Clarkstown, New York Genealogy

Clarkstown genealogy records start at 1881 when New York State required towns to register births, deaths, and marriages. The Town of Clarkstown sits in Rockland County, and its town hall is in the hamlet of New City. Rockland County adds major resources for family research, including a county archives with digitized marriage records, naturalization papers, and estate files going back to 1798. The New City Library holds newspapers on microfilm from 1847 and historical documents about Clarkstown from the 1750s. Between town, county, and library sources, most Clarkstown family lines can be traced well into the 1800s.

Clarkstown Town Clerk Vital Records

The Clarkstown Town Clerk keeps birth, death, and marriage records from 1881 to the present. The office is at Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Avenue, New City, NY 10956. Phone is (845) 639-2050.

You can visit in person to search indexes and request copies. Mail requests are also accepted. Include the full name, the date or approximate date of the event, the type of record, and a statement that this is for genealogy purposes. Fees are typically $10 to $20 per copy.

Under New York Public Health Law, birth certificates open for genealogy after 75 years if the person is known dead. Death certificates are available after 50 years. Marriage certificates need 50 years and proof both spouses have died. Direct-line descendants can sometimes get records sooner with proof of relationship.

Rockland County Archives for Clarkstown Genealogy

The Rockland County Archives is one of the best county-level genealogy resources in the Hudson Valley. The archives holds federal and state census records from 1855 to 1920 for Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown, Ramapo, and Stony Point. Marriage records from 1908 to 1935 are digitized. Marriage licenses from 1926 to 1935 are also digitized. Naturalization oaths from 1836 to 1896, covering 1,828 records on microfilm, are available. Naturalization papers from 1812 to 1991 total 24,718 records.

The archives also has Orange County deeds from 1703 to 1798 (before Rockland split off), Rockland County deeds from 1798 to 1936, mortgages from 1798 to 1948, will indexes from 1798 to 1957, Surrogate Court estate files from 1800 to 1939, wills from 1798 to 1965, court records from 1798 to 2001, and tax and assessment rolls from 1855 to 1964 for all towns.

A search kiosk at the archives lets you look up naturalization records, marriage records, grantor/grantee indexes, wills, surrogate court records, court indexes, and judgments. The archives is at the Pomona Health Complex, Building S, 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona, NY 10970. Phone is (845) 364-3670.

Rockland County Clerk Genealogy Records

The Rockland County Clerk holds court records from 2002 to the present, land records from 1798 on, mortgages from 1931 on, naturalization records from 1907 to 1960, and declarations of intent from 1884 to 1929. Deed and mortgage transcriptions from 1798 are indexed and searchable online. The office is at 1 South Main Street, New City, NY 10956. Phone is (845) 638-5070.

The Rockland County Surrogate's Court has probate records from 1798 to the present. Wills and estate administration files can show family connections that other records miss. The court is at 1 South Main Street, New City, NY 10956. Phone is (845) 483-8300.

For broader Rockland County genealogy research, the county historian and local historical societies can provide extra guidance and referrals.

New City Library Rockland Room

The New City Library Rockland Room is a strong resource for Clarkstown and Rockland County genealogy. The room holds local histories, genealogies, census materials, maps, and newspapers on microfilm from 1847 to the present. Telephone books from 1883 are also on file. The Rockland County Messenger from 1847 to 1898 is in the collection. Documents about the history of the Town of Clarkstown from 1752 to 1789 are available online through the library.

The library is at 220 North Main Street, New City, NY 10956. Phone is (845) 634-4997. Newspapers on microfilm are especially useful for finding obituaries, marriage notices, and birth announcements that never made it into official records.

State Resources for Clarkstown Genealogy

The New York State Archives in Albany has vital records indexes on microfiche covering births from 1881, marriages from 1881, and deaths from 1880 for all of New York outside New York City. These are index entries with names, dates, places, and state file numbers. You use the file number to order a copy from the Department of Health or the Clarkstown Town Clerk.

The NYS Department of Health charges $22 for a three-year search, going up to $202 for wider searches. Processing takes eight months or longer. The town clerk is usually much faster for Clarkstown records.

The New York State Census was taken in 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, and 1925. These state census records can fill gaps between the federal counts and sometimes list details the federal census skipped, like years of residence in the state. State census records for Clarkstown are available at the State Archives and on Ancestry.com (free for New York residents).

Reclaim The Records released the full New York State Death Index from 1880 to 2017 for free. Over 10 million records include Clarkstown deaths with names, dates, ages, and file numbers. FamilySearch has also microfilmed many Rockland County probate records, and some are digitized and available free online.

Nearby Cities for Genealogy

Families in Rockland County and the lower Hudson Valley often crossed town lines. These nearby places may hold records on your Clarkstown ancestors.