Delaware County, New York Guide

Delaware County is located in south-central New York and is part of the Catskill Mountain region. The county gets its name from the Delaware River, which constitutes its western border and separates the county from Pennsylvania. The east and west branch of the Delaware run through the center of the county. Delaware is bordered in the north by Otsego and Schoharie counties, in the east by Greene County, and the south by Ulster and Sullivan counties. ​

County Formed: March 10, 1797

Parent Counties: Ostego and Ulster

Daughter Counties: None

County Seat: Village of Delhi

Major Land Transactions: Hardenbergh Patent 1708

 

Delaware County Map
Map of Delaware County

Table of Contents

 

 

 

History

Until the mid-1700s, Delaware County was occupied primarily by American Indians of the Mohawk tribes. It wasn’t until after the 1740s that European trappers began occupying the region, hoping to take advantage of New York State’s profitable fur trade. During this time, the settlements were small and sparsely populated – each separated by vast expanses of mountainous forest. After the Revolutionary War, during which the region was all but abandoned, settlers returned to the area after finding there to be insufficient free tracts of land in New York and New England’s more eastern regions.

By 1797, the Delaware region had reached a population large enough to qualify as its own county. Therefore this land was ceded from the counties of Ulster and Otsego to became the new Delaware County. Ulster County was the one of the original counties of New York, however Otsego was a relatively new county, created in 1791 from Montgomery County. Montgomery County was also a relatively new creation at the time, created in 1772 and originally named Tryon County. Montgomery County was created from land from Albany County. Records for Delaware County settlers before 1797 may be found in those previous counties. Because of its mountainous terrain, Delaware was virtually isolated from other regions of the state during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and as a result, Delaware’s economy was almost entirely subsistence based. Small family units produced most of what they needed to survive and trade existed only within the county itself.

In the mid-19th century, due to the expanded use of waterways, the county’s main industries became lumber and tannic acid production. This change, coupled with the completion of the Jericho and Catskill turnpikes and the regional introduction of the railroad in the 1860s and 70s, lead to a steady increase in population within the area.

The County of Delaware played an important role in the “Anti-Rent War” of the mid-1840s. This “war” broke out in protest of the semi-feudal rent system that still existed in many parts of New York State. Landlords were taking advantage of grants procured by their ancestors hundreds of years previously in order to extract exorbitant rates of payment from the land’s tenants. This lead to an extremely wide wealth disparity and the impossibility of land-ownership for many of Delaware’s residents. In 1845, hundreds of Delaware residents, forming an "Anti-Rent Association," protested this system in an altercation which resulted in the death of the Andes town Undersheriff, Osman N. Steele. Over 200 people were arrested for his murder though the charges were ultimately dropped and the rent laws amended.

The population rise of the 1800s died down fairly quickly, and by the end of the 19th century, the population had reached 40,000 – a number that has increased little in the last century. The area still struggles due to its topographical isolation and has come, in the last century, to rely heavily upon tourism in order support its local economies.

Further Reading:

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – County

Delaware County Clerk

Website: Delaware County Clerk

Address: Court House Square, PO Box 426, Delhi, NY 13753

Phone: (607) 746-2123

Court records, land records 1797–present, naturalization records 1810–1950, births  and  deaths  1847–1848, marriages  1847–1848, 1874–1881, 1909–1935, and New York state censuses for Delaware County 1845 (Town of Masonville only), 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905.

 

Delaware County - Town and Village Clerks

Website: Delaware County – 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. 

 

Delaware County Surrogate's Court 

Website: Delaware County Surrogate’s Court

Address: Delaware County Courthouse, 3 Court Street, Delhi, NY 13753

Phone: (607) 746-2126

Holds probate records 1797 to the present. 

 

Delaware County Public Libraries

Website: Delaware County Public Libraries

Delaware County is part of the Four County Library System. Each library may hold genealogy and local history collections, including maps and newspapers. 

 

Delaware County Historical Association and Suggett House Museum

Website: Delaware County Historical Association and Suggett House Museum

Address: 46549 State Highway 10, Delhi, NY 13753

Phone: (607) 746-3849

Email: dcha@delhi.net

Association maintains historic buildings, galleries ,and a research library and archives. Holdings include church records, diaries, family Bibles, genealogies, land records, newspapers, school records, town histories, and photographs dating largely from the mid-1900s. Holdings related to the Civil War include letters, diaries, roster sheets, and Grand Army of the Republic Post records. The website contains research guides, as well as a list of several thousand Delaware County Civil War  soldiers with unit, census district, age, and biographical notes.

