Oneida County, New York Guide

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

 

 

Oneida County Map
Map of Oneida County

Table of Contents

 


 

 

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:

1790

1800

1810

1820

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

 

 


 

 

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

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.

FamilySearch.org

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

 

Other Records

 


 

 

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.