Orange County, New York Genealogy

United States

New York

Orange County

Guide to Orange County, New York ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

This page describes sources of genealogical data about Orange County, New York Genealogy families, including links to smaller localities at the bottom of this page. New York-related pages show useful statewide sources. United States pages explain the terminology and contents of genealogical records.

Orange County, New York
Map
Location in the state of New York
Location of New York in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1683
County Seat	Goshen
Courthouse
Courtesy Daniel Case
Address	255 Main Street Goshen, New York 10924 Orange County Website
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: GoAncestry who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

Orange County New York Historical Facts

Description

The County was named for the Prince of Orange, who subsequently became King William III of England. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Orange County, New York Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1880	1908	1880	1852	1703	1787	1663
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1880. General compliance for births by 1915 and deaths by 1890.

Parent County

Orange was one of the original New York counties formed in 1683.

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating New York County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New York County Boundary Maps" (1683-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

1774 Courthouse was destroyed by fire.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Middletown	Newburgh	Port Jervis
Towns
Blooming Grove Chester Cornwall Crawford Deerpark Goshen Greenville	Hamptonburgh Highlands Minisink Monroe Montgomery Mount Hope New Windsor	Newburgh Palm Tree Tuxedo Wallkill Warwick Wawayanda Woodbury
Villages
Chester Cornwall on Hudson Florida Goshen (county seat) Greenwood Lake Harriman Highland Falls	Kiryas Joel Maybrook Monroe Montgomery Otisville South Blooming Grove Tuxedo Park	Unionville Walden Warwick Washingtonville Woodbury
Hamlets
Amity Arden Bellvale Bullville Carpenter's Point Central Valley Circleville	Highland Mills Howells Little Britain Michigan Corners Mountainville New Hampton Pine Island	Ridgebury Slate Hill Sparrow Bush Sugar Loaf Thompson Ridge Westbrookville
Census-designated places
Balmville Beaver Dam Lake Firthcliffe Fort Montgomery Gardnertown Mechanicstown	Mountain Lodge Park New Windsor Orange Lake Pine Bush Salisbury Mills Scotchtown	Vails Gate Walton Park Washington Heights West Point

Orange County New York Genealogy Resources

Bible Records

• 1581–1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry– ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.
  

Cemeteries

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Online Grave Transcripts	Published Grave Transcripts	County Cemetery Directories
Findagrave.com*	Family History Library*	Findagrave.com*
Interment.net*	WorldCat*	Tombstone Transcription Project*
Cemetery Site*		NYGenWeb Cemeteries*
New York Gravestones*		epodunk*
NYGenWeb Cemeteries*		Billion Graves*
Billion Graves*		Names in Stone*
Names in Stone*
Linkpendium*
Ancestry*
*See the New York Cemeteries page for details about each site.

Some cemetery records are also available at Heritage Quest (LAR).

• 1800-1965 - New York, Cemetery Abstracts, 1800-1965 at FamilySearch — index

Census

For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Federal

U.S. Census Mortality Schedules for New York, 1850-1880:

• Available online at Ancestry ($).
• Deaths are included for the 12 months prior to the census, 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, and 1879-80 beginning 1 June and ending 31 May of the census year.
• Basic contents of the records include: Name, sex, age, color, marital status, place of birth, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. 1870 also has parents' birthplace. 1880 lists how long a resident of the county.
• Also on FHL Films 1415128–42.

