Researching in Rochester: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, New York

 

As with so many of the upstate New York State cities, the building of the Erie Canal had a major effect on the development of the city of Rochester. When the canal opened, it brought settlers in and took crops and products out to wider markets more cheaply than could be done before its construction. The influx of people meant more jobs.

The area was first known as the Flour City because of all the mills utilizing the falls of the Genesee River for power for grinding. Later, the city was known as the Flower City because of all the seed companies that established themselves in the area. After the Civil War, the clothing manufacturing industry became an important employer, and large numbers of immigrants came to work in that industry. The industry was attractive to those who did not speak English because they were often able to work at home and, therefore, did not have to learn another language. The closeness of many groups was reinforced by their work situations, and by their ethnic churches and organizations.

Another important thing that occurred with the influx of people brought by the Erie Canal was that Rochester developed a number of tough areas where the boisterous canal people lived. That meant that churches had an interest in reforming them and perhaps saving their souls. In fact there were a number of revivals conducted in the era, which became known as the "burned over" district. Because the area was so heavily evangelized during the antebellum days, there was no fuel (unconverted population) left to burn (convert).

Rochester had a frontier ambiance in its early years, and religious people were few and far between. Grass-roots types of religion became popular. These tended to be innovative and colorful. Rochester was also a center for temperance, and abolition. Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass both lived here for extended periods of time. It is almost as if there was a cause and effect—the canal brought more people, who were rough at the edges. Do-gooders and others tried to save them, and religion became very important and active. Following the influx of religion, temperance and the anti-slavery movement gained a foothold, and were followed by calls for women's suffrage. Then, industrialism came to the fore, and social betterment became a source of civic pride. These trends are all well documented in this collection.

The Rochester public library was actually built over an old raceway for one of the mills from the early days of the city. It is the descendant of many earlier libraries, tracing back to 1822. The actual building of the current Rundel Memorial Building was made possible by the will of Morton Rundel, who left a bequest of $400,000 for a library and fine arts center. By the time the library was opened to the public on Oct. 5, 1936, it contained the items from the previous Reynolds library, long-term deposits of various historical materials, and the office of the city historian. Part of that new library was a local history and genealogy division.

The standard policy is to provide reference and referral, and the library can sometimes provide factual information. The staff does not do extensive genealogical or historical research; rather, users are invited to visit the library to do their own research. Copies can be made of some of the collections; scans also can be ordered (though not on an on-demand basis).

Restrictions placed by donors, as well as preservation issues, mean that some items cannot be photocopied or scanned, nor can digital pictures be made. Please ask the staff if you have any questions.

A description of the current holdings of the divisions follows.

Forty Thousand Local History and Genealogy Volumes

The catalog for the collection can be searched at http://www.libraryweb.org, (by authors, titles, and subjects, not individual names contained in the books). There is a small collection of circulating books that was started in 2006, but the vast majority must be used in the library, and are not available for interlibrary loan.

There are about 20,000 items in the Local History section of the collection. Coverage radiates outward from Rochester, into Monroe County, western New York, the rest of New York state, and the bordering states. The time period covered is generally the earlier days of settlement. For example, the collection contains a good amount of New England colonial records, but no current histories of that area. This is important because many people came from New England, lived in this area for a while, and then moved westward. We also collect planning documents, genealogies, cemetery records, church records etc. for the western part of the state. There were some noteworthy developments such as the founding of the Mormon church, Shaker settlements, and the development of the Spiritualist movement. Many sources are available to research these developments. There is no restriction on what time period we collect in local (Rochester and Monroe County) history.

There are an additional 20,000 volumes in the Genealogy section. These include published family histories, how-to books, and standard works in the field of genealogy.

The division can answer quick reference and referral queries, but it is NOT set up to do detailed genealogical or local history research. Copies will be faxed or sent by regular mail. These services require prepayment. A list of searchers is available.

State and Federal Microfilms

The library's list of census holdings in this collection is available online. Essentially there are hundreds of reels of federal films before 1850 for New York, the New England states, Pennsylvania, and Michigan (immigrants in the colonial days came from New England, and some eventually moved west). All the surviving state censuses from Monroe County are available on film. There are a few from Steuben County (see the list referenced above).

Print Indexes to Censuses

We have over 120 printed volumes of commercially produced census indexes for the films referenced above. These also include marriages and deaths appearing in the New York state census of Monroe County for 1865 and 1875. There is also a card index for the townships (not the city of Rochester) of the 1855 state census of Monroe County.

The collection does not include Soundex films. With the advent of online services it was deemed less important to have thousands of reels of film of Soundex.

Scrapbooks

There are over 3000 scrapbooks available in the division with many (though not all) of them indexed in one form or another. A list of subjects is available at the reference desk. For preservation purposes, they cannot be photocopied but most of them have the date of the newspaper article and the name of the paper stamped on them, so copies can be made from the microfilm. There are card indexes to some, and some others are searchable online.

