Julia Clark Historical Collection

Website: Locust Valley Historical Society: Julia Clark Historical Collection

Address: Locust Valley Library, 170 Buckram Road, Locust Valley, NY 11560

Email: locustvalleyhistory@yahoo.com

Holdings include cemetery information and transcriptions, maps, records of local organizations and institutions, family papers, and genealogies. Subject guide online.

 

The Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society and Museum

Website: The Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society and Museum

Address: 226 West Penn Street, PO Box 286, Long Beach, NY 11561

Phone: (516) 432-1192

Email: info@longbeachhistory.org

Holdings include photographs, local newspapers, and census information.

 

Malverne Historical and Preservation Society and Museum

Website: Malverne Historical and Preservation Society and Museum

Address: 369 Ocean Avenue, PO Box 393, Malverne, NY 11565

Phone: (516) 792-1910

Holdings include local history and information about Malverne citizens, 1920s–present.

 

Historical Society of the Town of North Hempstead

Website: Historical Society of the Town of North Hempstead

Address: 220 Plandome Road, Manhasset, NY 11030

Phone: (516) 627-3664

Email: nsai@optonline.net

Holdings include photographs and maps.

 

Historical Society of the Massapequas

Website: Historical Society of the Massapequas

Address: 4755 Merrick Road, PO Box 211, Massapequa, NY 11758

Phone: (516) 799-2023

Maintains a library collection, the Old Grace Church and a local cemetery.

 

Mineola Historical Society

Address: 211 Westbury Avenue, PO Box 423, Mineola, NY 11501

Phone: (516) 746-6722

Phone books, most years 1953–2008; high school yearbooks Mineola’s Signet, 1923–1928, 1941–1952 (alumni office has additional years); Chaminade’s Crimson & Gold, 1932–2010 (gaps). Over 1700 photographs and postcards, images include: village and street scenes, LIRR, early aviation, Nassau Hospital, courthouses, residences, schools, politicians, military (incl. Camp Mills), Mineola Fair, Mineola Theater, and the Vanderbilt Cup races; maps, pamphlets and booklets 1880s–present; vertical files relating to Mineola and the area, including theater programs 1930s–1960s, Corpus Christi parish records and school history. Book collection includes complete set of North and South Hempstead Town Records (1654–1880; see Hicks in Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions).

 

Oyster Bay Historical Society, Earle-Wightman House, and Angela Koening Center

Website: Oyster Bay Historical Society, Earle-Wightman House, and Angela Koening Center

Address: 20 Summit Street, PO Box 297, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Phone: (516) 922-1177

Email: obhistory@aol.com

Maintains library of books, genealogies, almanacs, and catalogs. Collections include photographs and postcards (some are viewable online); maps and charts (also online); local newspapers; and manuscript archives. Holdings range 1680–present. Website includes articles on local history.

 

Raynham Hall Museum

Website: Raynham Hall Museum

Address: 20 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Phone: (516)-922-6808

Historic home of  Townsend family, with archives relating to Townsends and other local families.

 

Townsend Society of America

Website: Townsend Society of America

Address: 21 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Phone: (516) 558-7092

Email: Director@TownsendSociety.org

Museum holds records and artifacts of the Townsend family and neighbors, 17th to 20th centuries. Society maintains an archive and publishes the Townsend Genealogical Journal.

 

Underhill Society of America

Website: Underhill Society of America

Address: PO Box 712, Oyster Bay, NY 11771-0712

Phone: (516) 833-6724

Email: webmaster@underhillsociety.org

Society, founded in 1892, holds an extensive collection of artifacts, books, manuscripts and records, images and photographs. Website includes collection catalogs. Appointments are necessary. Publishes annual Bulletin and Underhill Genealogy, now 8 vols.

 

The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society

Website: The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society

Address: 336 Port Washington Boulevard, Port Washington, NY 11050-4530

Phone: (516) 365-9047

Email: info@cowneck.org

Holdings include maps, photographs, and postcards. Annual journal.

 

Port Washington Public Library: Local History Center

Website: Port Washington Public Library: Local History Center

Address: One Library Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050

Phone: (516) 883-4400 ext. 167

Email: localhistory@pwpl.org

Books and periodicals, family files and family photographs, maps, postcards, oral history, scrapbooks; digitized collection on website. Oral histories (transcriptions, tapes, indexes and catalogue listings) are extensive and include African American, early aviation and seaplanes (PanAm Clipper), estate workers from the Gold Coast estates, fire fighters, maritime, and sand mining. Photography collections from Mason and Witmer.