State

Source	1825	1835	1845	1855	1865	1875	1892	1905	1915	1925
Ancestry.com	-	-	-	Yes	-	Yes	-	-	Yes	Yes
Family History Library Films	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	-	Yes	Yes
FamilySearch Images	-	-	-	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
New York State Library Films	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	-	Yes	Yes

New York State 1865 and 1875 Census Marriage, Mortality; and 1865 Soldier Mortality records:

• Images available online at New York State Census, 1865 and New York State Census, 1875. Click on the link to go to the page, then click on the ‘Browse through images’ link and select your county, then select an ancestor's town and browse to the end of the population schedule until you find the Marriage, Mortality, and 1865 soldier mortality schedules.
• Includes marriages and deaths for the 12 months prior to the census, ending 1 June of the census year.
• Marriage entry content: Husband's name, wife's name, ages and previous marital status, month and day and place of marriage, and church or civil ceremony.
• Death entry content: Name, age, sex, color, marital status, month and day of death, native state or country, occupation and cause of death.
• 1865 deaths of officers and enlisted men entry content: Name, age, marital status, citizenship status, enlistment date, original regiment, original rank, regiment at death, rank at death, promotions, death date and place, manner of death, surviving associates, and burial place.
• Also on microfilm. See the Family History Library line in the above State Census Chart.

Church Records

Church records are good substitutes for birth, marriage, and death information and are most often found on a local city/town or county level.  Published and manuscript church records can be found at public, university, and private libraries.

For a brief general history of denominations and a guide to finding various New York denomination's records, see New York Church Records Wiki page.

A few church records have been transcribed and posted at the Orange County NY GenWeb site. Heritage Quest (LAR) has a good collection of digitized transcribed church records from Orange County. Linkpendium identifies several church record collections available online.

Registers of the Reformed Church at Deerpark begin in 1716.

Evangelical Lutheran (Harrison Meeting) Church Records (1750-1798): Among the first settlers in the Towns of Montgomery and Crawford, then in Ulster County, but now in Orange County, New York were a group of German settlers. They organized a Lutheran church and built a log building in which this congregation met. The building burned down in the late 1700’s and the members of the congregation migrated to other nearby churches. However, a historical marker has been placed at the site of the old church and a few headstones, mostly unmarked, can still be found at the site located south of the Village of Montgomery near the junction of New York Highway 211 and Orange County Road 416. Images of the records of this church can be found on microfilm in the Family History Library, and are also available online at Urthman's Genealogy Blog.

• 1800s-1820s - Early Marriages Bethlehem Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.

• 1829-1858 - Early Records of Marriages Dutch Reformed Church, Montgomery, NY 1829-1858, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.
• 1730-1880 Reformed Dutch Church records in Ulster and Orange County FHL film 1405479 Item 3 Includes baptisms and marriages in Kingston 1766-1776, Catsbaan 1730-1760, Esopus 1790-1850, Clove, High Falls 1808-1850, Woodstock 1805-1880, Shokan 1799-1850, Walden 1793-1853, and Highland 1810-1860.

Additional Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Orange County, New York Genealogy Church Records  in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Court Records

Ancestors may have also been involved in municipal, state, or federal court cases. See also New York Court Records and United States Court Records.

Emigration and Immigration

• 1906-1942 - New York Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Genealogy

• Rootsweb message board for Orange County, New York Genealogy has many information threads about families that resided in that county. There is a search engine that allows you to search by surname and topic.
  

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See New York Land and Property for more details, especially about the papers generated in New York State by large speculative land companies.

Original land records in Orange County, New York Genealogy began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online

• 
  

Microforms

• 
  

Books

• 
  

Additional land records can sometimes be found using these catalogs:

• WorldCat using the search phase: Orange County, New York Genealogy deeds. (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
• FamilySearch Catalog using the search phrase: 1, New York - Land and Property. (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search.)

The USGenWeb Archives includes abstracts of the following:

• 1695-1802 - Deed Books A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H.
• 1765-1785 - Mortgage Books A, B, C.

Additional resources

Additional resources for Orange County, New York Genealogy land records may be found in the Orange County, New York Genealogy – Land Records topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog . Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche may be available for viewing at various Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

• Maps of New York (1683-1915)

Migration

Early migration routes to Orange County for European settlers included:

• Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.

Military

Revolutionary War

Orange County men served in the 4th New York Regiment.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - New York, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

Town registers. The New York town clerks kept a bound register of all soldiers from their town serving in the Civil War 1861-1865. Registers are arranged by county, and town. Some town registers are missing. The registers include an index at the start of each town.

