This collection contains histories and directories of Chemung County, New York. These volumes provide crucial historical context that can help researchers uncover more records and develop a deeper understanding of their Chemung County ancestors.
The volumes in this collection also contain genealogical and biographical information—apart from the names listed in the directories, many of the histories include biographical sketches, lists of county officers, and other details of the people that lived in the county.
Searches entered from this page will query all volumes in the collection. Read below for detailed information on the contents of each volume and waypoint links.
A History of the Valley and County of Chemung, From the Closing Years of the Eighteenth Century
This book, originally published in 1892, recounts the early history of the valley and county of Chemung from the 1700s to the late 1800s. Military affairs, individual towns, and biographical notes on many residents are also included.
This volume is text searchable—searches entered from this page will query all text in this volume.
This book has a very detailed table of contents, outlining all topics covered in each chapter. Click here to read the table of contents, and use the waypoint links below to navigate to each part of the book.
- Part I, The Valley and County of Chemung During the Closing Years of the Eighteenth Century
- Part II, The County of Chemung During the First Half of the Nineteenth Century
- Part III, Military Affairs in the County
- Part IV, Chemung County During the Latter Half of the Nineteenth Century
- Part V, The Townships
- Part VI, Biographical
- Part VII, Personal References
- Part VIII, Index
The book was written by Ausburn Towner and published by D. Mason & Co Publishers in 1892.
A Brief History of Chemung County
This book, published in 1907, was originally intended for use by grade school students, but has immense value for family historians. It is a local history, much of it gleaned from oral history interviews with elderly residents of the county conducted in the early 1900s.
This volume is text searchable—searches entered from this page will query all text in this volume.
Use the waypoint links below to navigate to a specific section, or get an overview of what can be found:
- Part I, The county and Valley during the closing years of the 18th Century
- Part II, The County of Chemung during the first half of the 19th Century
- Part III, Military Affairs in the County
- Part IV, Chemung County during the latter half of the 19th Century with glimpses of the 20th Century
- Part V, Recapitulation of Important Events Happening in the County
This book was written by Ausburn Towner and published by A.S. Barnes and Company in 1907.
History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler Counties (Chemung Extract)
The Chemung section has been extracted from this larger work detailing the history of four counties. The parts of this volume included in this section are the introductory section, which includes a history of all four counties overall, and the chapters focusing on Chemung County, NY.
This history draws on interviews, research in the state archives, private papers, municipal records, and family manuscripts.
This volume is text searchable—searches entered from this page will query all text in this volume.
Use the waypoint links below to jump to a specific section, or to get an overview of what can be found:
History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, and Schuyler Counties
Voyage and Discovery | Pre-Historic Occupancy | The Revolution – Sullivan’s Campaign | Land Titles – Colonial Grants and Charters | Geology of the Four Counties | Internal Improvements | Military History
Chemung County
Settlement and Progress | Civil History | Public Buildings | Political History | The Chemung Civil List | Educational and Religious | The Learned Professions | The Press of Chemung County | Societies | The City of Elmira | The City of Elmira – Ecclesiastical History | The City of Elmira – Societies, Schools, etc. | Town of Elmira | Town of Ashland | Town of Baldwin | Town of Big Flats | Town of Catlin | Town of Chemung | Town of Erin | Town of Horseheads | Town of Southport | Town of Veteran | Town of Van Etten
The book was first published in 1879.
Gazetteer and Business Directory of Chemung and Schuyler Counties (Chemung Extract)
This volume is a gazetteer and business directory for 1868–1869. The full volume covers Chemung and Schuyler counties; only the sections relevant to Chemung are included in this collection.
This volume is text searchable—searches entered from this page will query all text in this volume.
Researchers will find business listings, information related to local history, advertisements, and other short articles. This directory has a variety of uses. Information on businesses and their owners can provide direct material related to ancestors, and the local history and general business information can help researchers locate additional records and form a deeper understanding of the world of ancestors who lived in Chemung County during this time period.
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This book was compiled and published by Hamilton Child in 1868.
A Biographical Record of Chemung County
Originally published in 1902, this book compiles biographical sketches of many men and women that made a lasting impact on Chemung County, New York. This book states that its “corps of writers” avoided the use of “musty records” to create these biographical sketches. Instead, the writers went to the people it sought to document to hear “from their lips have the story of their life struggles.” Due to this, the book has detailed sketches with information about a person’s date of birth, their upbringing, their education, and much more.
This volume is text searchable—searches entered from this page will query all text in this volume.
This book has an index rather than a table of context. To look for a name, go to the book’s index to find the page a person’s biographical sketch is on. Click the links below to access this book.
This book was published by the S.J. Clarke Publishing Company in 1902.
Suggested citation for this collection:
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, “Chemung County Histories and Directories” digital images, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, (www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org), 2021.