 

The Bryant Library: Bryant Room Local History Collection

Website: The Bryant Library: Bryant Room Local History Collection

Address: 2 Paper Mill Road, Roslyn, NY 11576

Phone: (516) 621-2240 ext. 1

Holdings include Bryant Library Local History Collection (family papers, records, newspaper clippings, maps), diary collection 1849–1885, document collection 1636–1981, Grand Army of the Republic records 1862–1938, map collection ca. 1675–1984, photographs ca. 1860–1989, record book collection 1852–1902, Roslyn Cemetery records 1861–1984, Roslyn Grist Mill records 1850–1877, Roslyn High School yearbooks 1927–present, Roslyn Neighborhood Association records 1914–1952, Roslyn News, 1878–present, Roslyn Visiting Nurse Association records 1914–1969, telephone directories 1942–1943, 1957, 1968–present, and personal papers of local families.

 

Sea Cliff Village Museum

Website: Sea Cliff Village Museum

Address: 95 Tenth Avenue, Sea Cliff, NY 11579

Phone: (516) 671-0090

Email: SeaCliffMuseum@aol.com

Holdings include documents, photographs and postcards, and artifacts.

 

Historical Society of the Westburys

Website: Historical Society of the Westburys

Address: 445 Jefferson Street, Westbury, NY 11590

Phone: (516) 333-0176

Documents history of villages of Westbury and Old Westbury in the Town of North Hempstead, and the Village of Salisbury (South Westbury) in the Town of Hempstead. Holdings include documents and photographs, including school photographs from the early 1900s.

 

 

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:

1790

1800

1810

1820

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

 

 

 

State Census Records

 

  • County originals at Nassau County Clerk’s Office: 1915, 1925 (1905 is lost)
  • State originals at the NYSA: 1915, 1925
  • Microfilm at the FHL, NYPL, and NYSL
  • Both years are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.

 

 

Online Resources

 

General Resources

Ancestry.com

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.

Brooklyn Genealogy Information

Contains information relating to New York City and Long Island, including links and tips for general genealogical research. Particular records relating to Nassau County include cemetery information, city directories (1868–1869 and 1909–1913), history of local post offices, wills (1691–1703), historic maps, military information, Long Island Farmer, Long Island Press, and Newsday extracts, and house of worship directories.

FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch has extensive collections of New York records, including religious records, which are searchable by name and location, but not by county.

 

Deaths and Burials

 

Immigration Records

 

Military Records

 

Newspapers

Suffolk Historic Newspapers

This site has the Long Islander of Huntington 1839–1974 and South Side Signal of Babylon 1869–1920, which reported many Queens/Nassau County events.

Nassau County Libraries Historic Newspaper Collections

A program of the Long Island Library Regional Digitization Program, this database includes issues of Bethpage Tribune, Farmingdale Observer, Daily Review of Nassau County, Freeport News, Garden City News, South Side Messenger, Queens County Review, Nassau County Review, Nassau Post, and The Leader.

 

Religious Records

For a wonderful overview of religious records on Nassau County, see Harry Macy's article, "Religious Records of Queens and Nassau Counties."

 

Other Records

 

Ethnic Groups and Organizations

 

Maps

 

Transportation

 

 

Selected Bibliography

 

Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions

  • Barck, Dorothy C., ed. Papers of the Lloyd Family of the Manor of Queens Village, Lloyd’s Neck, Long Island, New York, 1654–1826. 2 vols. Collections of The New-York Historical Society, vols. 59–60, 1926–1927
  • Bogart, Joseph H., and Walter K. Griffin, trans. “A Translation of the Baptismal Records and Marriage Entries of the Reformed Dutch Church of Oyster Bay, L.I. 1741–1835: The Wolver Hollow Church.” Typescript, n.d. NYPL, New York. [longislandgenealogy.com] Baptisms 1741–1834 also in “Reformed Dutch Church of Wolver Hollow (Oyster Bay), Long Island.” NYG&B Record, vol. 73 nos. 1–4, 1942.
  • Bowen, Constance G. “Soldiers of the American Revolution: Patriots and Founders of Our Country Interred in the Sands Family Burying Ground, Sands Point, Nassau County, Long Island, New York.” Typescript, n.d. NYPL, New York.
  • Cocks, George W., trans. “Marriages on Long Island, New York, 1802–1855 [by Rev. Marmaduke Earle, Baptist Minister at Oyster Bay].” Copied by Josephine C. Frost. Typescript, 1914. NYPL, New York. A different version of the same marriages, by Charles T. Gritman, is at longislandgenealogy.com.
  • Combes, George D. A. “Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., 1847, 1848, 1849.” NYG&B Record, vol. 55 (1924) no. 3: 270–280, no. 4: 368–377; vol. 56 (1925) no. 1: 19–28. Records reported as required by 1847 state law, suspended in 1850. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Cox, John Jr., ed. Oyster Bay Town Records [1653–1878]. 8 vols. New York: The Town, 1916–1940.
  • 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 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.
  • Fish, John Dean. “History and Vital Records of Christ’s First Presbyterian Church of Hempstead, Long Island, New York.” NYG&B        Record, vol. 53 (1922) no. 3: 235–257, no. 4: 381–392; vol. 54 (1923) no. 1: 30–42, no. 2: 138–150. Baptisms 1805–1893, Deaths 1821–1890 (no earlier records exist). [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Fish, John Dean. “Inscriptions from Hempstead’s Old Town Burying Ground [title varies].” NYG&B Record, vol. 54 (1923) no. 3: 201–209, no. 4: 335–345; vol. 55 (1924) no. 1: 72–77, no. 2: 154–161, no. 3: 243–250. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Frost, Josephine C., comp. “Baptisms from Reformed Dutch Church at Success [now Manhasset], Long Island, New York, 1742–1793.” Typescript, 1913. NYPL, New York. [A more limited transcript by Dingman Versteeg at Ancestry.com]
  • Frost, Josephine C., and Henry Onderdonk Jr., comps. “Marriages Recorded at Reformed Dutch Church, Manhasset, Long Island.” Typescript, 1913. NYPL, New York. Copied from the originals by Onderdonk, copied from Onderdonk manuscript by Frost. Includes marriages, 1785–1878 and 1826–1859, and a few deaths, 1841–1878.
  • Frost, Josephine C., and Henry Onderdonk Jr., comps., comps. “Minutes of the Reformed Dutch Church at Success, Now Known as Manhassat [sic], Formerly Known as North Hempstead, Long Island, New York, 1731–1847.” Typescript, 1913. NYPL, New York. Copied from the originals by Onderdonk, copied from Onderdonk manuscript by Frost.
  • Haight, Sylvanus J. Adventures for God: A History of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Hempstead, Long Island. New York: J. S. Haight, 1932. History of St. George’s Anglican/Episcopal Church, Hempstead, which also served Oyster Bay, with marriages 1725–1812, baptismal records 1725–1791.
  • Hammond, John E. Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1847–1849. Oyster Bay, NY: Town of Oyster Bay, 2008. Index of records reported—as required by a short-lived state law. [oysterbaytown.com]
  • Hammond, John E.. Civil War Records: Town of Oyster Bay. Oyster Bay, NY: Town of Oyster Bay, 2011. [oysterbaytown.com]
  • Hammond, John E.. Historic Cemeteries of Oyster Bay-A Guide to Their Locations and Sources of Transcription Information. Oyster Bay, NY: Town of Oyster Bay, 2007. Identifies 127 cemeteries (including Glen Cove), lists all known pre-1920 burials. [oysterbaytown.com]
  • Hammond, John E.. Index to Register of Deaths, Town of Oyster Bay (1881–1920). Oyster Bay, NY: Town of Oyster Bay, 2007. Lists 9,421 deaths recorded 1881–1919. [oysterbaytown.com]
  • Hicks, Benjamin D., ed. “Records of St. George’s Church, Hempstead, L.I.” NYG&B Record, vol. 9 (1878) vol. 4: 182–187; vol. 10 (1879) no. 1: 16–19, no. 2: 89–92, no. 3: 133–139; vol. 11 (1880) no. 1: 47–51, no. 2: 88–93, no. 3: 133–136; vol. 12 (1881) no. 1: 45–46, no. 2: 78–83, no. 3: 141–145; vol. 13 (1882) no. 2: 93–95, no. 3: 116–118; vol. 15 (1884) no. 2: 77–80, no. 3: 111–113, no. 4: 176–177; vol. 24 (1893) no. 2: 79–80. Baptismal records 1725–1771, marriages 1725–1786. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Hicks, Benjamin D., ed. Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, NY. 8 vols. Jamaica, NY: Long Island Farmer Print, 1896–1904. Covers 1654–1880, but records after 1784 are for North Hempstead only. Original records microfilm NYSL. Hempstead Town Clerk has “Archival Holdings of the Town of Hempstead: Record of Bound Volumes” (1994).
  • Hinshaw, William W., and John Cox, Jr. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Brothers, 1940. Vol. 3 (New York). Contains New York, Westbury and Jericho Monthly Meetings. Original records on microfilm FHL, NYPL. [Ancestry.com, longislandgenealogy.com]
  • Hood, Anthony, for the Nassau Genealogy Workshop. Queens County Sentinel, Queens County, New York. Index of Birth, Marriage, and Death Announcements 1858–1878. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1991. The Sentinel was a Hempstead newspaper.
  • Macy, Harry, Jr. “Religious Records of Queens and Nassau Counties.” NYG&B Newsletter (now New York Researcher), Spring 2003. Updated June 2011 and published as a Research Aid on NewYorkFamilyHistory.org. Identifies records not listed above under Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions.
  • Nassau County Church Surveys. Digitally published by New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, 2012. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Van Santvoord, Peter Luyster, and Herbert S. Hale. “A Complete Transcript of Monuments in Private and Abandoned Cemeteries in Oyster Bay Town, North, to which has been added A Transcript of All Eighteenth-Century Stones Now Remaining in Public Cemeteries Still in Use.” Typescript, 1961. NYPL, New York.
  • Worden, Jean D. “Book 1, Subject Index.” In Revised Master Index to the New York State Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Records Volumes. Zephyrhills, FL: J. D. Worden, 1998. The Subject Index includes a listing by county of the cemeteries, churches, towns, and other sources of records transcribed by the DAR.