Content. Many register entries include full name, residence, date and place of birth, parents names, marital status, date of enlistment and muster and rank, discharges, death, or promotion.

Access. The original registers are at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. Microfilm copies are found at the Family History Library (FHL Film 1993401-37). They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($).

Available towns. Registers are available for: Blooming Grove · Chester · Crawford · Deerpark · Goshen · Greenville · Hamptonburgh · Minisink · Monroe · Montgomery · Mount Hope · Newburgh · Wallkill · Warwick · Wawayanda.

Regiments. Service men from Orange County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Orange County:

- 3rd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 5th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 5th Regiment, New York Infantry (Duryee Zouaves), Company H.

- 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.

- 7th Veteran Regiment, New York Infantry

- 9th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 9th Regiment, New York Infantry (New)

- 15th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies L and M.

- 18th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.

- 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.

- 25th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies C, D, E, H, I, L and M.

- 36th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.

- 56th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D and E.

- 65th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.

- 70th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.

- 93rd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 98th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 100th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.

- 115th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 124th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.

- 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 156th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies H, I and K.

- 164th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.

- 168th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, E, F, G, H, I and K.

- 176th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies C and D.

- 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.

- 192nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.

- 194th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.

Source Informaiton:

See "The Ruttenber collection"with Manuscripts of Civil War materials on Orange County collected by E.M. Ruttenber.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Indexes

• 1791-1980 - New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1792-1989 - Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 at Ancestry ($). This database is based on NARA's Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. All 5 boroughs are included.

• 1824-1941 - New York, Southern District Index to Petitions for Naturalization, 1828-1941 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

• 1824-1946 - New York, Southern District, U.S District Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1946 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1917-1950 - New York, Southern District Naturalization Index, 1917-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

The Family History Library has also acquired this comprehensive index for the years 1792 through 1906 on microfilm: FHL Film 1419807 (1st of 294 films). The courts this index covers are:

• City Court of Brooklyn, 1836-1894
• Kings County Court, 1806-1906
• New York City Marine Court, 1806-1849
• New York County Common Pleas Court, 1792-1895
• New York County Superior Court, 1828-1895
• New York City and County Supreme Court, 1868-1906
• Queens County Court, 1799-1906
• Queens County Surrogate Court, 1888-1898
• Richmond County Court, 1869-1906
• U.S. Circuit Court Southern District, 1846-1876
• U.S. District Court Eastern District, (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties), 1865-1906
• U.S. District Court Southern Court Southern District, (New York, Bronx and also Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Richmond, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester counties), 1824-1906

Newspapers

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the largest online collection of 400 New York 1795-2007 newspapers. The instructions for this quirky site are needed to get the most out of it.

• Search engine for all 400 newspapers.
• List of 400 newspapers 1795-2007 at this site.

• Wiki instructions for finding ancestors in Old Fulton NY Post Cards newspapers.
• Site's FAQ instructions about how to do searches.

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the following Orange County, New York Genealogy newspaper images:

• Warwick NY Dispatch 1885-1907

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Joslyn, Roger D. "Indentures of the Poor Children of Orange County, 1829-1847, 1871, 1884, 1885," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 137, No. 4 (Oct. 2006):294-303; Vol. 138, No. 2 (Apr. 2007):138-143; Vol. 138, No. 3 (Jul. 2007):227-231. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 137-138.

Probate Records

Probate records including original estates and wills for New York are held in the office of the county Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives. See New York Probate Records for more information about using probate records.
Content:  Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types:  Wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distribution.

Probate Petitions

In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 479. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27rb 2004. Henry B. Hoff, "Navigating New York Probate," American Ancestors 12 (Fall 2011): 57.

These petitions are often found in the estate files and can be obtained from the county Surrogate Court.

