About the Collection

 

The Local History/Genealogy Collection includes print and online resources for Genesee County and Western NY and the Finger Lakes Region.

                                                                                                                    

  Local History/Genealogy Consulations are available by appointment.  Email btvgenealogy@nioga.org  or contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 to schedule an appointment. 

 

Visit the Events Calendar for lectures, displays, author visits and more that feature local, state, and national people and events.

Genealogy Databases
Ancestry Library

Available within the Library.  Visit the Digital Library for access. 

 

Family Search

FamilySearch -- The library has Affiliate Library designation, giving patrons greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch.  It's the world’s largest repository of genealogical records and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land, and court records of genealogical significance from over 130 countries.

Heritage Quest

HeritageQuest offers over 48000 family and local histories, federal census listings (1790-1940), PERSI (the Periodical Source Index), Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, and Freedman's Bank Records.  The database is available from home with your library card barcode, and within the library automatically.

  National Archives and Records Administration

The National Archives is an independent federal agency of the executive branch of our government that is reponsible for the preservation of government and historical records. The database is available in the Library and from home to assist you with your research.

Local and Regional Newspapers

Richmond Memorial Library holds copies of local newspapers on microfilm and online. For listings from early newspapers that contain obituaries, cemetary records, military records, busineeses, and other miscellaneuos records for Genesee County, NY: PDF iconLocal Index (PDF , by section You can also browse by section: PDF iconA-F  |  PDF iconG-L  |  PDF iconM-P  |  PDF iconQ-S  |  PDF iconT-Z    PDF iconBatavia Daily News Subject Index 1822-1997 (PDF)

Daily Morning News (full text) - 1878-1879, published in Batavia, NY. Issues may be missing.

Batavia Daily News (full text) - 1880-1909. Published in Batavia, NY  Issues may be missing.

Daily News (full text) - 1882-1923, 1965.  Published in Batavia, NY.  Issues may be missing.

People's Press - 1825-1826 index to The People's Press newspaper, published in Batavia, NY.

Spirit of the Times - 1830-1845 index to The Spirit of the Times newspaper, published in Batavia, NY.

Palmyra Freeman (full text) - A weekly newspaper published in Palmyra, NY from 1828-1829:

3_Feb_1829, 21 Apr 1829, 12_May_1829, 9_Jun_1829, 16_Jun_1829, 30_Jun_1829, 7_Jul_1829, 14_Jul_1829, 18_Aug_1829, 25_Aug_1829, 1_Sep_1829, 22_Sep_1829, 27_Oct_1829, 29_Oct_1829, 10_Nov_1829, 24_Nov_1829, 1_Dec_1829, 15_Dec_1829, 22_Dec_1829
Also available at the library are issues for: 14 Apr 1829, 28 Apr 1829, 5 May 1829, 21 Jul 1829, 28 Jul 1829, 11 Aug 1829, 15 Sep 1829, 29 Sep 1829, 13 Oct 1829, 3 Nov 1829, 17 Nov 1829, 8 Dec 1829, 22 Dec 1829.

Old Fulton New York Postcards Support Forum  - Contains over 34,000,000 indexed New York State historical newspaper pages.  Coverage includes Genesee County, Central and Western New York. 

Genesee County Newspapers:

  • Republican Advocate, 1822-1876
  • Progressive Batavian, 1868-1895
  • Spirit of the Times, 1825-1901
  • Batavian, 1895-1897
  • Genesee County Herald, 1857-1861
  • Morning Call, 1881-1882

New York State Library Newspaper Collections - Microfilmed papers in Albany are available through interlibrary loan.

 

Passenger & Immigration Records

Castle Gardens, NY, NY:

Between 1790 and 1820, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people freely immigrated to the United States each year. They traveled on sailing ships that were often dangerously overcrowded and without adequate provision for passengers’ health and comfort. Starting in 1820, to ensure safer traveling conditions, ship captains had to provide passenger lists to U.S. customs officials.  In the 1850s, New York City and state officials pooled their efforts to create a more protective landing experience. Their solution was the country’s first immigration station: the Emigrant Landing Depot at Castle Gardens:

Castle Gardens Immigration Records

 

Ellis Island, located in New York City, did not open its doors until 1892.  The following sites will offer name, age, date of entry into to the United States, and last residence for thos processed through Ellis Isand:

Ellis Island Foundation: Passenger Lists

Ellis Island Foundation:  Ship Listing

National Archives:  - National Archives Passenger Arrival Records Online  - Includes New York arrival of Irish Famine immigrants, Germans to America passenger data file, Italians to America, and more:

 Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild - More than 14,000 passenger manifests from ports around the country.

Immigrant Ancestors Project - Sponsored by the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University, uses emigration registers to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries.

 

Vital Statistics

New York State Health Department Genealogical Research Death Index, 1957-1963

Vital Records - Addresses, prices, and availability of birth, marriage, and death records in the 50 states.

We ask for your patience as we update the website.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  In the mean time, please contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 or email btvgenealogy@nioga.org .

 

 

Batavia

PDF iconHistory of Batavia 1801 to 2015 -- A large work by City of Batavia Historian Larry Barnes. This PDF is best searched using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader's Find function (Ctrl F); other PDF readers may not work properly.

Diary of Dean Richmond Jr. (in whose memory the library was founded)

Genesee County

Genesee County is located in the heart of western New York.  Nicknamed the "Mother of Counties," it originally encompassed an area stretching from Lake Ontario on the north to the Pennsylvania state line in the south and from the Genesee River in the east to Lake Erie on the west.

The local genealogy group, the Genesee Area Genealogists, holds monthly meetings open to all those interested in genealogical research.

Genesee County History Dept. -- A good place to start if what you're looking for is not covered below.

Biographies of Genesee County, New York

Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Genesee County, New York (with a complete road map of the county)

Gazetteer and Biographical Record of Genesee County, N.Y. 1788-1890, edited by F.W. Beers

Gazetteer and Business Directory of Genesee County, N.Y. for 1869-70

Genesee County Home/Poorhouse - Records and information on the Genesee County Home and Poorhouse.

Our County and Its People: A Descriptive and Biographical Record of Genesee County, New York by Safford E. North

We ask for your patience as we update the webiste.  For assistance contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 or email btvgenealogy@nioga.org for assistance.

Family History and Genealogy Resources

We ask for your patience as we update the website.  If you need assistance please contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 or email btvgenealogy@nioga.org

Research Resources

Military Records:

Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System -  Contains over 6.3 million names from both North and South and regimental histories.

  We ask for your patience as we update our website.  In the mean time, seach Ancestry Library Edition or Heritage Quest in the Genealogy Database tab on the Library Website. If you need assistance contact the Reference Desk at (585)343-9550 x3 or email btvgenealogy@nioga.org