Orleans County Genealogy

Orleans County genealogy records begin in 1825 when the county was created from Genesee County in western New York along the shore of Lake Ontario. The county seat is Albion, where the clerk's office, surrogate's court, and county historian are all based. This was farming country from the start, and the Erie Canal ran through the southern part of the county, bringing settlers and trade. The county clerk, Hoag Library, and the county historian each hold records useful for family history research here.

Orleans County Clerk Genealogy Records

The Orleans County Clerk at 3 South Main, Courthouse Square, Albion, NY 14411 holds the main genealogy records for this county. Land records start in 1826 and run to the present. Court records from the same year cover Supreme Court cases and divorce records.

State census records are available but with some gaps. The 1825, 1835, and 1845 state census records for Orleans County have been lost. What survives includes the 1855, 1856, 1875, 1892, and 1905 state censuses. These can give you household details, birthplaces, and occupations that fill in around the federal counts. The 1856 census is unusual since most counties only had the standard decennial counts.

Call (585) 589-5334 for current hours and fee information. In-person research is welcome during business hours, and mail requests are accepted. The office follows standard county copy fees. If you are researching land sales from the early settlement period, the clerk's deeds and mortgages are the place to start.

Hoag Library Local History and Genealogy

The Hoag Library at 134 South Main Street, Albion, NY 14411 runs a strong local history and genealogy collection.

Their holdings include census records on microfilm, newspapers on microfilm (Albion papers from the 1820s to 2013 and the Holley Standard from 1886 to 1994), oral histories, Civil War records, and cemetery records. This is one of the better local library genealogy collections in western New York.

Old newspapers can be a treasure for genealogy. Obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements, and legal notices all show up in local papers. Having newspapers from the 1820s onward means you can sometimes find mentions of your ancestors that no official record would capture. Contact Dee Robinson at drobi@nioga.org for more information about the local history collection.

Probate Records in Orleans County

The Orleans County Surrogate's Court at One South Main Street, Albion, NY 14411 holds probate records from 1824 to the present. That start date is a year before the county was officially formed, which means some early estate matters were handled even during the organizational period.

Probate files include wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, and estate inventories. These records often name family members and describe property. If your ancestor died in Orleans County, the surrogate's court file can reveal who their heirs were and what they owned. Even when someone died without a will, the court would appoint an administrator, usually a close family member, and that record is still on file. Send a written request by mail with the decedent's name and approximate death date. Call (585) 589-4457 for fees and procedures. Email requests are not accepted. For colonial-era probate records before 1787, check the New York State Archives in Albany where many early wills have been digitized through Ancestry.com.

Orleans County Historian and Genealogy

The Orleans County Historian at 3070 Gaines Basin Road, Albion, NY 14411 keeps obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files. The historian can help guide your research and point you to sources you might not know about. Phone (585) 589-4174 for an appointment.

Every county in New York is required by law to have a historian who collects and preserves local history. The Orleans County Historian has vertical files organized by subject and surname. Cemetery transcriptions and church records here can fill gaps left by government records, especially for the years before civil registration became reliable in the 1880s and 1890s.

Vital Records for Orleans County Genealogy

The NYS Department of Health has birth, death, and marriage records for Orleans County from 1881 onward. Birth records open after 75 years if the person is dead. Death records open after 50 years. Marriage records need 50 years and proof both spouses have died. Fees start at $22.

Processing takes up to eight months. Town clerks in Orleans County may respond faster with their own copies. The New York State Archives has vital records indexes on microfiche. The Rochester Public Library at 115 South Avenue in Rochester also holds copies of these indexes and is closer to Orleans County than Albany.

State Genealogy Resources for Orleans County

The New York State Archives in Albany holds vital records indexes, military records, land patents, and court papers that can help with Orleans County genealogy. The archives are free and open to the public. The New York State Library in the same building has family histories, reference guides, and the FamilySearch CD-ROM series. FamilySearch has digitized many New York State records and you can access them free online. Land records at the county clerk start in 1826 with deeds, mortgages, and liens all on file. Before 1825, records for the Orleans County area were kept in Genesee County, so check there for earlier materials. The NYS Archives military records cover service from the War of 1812 through World War I and can help trace ancestors who served from this area.

Using FamilySearch for Orleans County Genealogy

FamilySearch has microfilmed many Orleans County records. Check the catalog under "New York, Orleans" for probate files, church records, and town records. Many are digitized and free to view. Access needs only a free account. The site also has federal census records from 1830 to 1950 for Orleans County that are fully indexed and searchable by name.

Ancestry users can find additional records. New York residents get free access to colonial wills and some state census data through Ancestry.com New York. Since Orleans County was part of Genesee County before 1825, check both county names in any database search. Early families may show up under Genesee in the older records.

The Reclaim The Records group won the release of the full New York State Death Index from 1880 to 2017 after a court ruling in 2025. This free data set covers Orleans County deaths and includes names, death dates, ages, and state file numbers. You can use those file numbers to order copies from the Department of Health or a local registrar. It saves time because you already know the record exists before you pay the search fee.

Naturalization records can also help with Orleans County genealogy. The county clerk has records for immigrants who filed in the local courts. Before 1906, county courts handled most citizenship cases. These papers list the person's old country, when they arrived, and sometimes name family members.

Nearby Counties

Counties near Orleans County with their own genealogy record collections.