Online Abstracts and Indexes

• 1629 - 1971 New York Probate Records 1629-1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
• 1659 - 1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1787-1846 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
• 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Orange County, New York Genealogy.
  
• 1866 - 1923 New York Kings County Estate Files 1866-1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Online Probate Records

Original New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938 (actually 1830-1931) are available free online at FamilySearch. To browse these records, click Historical Records below, then click "Browse through 359,950 images". Then select the time period and volume of interest.

• Historical Records - Orange County: Probate of wills, 1830-1931
  

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

New York, Orange County Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Probate Records on Microfilm

• 1787–1941 Index to Surrogate's Records FHL Film 837263–837264
• 1785–1797 Orange County Wills, Transcribed FHL Film 825190 Item 1
• 1787–1916 Probate Records FHL Film 835417 (131 films)

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Orange County, New York Genealogy probate wills in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Orange County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1989). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.731 A3. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Newburgh Free Library 124 Grand Street Newburgh, NY 12550	Genealogical resources: Subscription genealogy websites, family papers, school records, obituaries, city directories, censuses, church records, cemetery records, and newspapers.
Goshen Library and Historical Society Main Street Goshen, NY 10924	Genealogical resources: Obituary Finder. Subscriptions to HeritageQuest, Ancestry Plus, Fold3 and newspaper sites. Local history information.
Orange County Genealogical Society Research Room Historic 1841 Courthouse 101 Main St. Goshen, NY 10924	Genealogical resources: Comprehensive surname index to books and folders, local histories, published family histories, vertical files, periodicals, military records, maps, vital records, censuses, naturalizations, newspapers, deeds, mortgages, surname queries.

County Historian's Office

Orange County Historian 101 Main Street Goshen, New York 10924 Phone: 845-291-2388

Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am to Noon Afternoon hours by appointment only. Genealogical Resources: The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

Courthouses

The Orange County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, court land and census records. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Orange County are held, see the Orange County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.

The main FHC for Orange County, New York Genealogy is the Middletown New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Societies

• Central New York Genealogical Society
  Box 104, Calvin Station
  Syracuse, New York 13205
  E-mail: CNYSG@yahoo.com

Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publishes Tree Talks (At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 B2t) quarterly with annual index.

Counties served: Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Oreleans, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Washington, Wayne, Warren, Wyoming, and Yates.

• Orange County Genealogical Society
  101 Main Street
  Goshen, New York 10924
  Email:nhsip@frontiernet.net
  Publishes The Orange County Genealogy Society Quarterly

The Society has a very large collection including:

• County Histories
• Biographical information on local residents and published genealogies
• Orange County church records and cemetery listings
• City directories for Middletown and Newburgh 1899 - 1950's
• Whig Press deaths and marriages 1851-1865
• Vertical files of family folders - over 3,000
• Well known quarterlies
• Military records
• Maps
• Microfilm of various Orange County records including marriages, naturalization, deeds, newspapers and more.

• The Hudson Valley Institute
  3399 North Road
  Poughkeepsie, New York 12601-1387
  Phone: 845-575-3052
  Email: hrvi@marist.edu

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. Vital records from 1880/1882 are kept by town and village clerks, although some (Kent’s and Putnam Valley’s) are available in the County Historian’s Office. For further details, try the links to individual town Wiki pages found in Places. See also:

• Gordon L. Remington, New York Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002). NEHGS online edition; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 D27r. Alphabetical list including date founded, if a town history exists, church and cemetery sources, and if a Civil War register (TCR) exists.
• Journal of the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Putnam County for the Year 1904 (New York: Martin B. Brown, 1905)
  
• Journal of the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Putnam County for the Year 1922 (Poughkeepsie: Lansing Broas, 1923)
• List of Town Clerks, Record Managers and Historical Societies
  

The County Archives has the following records:

• 031 Petitions, Licenses, and recognizance to sell liquor (Tavern licenses) 1813-1878
• 139 Monthly Reports of Hunting and fishing licenses, 1908-1938
• 165 Certificates of Qualifications as Examiner in Lunacy, 1883-1947
  

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage or death were first recorded at the local level in the village clerk, town clerk, or city clerk’s ledger book. If you know where a birth, marriage or death took place, a copy of the certificate or record may be obtained by writing to the town, village or city clerk. See also How to order New York Vital Records or order electronically online.

