Montgomery County Department of History and Archives

Montgomery County's Department of History and Archives,
at the Old County Courthouse in Fonda, NY.

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Montgomery County, first named as Tryon County in 1772, in its original formation had its boundaries extending as far north as the St. Lawrence River, as far south as the Pennsylvania border, and as far west as the territories of the Six Nations.

Prior to the settlement of the Europeans, Native Americans inhabited the lands throughout the valley named for the Mohawks, one of the six Iroquois tribes. Native Americans were the principal inhabitants in the area until attempts were made to civilize them. Early settlers to this area included the Dutch, in search of trapping and the fur trade, and the Palatine Germans, in search of religious freedom.

The Revolutionary War had significant impact upon the residents of Montgomery County. Four regiments, consisting of enlisted men throughout the valley, made up the Tryon County militia. Blood was shed on the lands within the county during this time. The battles that took place at Klock’s Field and Stone Arabia, not to mention the horrendous incursions by Johnson’s raiders, wreaked havoc. Lives and homes of area residents were ravaged and terrorized by groups that included their former neighbors.

The Erie Canal was constructed through Montgomery County. The development of a number of its towns can be attributed to "Clinton’s Ditch." In fact, the proximity of the Erie Canal was one of the factors supporting the move of the county seat from Johnstown to Fonda.

Principal farming products in the Mohawk Valley during the colonial period and immediately after the Revolutionary War centered around grains. Evidence of this type of farming was visible in the construction of the numerous Dutch barns. However, with the advent of the Erie Canal, farming changed from production of grains to dairy farming since the grains could now be transported from farms in the west. With the railroad, agriculture changed once again. As milk was not yet transportable in the rail cars, production turned to cheese.

The Montgomery County Department of History & Archives was formed in 1934 by resolution of the Board of Supervisors. Housed in the 1836 Old Courthouse, seen above, the department currently has 2 full-time and 1 part-time staff. The genealogical and historical research library contains a voluminous amount of records that are accessible to the public. Not a lending library, the Dept. of History & Archives welcomes visitors from all over the country in search of their heritage.

Resources

HISTORIES:
New York State Counties plus many villages and localities in the original Tryon County.

BIOGRAPHIES:
Individuals of local interest. Most of the histories are indexed for biographical information.

CEMETERY RECORDS:
New York State Counties plus many villages, cities and townships of the area.

FAMILY GENEALOGIES:
Over 400 bound genealogies indexed. Family files contain summary information on over 500 surnames.

LAND RECORDS:
1772-1788 Tryon/Montgomery County. Other deeds held at County Clerk’s Office.

DIRECTORIES AND GAZETTEERS:
1869 Fulton & Montgomery, other counties plus Amsterdam Directories and Board of Trade 1889+.

VITAL STATISTICS:
Some births, marriages & deaths extracted from various sources.
NOTE: Birth, marriage, & death certificates available only at state level and town/city clerk’s offices where event took place.

CHURCH RECORDS*:
Colonial Period through 1950, sundry areas & denominations. Other counties in addition to Montgomery County.

CENSUS RECORDS:
Indexed 1790 through 1870 for New York State. Only 1850 & 1860 census for other counties in the State. (Several earlier assessment rolls in Historical Files). Slave count -- Towns of Florida & Palatine.

CIVIL RECORDS:
Transcribed Town Supervisors' Minutes from 1793 to the present. Highway records, school district meeting minutes, etc.

MILITARY RECORDS:
Pre-Revolution to Korean War. Some original muster rolls. Most lineage volumes for D.A.R. Journals of soldiers.

HISTORICAL FILES:
Miscellaneous documents, histories of local people, places, and events.

ARCHIVES:
Original records from early 1700's through 1900's. Repository of historical documents, journals, diaries, family papers, etc.

NEWSPAPERS:
Extensive holdings of mid-1800s periodicals.

PAMPHLETS:
Miscellaneous topics, dating to 1800s.

Research Fees

Research: $20.00 per hour – 1 hour minimum

Photocopies: $0.25 each – 8 ½” x 11” (Letter size) and 8 ½” x 14” (Legal size)
$0.50 each – 11” x 17”

Microfilm Copies: $0.25 each

Digital / Scanned Copies: Color prints: $2.00 each on regular copy paper
$2.50 each on photo paper

Digital copies of newspapers: $10.00 base fee (includes estimate of ½ hr. look- up time) + $0.50 each page (1-4 articles)
$10.00 base fee + $0.50 each page + $5.00 for every half hour beyond 1st half hour (5 or more articles)

Downloadable Research-Request Form (PDF)

Heritage & Genealogical Society of Montgomery County

The Heritage & Genealogical Society of Montgomery County was organized in 1976, as a not-for-profit group, to act as a support group for the Department of History & Archives. Funds raised through membership and events are used to purchase and/or bind materials for the Dept. of History & Archives library.

Meetings are held at 7:30pm on the first Thursday of each month, from September to June (except December & January) in the Old Courthouse in Fonda.

Members receive a quarterly newsletter, compiled by the Montgomery County Historian/RMO. Articles and genealogical queries are always welcome to be submitted for the newsletter. Dues have not been raised since the organization’s inception.

Downloadable Membership Form (PDF)

Publications For Sale

F.W. Beers & Co. History of Montgomery & Fulton Counties, 1878
A reprint of the work that outlined the history of each township in Montgomery & Fulton counties

“Muskets to Microwaves”, 2 vols.
Get into some history while cooking favorite recipes from the area put together for your cooking enjoyment.

“Montgomery County” Arcadia Publishing: Images of America series
Photographic history of Montgomery County. limited supply

“Amsterdam” Arcadia Publishing: Images of America series
Photographic history of the city and town of Amsterdam in Montgomery County. limited supply

“Catalogue of Historical & Genealogical Material”
Compilation of the department holdings

Old Courthouse Wooden collectible

“Steeple Chase”: A History of the Churches in the Town of Minden, Montgomery Co., NY

“Steeple Chase”: A History of Churches in the Town of Canajoharie, Montgomery Co., NY
Compilations of histories, lists of ministers, and locations of records for each the churches that existed in these townships. These 40+ page booklets also contain photographs and color maps indicating location of churches within the towns and their villages

Index to Simms’ Frontiersmen of New York

Old Courthouse Notepaper

1986 Commemorative Coin
In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the building of the Old Courthouse

Old Courthouse Buttons

Maps
1853, 1868, & 1905 Maps available for each Montgomery County township

** Please note: price of "Catalog of Historical & Genealogical Material" is now $12.95
Please make necessary adjustment on the order form for the new price

Downloadable Order Form (PDF)

For Further Information Please Contact Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar at (518) 853-8187
or write to 9 Park St., Old Court House, P.O. Box 1500, Fonda, NY 12068-1500.

Further information on the Dept. of History and Archives

This page was last updated March 17, 2008.

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