 

Delaware County Historian 

Website: Delaware County Historian

Address: One Court House Square, Suite 1, Delhi, NY 13753

Phone: 607-832-5795

Email: hist@co.delaware.ny.us  

Holdings include cemetery records and photographs.

 

Delaware County Town Historians

Website: Delaware County Town 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. 

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Local

Alphabetized by location

Bovina Historical Society

Website: Bovina Historical Society

Email: bovinahistorian@gmail.com or bovinahistoricalsociety@gmail.com 

Holdings include cemetery records, photographs, and Civil War records.

 

Davenport Historical Society

Website: Davenport Historical Society

Address: Davenport Historical Society, 11790 State Hwy. 23, Davenport Center, NY 13571

Phone: (607) 278-5149

Publications of the Society include a cemetery guide, indexes to History of Delaware County and biographical sketches, church and school histories, and alumni profiles of 20th-century Davenport High School graduates.

 

Deposit Historical Society and Museum

Website: Deposit Historical Society and Museum

Address: 145 Second Street, Deposit, NY 13754

Phone: (607) 467-4422

Email: curator@DepositHistoricalSociety.org or depositsoc@aol.com

Museum collections include local history artifacts, letters,  and photographs. Newsletters 2003–present available on website.

 

Colchester Historical Society

Website: Colchester Historical Society

Address: 72 Tannery Road, PO Box 112, Downsville, NY 13755

Phone: (607) 363-7196 

Email: info@colchesterhistoricalsociety.org

Holdings include documents, genealogies, and artifacts. An index of family histories housed by the Society (Genealogy Surname files) and a gallery of artifacts are available on its website.

 

Hobart Historical Society

Website: Hobart Historical Society

Address: 57 Cornell Ave, PO Box 11, Hobart, NY 13788

Society’s website contains transcriptions from Hobart Cemeteries and a gallery of photographs.

 

Historical Society of Middletown

Website: Historical Society of Middletown

Address: 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville, NY 12455

Website contains place histories, photographs, a transcribed railroad directory, and a transcribed newspaper clipping of a Civil War unit reunion. Collections include farm diaries, hotel ledgers, glass plate negatives, and school yearbooks.

 

Meredith Historical Society

Website: Meredith Historical Society

Address: PO Box 26, Meridale, NY 13806

Phone: (607) 746-8083

Society’s holdings include documents, photographs, and maps which are stored at the Hanford Mills Museum Archive. Photographs, cemetery burial lists, and a list of Meredith Civil War veterans are available online.

 

Roxbury Library Association: Irma Mae Griffin History Room

Website: Roxbury Library Association: Irma Mae Griffin History Room

Address: 53742 State Highway 30, PO Box 186, Roxbury, NY 12474-0186

Phone: (607) 326-7901

Holdings include genealogies and newspapers, including the Roxbury Times on microfilm.

 

Sidney Historical Association and Museum

Website: Sidney Historical Association and Museum

Street Address: Sidney Civic Center, 21 Liberty Street, Second Floor, Room 218, Sidney, NY 13838

Mailing Address: PO Box 65, Sidney, NY 13838

Phone: (607) 967-7369

Email: sidneyhistorical@stny.rr.com

Holdings  include  microfilm  copies  of  the  Sidney  Record, Sidney Enterprise, and Tri-Town News, 1882–present; genealogical materials; obituaries; yearbooks; maps; and photographs.

 

Sidney Memorial Public Library

Website: Sidney Memorial Public Library

Address: 8 River Street, Sidney, NY 13838

Phone: (607) 563-1200

The Local History Room has begun digitizing newspapers from microfilm held by the Sidney Historical Association and Museum, including those listed above and seven other newspapers.

 

The Maywood Historical Group of Sidney Center and Museum

Website: The Maywood Historical Group of Sidney Center and Museum

Street Address: 66 Maywood Lane, Sidney Center, NY 13839

Mailing Address: PO Box 298, Sidney Center, NY 13839

Email: maywoodhistory@gmail.com

Group is headquartered in an old railroad depot. Holdings include records and photographs; the Group also sells books on local history.