See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. See New York Vital Records for a discussion about beginning dates and availability of vital records in New York.

Use substitute records for birth, marriage, and death information. These substitute records include Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Birth

Early births were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording births in 1881. Births were not recorded on the county level.

Birth Substitutes

• 1640–1962 New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

• 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.731 V28k. Includes indexes.
  

• See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.
  

Marriage

Early marriages were sometimes recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. In 1880, town clerks were to record the marriage and a copy was sent to the New York State Department of Health (state level). Town clerks continue to record marriages. The marriages in this county were recorded by the county clerk from 1908 until 1933.

• 1639-1962 - New York, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

• 1664–1784 New York. Secretary of State, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued By the Secretary of the Province of New York, Previous to 1784 (Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1860). At Cornell University digital library-free; Internet Archive - free; Ancestry edition($); At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Film 514675 Item 1 or 930131 Item 2. Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.
  

• 1847–1848 and 1908–1936 New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images
  

• 1908–1933 New York, County Marriages 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; FHL Film 829651 (first of 23 films). Index is through 1933, but licenses are to 1932
  

Marriage Substitutes

• 1686-1980 New York Marriages, 1686–1890 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.
  

• 1800–1855 New York Marriage Notices at Ancestry– ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state. Contains name of bride and groom, marriage date, marriage location, residence, and newspaper found in.
  

• 1801–1880 Barber Collection- Newspaper Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  

• 1828-1831 Barber, Gertrude A. Orange County Patriot: A Newspaper Published at Goshen, N.Y.: Marriages and Deaths from May 1828 to Dec. 1831. 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

• 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.731 V28k. Includes indexes.
  

• 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.
  

• 1864-5, 1874-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.
  

Divorce

Pre–1787	All divorces were granted by the governor or legislature and were very rare.
1787–1847	All divorces were granted by the court of chancery. These records are found in the New York State Archives or for the New York City area at the New York County Clerk's office.These divorces were granted only on the grounds of adultery.
1847–present	All divorces are handled by the county Supreme Court where the divorce was granted. Divorce files in New York are sealed for 100 years. Contact the County Clerk for information about divorce records.

Divorce judgment papers often include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children. Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.

Death

Early deaths were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording deaths in 1881. Deaths were not recorded on the county level.

Death Indexes

• 1824-1962 - New York, Church and Civil Deaths, 1824-1962 at FamilySearch — index
• 1880-1956 - New York, State Death Index, 1880-1956 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1880-1956 - New York, Death Index, 1880-1956 at Ancestry — ($), index only
  
• 1957-1963 - New York State Health Department, Genealogical Research Death Index, 1957-1963 at FamilySearch — Index only
  

Death Substitutes

• 1795–1952 New York Deaths and Burials, 1795-1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. The entries are primarily from the IGI along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as Family Records, Church Records, and Civil Registration. There may be entries that cite a specific source.
  

• 1801–1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  

• 1820-1857 Weller, Caroline Still. Orange County, New York Deaths: From the Independent Republican, Goshen, New York. 1967. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

• 1828-1831 Barber, Gertrude A. Orange County Patriot: A Newspaper Published at Goshen, N.Y.: Marriages and Deaths from May 1828 to Dec. 1831. 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

• 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.731 V28k. Includes indexes.
  

• 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.
  

• 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.
  

• See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for death information.
  

• 1864-5, 1874-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.
  

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Orange County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Orange– Vital Records topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog . Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Orange County New York Genealogy Websites

• Orange County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• New York Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• The Orange County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• Orange County NY Genealogy

Family History Library

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free