Other Resources

  • Atlas of Nassau County, Long Island, N.Y. Complete in One Volume. Historical, Statistical. Based upon Maps on File at the County Seat in Mineola and upon Private Plans and Surveys Furnished by Surveyors and Individual Owners. New York: E. Belcher Hyde, 1914. [NYPL Digital Gallery]
  • Bailey, Paul. Long Island: A History of Two Great Counties, Nassau and Suffolk. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1949.
  • Coles, Robert Reed, and Peter Luyster van Santvoord. A History of Glen Cove 1668–1968. Glen Cove, NY: Privately published, 1967.
  • Darlington, Oscar G. Glimpses of Nassau County’s History. Mineola, NY: Nassau County Trust Co., 1949.
  • Hazelton, Henry Isham. The Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, Counties of Nassau and Suffolk, Long Island, New York, 1609–1924. 6 vols. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1925.
  • History of Queens County, New York. New York, 1882.
  • Home Town Long Island: The History of Every Community on Long Island in Stories and Photographs. Melville, NY: Newsday, 1999.
  • Krieg, Joann P., and Natalie A. Naylor. Nassau County: From Rural Hinterland to Suburban Metropolis. Interlaken, NY: Empire State Books, 2000.
  • Merritt, Jesse. “The Historical Importance of Nassau County.” New York History, vol. 21, no. 1 (January 1940): 15–30.
  • Nassau County Historical [Society] Journal [title varies]. 1937–present. Indexes 1937–1957 by Edward J. Smits (Spring 1958 issue, separate reprint 1989) and 1958–1988 by Jeanne M. Burke (1989).
  • Naylor, Natalie A. The Roots and Heritage of Hempstead Town. Interlaken, NY: Heart of the Lakes Publishing, 1994. Includes valuable bibliography of Long Island, Nassau County, and Hempstead sources. Among appendices are texts of Indian deeds and Kieft’s patent, and Combes, George D. A., “The Fifty Original Proprietors of Hempstead,” also published in Nassau County Historical Journal, vol. 18, no. 3,  April 1957.
  • Smits, Edward J. The Creation of Nassau County. Mineola, NY: Nassau County Department of Public Works, 1960.
  • Smits, Edward J. Nassau: Suburbia, USA: The First Seventy-Five Years of Nassau County, New York, 1899 to 1974. Syosset, NY: Friends of the Nassau County Museum, 1974.
  • Stoutenburgh, Henry A. A Documentary History of Het (the) Nederduytsche Gemeente, Dutch Congregation of Oyster Bay, Queens County, Island of Nassau now Long Island. Published in 10 parts. New York: Press of Eben Storer, 1902–1907.
  • Wanzor, Leonard, and Joshua Epstein. Patriots of the North Shore: Great Neck, Cow Neck, Hempstead Harbor, Cedar Swamp, Wolver Hollow, Norwich, Oyster Bay, Jericho During the Revolutionary War. N.p., [1976?].
  • Winsche, Richard A. History of Nassau County Community Place-Names. Interlaken, NY: Empire State Books and Hempstead, NY: Long Island Studies Institute, Hofstra University, 1999.

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.