 

Stamford Village Library: Historical Room 

Website: Stamford Village Library Historical Room

Address: 117 Main Street, Stamford, NY 12167-1029

Phone: (607) 652-5001

Family histories (multiple counties and New York State), cemetery records,  business  and  organization  records,  land  records,  maps 1860s–1960s, photographs and postcards, Daughters of the American Revolution minutes, and vital records (1800s).

 

Walton Historical Society

Website: Walton Historical Society

Address: 9 Townsend Street, Walton, NY 13856

Phone: (607) 865-5895

Email: whs@waltonhistoricalsociety.org

Headquartered in the 19th-century home of Henry and Kate G. Eells. Collections include scrapbooks, diaries, ledgers, Walton Reporter, from1881 (paper copies and on CDs), cemetery records, etc.. Appointments can be made for help with genealogical research.

 

 

 

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

  • Originals at Delaware County Clerk’s Office: 1845*, 1855, 1865**, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925 (1825 and 1835 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.

 

 

 

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.

Delaware County, NY, Genealogy and History Site

This volunteer-run website coordinates the NYGenWeb Project for Delaware County and provides access to cemetery transcriptions, census indexes, deed abstracts 1797–1808, school records, obituaries, tax roll abstracts, will abstracts, digitized newspapers and photographs, and links to other resources for county research.

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.

 

Deaths and Burials

 

Ethnic Groups and Organizations

 

Maps

 

Military Records

 

Newspapers

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.

 

Other Records

 

Religious Records

 

Transportation

 

 

 

Selected Bibliography

Abstracts, Indexes & Transcriptions

  • Barber, Gertrude Audrey. “Deaths Taken from the Delaware Gazette (1819–1895).” 4 vols. Typescript, 1934. NYPL, New York. [vols. 2–4 (1844–1895) on Ancestry.com]
  • Barber, Gertrude Audrey. “Letters of Administration of Delaware County, New York: Copied from the Original Records at the Courthouse, Delhi, NY.” Typescript, 1939. Microfiche, NYSL,  Albany, New York. [Ancestry.com]
  • Barber, Gertrude Audrey. “Marriages Taken from the Delaware Gazette (1819–1879).” Typescript, 1939. NYPL, New York.
  • Barber, Gertrude Audrey. “Marriages Taken from the Delaware Gazette (1880–1895).” Typescript, 1939. NYPL, New York.
  • Brush, Grace L. “Whitlock and Others: Some Old Cemeteries Near Stamford, Delaware County, New York.” Typescript, 1930. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971.
  • County of Delaware 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, 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.
  • Delaware County Potter’s Field Burials, 1885–1956. Delhi, NY: The Delaware County Times, 1984. Indexed by John Raitt, 1985.
  • Delaware County, NYG&B Church Surveys Collection. NYG&B, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Goerlich, Shirley B. Data Collected by the New York City Board of Water Supply During the Relocation of Graves as Part of the Construction of the Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs in Delaware County, New York. Hamilton, NY: n.p., 1985.
  • Goerlich, Shirley B. Delaware County Land Records. Series A: A Calendar of the H. Fletcher Davidson of Land Records at the Delaware County Historical Association. Hamilton, NY: n.p., 1986.
  • Goerlich, Shirley B. Delaware County, New York: Raw Materials from the Past. Bainbridge, NY: RSG Publishing, 1994. Book includes boundary and town changes, maps, deaths and marriages from local newspapers (1819–1900) with index, 144th Regiment of Volunteers.
  • Goerlich, Shirley B. New York State Census, Town of Masonville, Delaware County, New York, 1845. Bainbridge, NY: RSG Publishing, 1998.
  • Goodrich, Victor B. “Index to Delaware County, New York, Probate Files for Persons Dying 1900 or Earlier.” Typescript, 1989. New York Historical Association Library, Cooperstown, NY. Online transcription available at dcnyhistory.org.
  • Goodrich, Victor B. Miscellaneous Genealogical Data Pertaining to Residents of Delaware County, New York. Hamilton, NY: n.p., 1987–1991. Published in three parts.
  • “Guardianship Records, Delaware County, NY: Transcribed from a Volume Marked on the Spine ‘Index of Guardians,’ and Located in the Delaware County Surrogate’s Office, Delhi, NY.” Typescript, n.d. New York State Historical Association Library, Cooperstown, NY. These records continue those published in Tree Talks, 1963–1966.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Index to Tree Talks County Packet: Delaware County. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002.
  • Oman, Kitty R. Hilton. The 1850 Census of Delaware County, New York. Vancouver, WA : K. R. Oman, 1988.
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Stamford in the Village and Town of Stamford, Delaware County, NY.” Typescript, 1921. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the Presbyterian Congregation of Harpersfield, in the Town of Harpersfield, Delaware County, NY.” Typescript, 1921. NYPL, New York.” [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • 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