City (and Suburban) Directories

Rochester's first directory was published in 1827, and they continue to be published until the present day. Suburban directories started in 1930. Photocopying is not permitted. A scanning service is offered. Microfiche and microfilm versions for the years 1827 to 1935 are available, from which copies may be made. Buffalo city directories are available on microfilm for 1882 to 1934.

The city directories have also been digitized and are online in PDF format (downloadable), currently from 1827 to 1909. As time permits, directories to the year 1930 will be added. The hard copy books cannot be photocopied. Microfilms are available also as noted above. Users are welcome to print or download the online versions, and visit the collection and make copies from the microfilms.

Card Catalog

There are several "card catalogs" besides the book card catalog, such as the card indexes mentioned elsewhere. The library brought up an online catalog in 1993, but the division kept the older paper card catalog because the vast majority of materials in the division were published before 1993, and it is useful to have the card catalog around just for browsing.

Card Indexes

We have over 20,000 cards in files arranged by biography, subject headings, businesses, visitors, buildings, etc. These cards generally refer the user to some other source, as there can be as many as a dozen references to items on a card. Some of these have been put on the web and are searchable here.

Local Church Records

We do collect some church records. Many of these records have been filmed by the LDS church and are available through their branch library system. We have just ordered the films of the Rochester Roman Catholic diocese before 1910, including Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. The older records that were compiled some years ago by local historians and genealogists are included in the collection, and many (though not all) have been cataloged. Lists of these are kept at the reference desk, as are copies of the uncataloged records. Note that these are the records as they were donated to the library. They may or may not be in alphabetical order, and the library is happy to make them available but will not search them.

Subscriptions to Genealogical and Local History Periodicals

We receive about 100 periodicals and magazines, in both the historical area and the standard genealogical periodicals, including such local publications as the Rochester Genealogical Society's Hear Ye, Tree Talks from the Central New York Genealogical Society, the Western New York Genealogical Society's Journal, and more.

Draft Cards and Other Governmental Indexes

We do not have the films of the local draft cards, since they are now available online, but we do have almost 200 reels of the manifests of alien arrivals in Buffalo, Lockport, Niagara Falls, and Rochester from 1902 to 1954. An alphabetical index to petitions for naturalizations in the Western District of New York (essentially from Syracuse west to Lake Erie) from 1907 to 1966, purchased from the National Archives, is also available. The names appear coded by Soundex format.

Local Newspapers

There are about 5300 reels of Rochester newspapers dating as far back as 1818 and coming down to the present day. At some points in time, Rochester had as many as five daily papers, and all of them are in the collection. There are also over 500,000 items indexed in an 85 volume set, which cover the time period 1818-1903 and contain references to marriages, deaths, accidents, buildings, politics, churches, and thousands of other topics. These volumes give the name of the paper, the date, and the page and column number of whatever article is indexed. A project is underway at this writing to have these digitized and made available on the web. There will be some limited searching features available other than the actual alphabetic presentation of the index cards.

Clipping Files

Every day since the library opened the staff goes through the daily paper and marks items to do with local interest. There are about 7500 subjects, containing about 5 million clippings that can be photocopied. This file is arranged by subject, and is not indexed. People who call the newspaper are referred to this collection because it is more thorough and publicly accessible than the one at the newspaper itself.

Cemetery Records

There are a large number of cemetery records in the division. Because many of the local ones have been transcribed and are available on the Internet, contributions of new hard copy cemetery records are fewer in number than before. However, there are films of Mount Hope Cemetery (the largest one in the city with 370,000 burials) with records from 1837-2002, and Riverside Cemetery (70,000 burials), from 1892 to 2002. There are numerous little pamphlets with DAR transcribed records from the 1930s, and more recent (and more accurate) ones done by members of the Rochester Genealogical Society. These are cataloged, and the arrangement is alphabetically by town, then, within each pamphlet, alphabetically by cemetery. There are also many other cemeteries in the collection. There is no master index to all the names in the cemetery records

Handouts of Different Kinds of Research

The division creates and maintains a number of guides to items in the collection. These include titles dealing with house research, the Civil War, Susan B Anthony, Frederick Douglass, researching various ethnic backgrounds (German, Polish, African-American, etc.). These are available at the reference desk.

Ethnic Resources

The guides referred to above are examples. There are also items in the large clipping file by subject, church records from some ethnic churches, and links to current information on smaller city churches, such as given here. Some authors have written specifically on certain groups, i.e. Kathleen Urbanic's Shoulder to Shoulder: Polish Americans in Rochester, New York, 1890-2000, (call number Rrq974.789 U72s 2000). These may or may not have genealogical data in them, but offer a glimpse into the history of a group.

