Greene County Genealogy Records

Greene County genealogy records reach back to 1800 when the county was formed from Albany and Ulster counties along the west bank of the Hudson River. The county seat is Catskill, and that is where the main clerk office and courts are located. This area saw early Dutch and English settlement, and later waves of Irish and German immigrants moved in during the 1800s. The county clerk holds land deeds, naturalization files, and court records, while the Greene County Historical Society runs the Vedder Research Library with deep genealogy collections. Between these offices you have a strong set of sources to work through.

Greene County Clerk Genealogy Records

The Greene County Clerk at 411 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414 is the starting point for most genealogy research in this county.

Land records date from 1800 to the present and include deeds, mortgages, and liens. Court records from 1800 cover Supreme Court and County Court cases. The clerk also keeps marriage records from 1908 to 1935.

One of the stronger parts of this collection is the naturalization records, which run from 1850 to 1994. That is a long span and covers multiple waves of immigration. If your family came from Europe and settled in the Catskill region, these records can tell you when they arrived, where they came from, and when they became citizens. New York State Census records for 1825 through 1925 are also on file here.

Records are indexed by grantor and grantee for land, and by name and date for other types. In-person visits are welcome. Mail requests work too. Copy fees are $0.65 per page, with $5.00 for certified copies. Call (518) 719-3255 for current hours.

Greene County Historical Society and Vedder Library

The Greene County Historical Society at 90 County Route 42, Coxsackie, NY 12051 runs the Vedder Research Library, which is one of the best genealogy resources in this county.

The library holds family papers, photographs, maps, local histories, and other genealogy materials. If you are looking for church records, cemetery transcriptions, or family files that the county clerk does not have, this is the place to check.

Phone (518) 731-6490 to ask about hours and their collections. The society's volunteers know local families and sources well. They can sometimes point you to records at other locations if they do not have what you need. This kind of local knowledge is hard to get any other way, and it can save you hours of searching on your own.

Probate Records in Greene County

The Greene County Surrogate's Court at 320 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414 has probate records from 1800 to the present. Wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, and estate inventories are all here. Probate records are among the most useful documents for genealogy because they name heirs and describe what the person owned.

To get a copy, send a written request by mail with the name of the person who died and the approximate date of death. Email requests are not accepted. Search and copy fees apply. Call (518) 719-3256 for current rates. For colonial-era probate records before 1787, the New York State Archives in Albany has wills and estate papers that have been digitized through Ancestry.com.

Vital Records for Greene County Genealogy

The NYS Department of Health holds birth, death, and marriage records for Greene County from 1881 forward. Birth records open after 75 years if the person is dead. Death records need 50 years. Marriage records require 50 years plus proof both spouses have died. Fees start at $22 for a three-year search window.

Processing can take up to eight months. Town clerks in Greene County may have their own copies and can often get you a response faster. The New York State Archives has vital records indexes on microfiche that you can use free of charge. These indexes help you find the certificate number so your request goes through quicker.

State Resources for Greene County Genealogy

The New York State Archives in Albany has over 200 million documents. For Greene County research, you can find vital records indexes, military records from the War of 1812 through World War I, land patents, and court papers. The archives are free. No appointment needed.

The New York State Library is in the same building. The Local History and Genealogy section has family histories, research guides, and the FamilySearch CD-ROM series. New York State Census records for Greene County cover 1825 through 1925. FamilySearch has digitized many of these and you can view them for free online. These state counts often list birthplace and occupation details that federal censuses skipped in some years.

Greene County Land and Property Records

Land records at the Greene County Clerk go back to 1800. Deeds, mortgages, and liens are all here. The grantor and grantee index lets you search from either side of a transaction. Copy fees are $0.65 per page with $5.00 for certified copies. The NYS Archives land records collection has colonial patents and state land sales that cover the Hudson Valley region.

Before 1800, records for the Greene County area were kept in Albany County and Ulster County. If you need land records from before the county was formed, check those two counties. Land deeds name buyers, sellers, and witnesses, and they can help track family connections when vital records are not available for the time period you need. Property transfers at death can also point you to probate files in the surrogate's court.

Nearby Counties

Counties near Greene County with their own genealogy record collections.