  • Adams, Arthur G., ed. The Catskills: An Illustrated Historical Guide with Gazetteer. New York: Fordham University Press, 1990. First published 1975 by Sun Publishing Company.
  • Beers, F. W. Atlas of Delaware County, New York: From Actual Surveys and Under the Direction of F.
  • W. Beers, Assisted by A. B. Prindle and Others. New York, 1869. [NYPL Digital Gallery]
  • Biographical Review Publishing Company. Biographical Review: This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of the Leading Citizens of Delaware County, New York. Boston, 1895.
  • Delaware County Bicentennial Book Committee. The Spirit of Delaware County: A Look Back from 1976. Delhi, NY: The Committee, 1976.
  • DeNatale, Douglas. Two Stones for Every Dirt: The Story of Delaware County, New York. Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 1987.
  • De Vine, John F. Three Centuries in Delaware County: The Story of a Picturesque and Progressive Section of the Empire State and Its Leading Citizens. New York: Swiss Alps of Delaware, 1933.
  • Duerden, Tim. A History of Delaware County, New York: A Catskill Land and Its People, 1797–2007. Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 2007.
  • Foley, Janet W. Early Settlers of New York State: Their Ancestors and Descendants. 9 vols. Akron, NY: 1934–1942. Reprint, 2 vols. Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993.
  • Goodrich, Victor B. Any News from Walton? Family Data and Local History. 6 vols. Hamilton, NY: n.p., 1981–1995.
  • Gould, Jay. History of Delaware County, and Border Wars of New York, Containing a Sketch of the Late Anti-Rent Difficulties in Delaware, with Other Historical and Miscellaneous Matter, Never Before Published. Roxbury, NY, 1856. Book includes American Indian history, early settlers, Revolutionary War, growth and development, religion, issues over land, obituaries, newspapers, social organizations and fraternal orders, education, and more.History of Delaware County, NY: With Illustrations, Biographical Sketches, and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents. New York, 1880.
  • Houck, Shirley A. The Evolution of Delaware County, New York: Being a History of Its Land. Nashville, TN: Express Media, 1995.
  • Meagley, James G., comp. A Look Back at Hobart, NY, On the 125th Anniversary of the Village Incorporation, 1888–2013. Hobart, NY: Hobart Historical Society, 2014.
  • Monroe, John D. Chapters in the History of Delaware County, New York. Delaware, NY: Delaware County Historical Association, 1949.
  • Munsell, W. W. History of Delaware County, N.Y., 1797–1880: With Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents. Ithaca, NY: Filmed by Photo Science of Cornell University, 1974. Index published by the Davenport Historical Society.
  • Murray, David. Delaware County, New York: History of the Century, 1797–1897. Centennial Celebration, June 9 and 10, 1897. Delhi, NY, 1898. Book includes list of sources, maps, Native American history, natural history, early settlements, pioneer experiences, Revolutionary War, organization of the county, anti-rent troubles, Civil War, industries, transportation, education, churches, early physicians, biographical sketches, town histories, and many illustrations.
  • New York Historical Resources Center. Guide to Historical Resources in Delaware County, New York, Repositories. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, 1980.
  • North,  Arthur W. Handbook and History of the Delaware County, NY: Being an Intimate Sketch of the Erection and Development of One of the Earliest County Units of the Legion. New York: Organization of the American Legion, 1925.
  • Reynolds, Paul E. Geographical Names in Delaware County, NY. Cooperstown: New York State Historical Association, 1983.
  • Rockwell, Charles. The Catskill Mountains and the Region Around. Saugerties, NY: Hope Farm Press, 1973. First published 1869.
  • Spaulding, Helim G. Spaulding’s Business Directory of Delaware County for 1895. Sidney, NY: The Sidney Advocate, 1986.
  • Walton Reporter. Some Early History of Delaware County, NY. Walton, NY: n.d.

 

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.