Maps and Atlases

There are approximately 3000 maps in the collection, ranging from the early 1800s (and copies of earlier ones) to fairly recent items. They have their own catalog (off line) and are filed thematically. For the most part, they cannot be photocopied, but some are available online on the Rochester Images web site.

Online Resources

The library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition, (available only in the library), NewEnglandAncestors.org (also available only in the library), and to HeritageQuest Online, which can be used remotely from home with a Monroe County Library System card.

Passenger and Immigration Indexes

The division collects several major series, such as Germans to America, Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists, Italians to America, etc.

Vital Records

The collection does not include actual vital records, but there are a number of substitutes and other related items There is a large collection of uncatalogued church records (a three-ring binder holds these), several churches' records on microfilm, especially the early German churches of Rochester, which give place of birth in the old country. The biggest collection of vital records related items is the 5,000 item microfiche collection of the index to the New York State Vital Records. Rochester was the first public library in the state to become a depository for this collection, in 2000, and since then it has had over 250,000 uses.

We developed an index to the index, which we have shared with other libraries getting the same fiche, and this second index allows the users to ask for a specific year's fiche for a name. This collection is very important because it contains a high number of citations (name, place, date, and certificate number) to births, marriages, and deaths in New York State outside of New York City (Albany and Buffalo maintained separate records until about 1914, when they were included in the fiche). ID is required, and photocopying of the fiche is not permitted (per state regulation). A staffer is always on duty to help researchers. It is not self service.

Military Research

The library has a series of military related records, such as the Adjutant Generals reports for New York state for the Civil War. A series of regimental histories, and a Civil War soldier online newspaper file. This is a compilation of names taken from various sources such as card files, the 1865 census, and the County Historian's office. It contains over 38,000 names primarily from the Rochester and Monroe County area, with citations to newspaper articles appearing in the microfilms mentioned elsewhere.

Docent Services

The library is pleased to offer the services of a series of volunteer docents from the Rochester Genealogical Society. These people are generally here on Saturdays and Monday evenings, as per a schedule kept at the reference desk. They are glad to consult with searchers and offer their expertise and interest in genealogy to the users. The regular library staff is always available to work with patrons as well.

Bible Records and GRT Files

The are some family Bible records. They are generally not indexed, and the Bibles that they are in are too fragile to be photocopied. They may be examined. The Genealogical Round Table, a local organization, donated its family files to the library and filed with them are loose items dealing with local families. They are filed alphabetically by family name, or in the style, Aaa-Amm, which means miscellaneous files dealing with names that appear in that range. They are not indexed to the individual level, but may be examined, and in some cases, be photocopied.

Marriage Records Online

Patrons can use the computers in Local History to access the City of Rochester online marriage database, 1876-1937. These can contain a great deal of information such as the parents' names, birthplaces, etc., especially for the earlier marriages. Later certificates are referred to only by book and licensee number (which can be viewed at the city archives a ten minute walk away.).

We do have several microfilm reader printers, and a machine capable of scanning the pages and saving digital formats to a flash drive.

Planning Your Visit

  • Dept name: Local History and Genealogy Division

  • Library: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County

  • Address: 115 South Avenue, Rochester New York 14604

  • Phone: 585-428-8370

  • Fax: 585-428-8353

  • Email: Ask A Librarian

  • Hours: They sometimes vary, but generally Sunday 1-5, Monday and Thursday 9-9; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9-6; Saturday 9-5.

  • Library website

  • Genealogy and local history website

  • Online catalog

  • Rochester Genealogical Society website

  • Equipment in the division

    1. Four computers with local history databases

    2. Four reader printers, including a fiche reader-printer

    3. Printer that makes scans to flash drives

  • Policies to know about

    1. No appointments necessary.

    2. Use of cameras and scanners encouraged (but ask beforehand)

    3. No food or drink in the division

    4. All materials are reference and do not circulate

    5. Ask before copying

    6. Division is fully wheelchair accessible.

Library Cafe

Simply Crepes cafe style restaurant inside the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building in Downtown Rochester, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, New York 14604. Phone: 585 428-8300 Fax: 585 428-8310. Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Parking

There are surface lots within walking distance, and two large parking garages (South Ave. ramp, Court St. ramp) nearby. Price varies but are approximately $5.00 a day. Metered parking on city streets at 25 cents per hour. As the library is located on its own city block downtown, there is generally no free parking near it. Free parking is available nearby on the bridges over the Genesee river on Sundays.

Video

The library's Local History and Genealogy Division was the subject of a video made by Starlight Productions. Circulating copies are available in the Video Dept. Starlight's website.

 

by Lawrence Naukam, MLS

Originally published in The New York Researcher, Fall 2006

© 2011 The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

All rights reserved.