We have tried to make this site uncluttered and easily accessible.
On most of its pages, a click with the left mouse button will bring
up related topics. For instance, in the Jefferson County Pioneers page,
found under PEOPLE, clicking on an underlined name will bring up that
family's group sheet. A Jefferson County Pioneer is defined as a head
of household, born outside the county, but residing within the county
by 1850.
1. To familiarize you with what we have, this page is arranged like a TABLE OF CONTENTS.
2. What's New on the Jefferson County Page lists the new additions each month to different pages on this site.
3. PEOPLE consists of lists of early Jefferson County inhabitants.
EARLY SETTLERS are those who first came into Jefferson County. The list does not pretend to be complete, but is a sampling from early county histories, as well as ancestors of those viewers who have sent in names. If you find a name you are searching on that page, you can look under the related township for more background information. Remember to look for collateral or related families. Underlined names have further information. These names are also called
JEFFERSON COUNTY PIONEERS, and are listed separately under that title. Just click on the name for a family group sheet.
SURNAME LIST, shows you whether someone else is working on the same surname you are. You may contact that person via email by clicking on the name. If the person does not have email, a post office address is provided.
JEFFERSON COUNTY POSTMASTERS is a specialized list attempting to name every postmaster who ever served in Jefferson County.
4. Now it's time to read SEARCHING YOUR FAMILY'S PAST IN JEFFERSON COUNTY to find which research facilities you can search via the internet. Notice that to access our largest facility, Flower Library, you must use regular mail and enclose SASE.
5.The LINKS page provides you with windows to many other sites. It is divided into:
FAMILY WEB PAGES, each of which has a close connection to Jefferson County, but which are maintained by private individuals,
GENEALOGICAL SITES, some of which are merely lists of links to other sites, and some, like Macoupin County IL have genealogical how-to hints for everyone,
HISTORICAL SITES, a medley of links to sites with history of interest to those researching Jefferson County. For instance, Jefferson County's past was intimately connected with the Great Lakes and shipping. Perhaps you might find a sailing ancestor in one of their websites.
6.ABOUT JEFFERSON COUNTY gives you a broader view of your family's past.
7. TOWNSHIP pages are being updated as new material comes in. Where available, you will find, under each town, listings for:
TOWNSHIP LOCATION MAP--This is a Jefferson County outline map with the specific township shown.
TOWNSHIP MAP FROM THE 1864 JEFFERSON COUNTY ATLAS.-- We are very proud of this feature, which locates every resident of the county in the 1864 era. These maps are big files, and may take as much as 5 minutes to download, so be prepared to wait, but if you know which town your ancestors lived in, and if they were here in 1864, you should be able to pinpoint the house.
POSTMASTERS--A link to the list of Postmasters for the town.
TOWN and VILLAGE HISTORIAN*,
TOWN CLERK,
OTHER RESEARCH AIDS, such as the library, where it has any genealogical information
HISTORY OF THE TOWN, INCLUDING, where available:
TOWN CHRONOLOGY
CEMETERY LOCATIONS
RURAL SCHOOL INFORMATION FROM THE PAST CENTURY
STATISTICS FROM THE 1864 JEFFERSON COUNTY ATLAS
EARLY SETTLERS--including:
PIONEERS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY WITH FAMILY GROUP SHEETS
TOURISM, when available. These commercial sites often provide photos of local
attractions, to give you a feel of the area, as well as listing accomodations,
and amusements for the non-genealogists in your life.
A few offer a vignette of local history.
*NOTE: NYS town historians are prohibited by law from doing genealogical
research, but can furnish information.
8. JEFFERSON COUNTY RESOURCES includes:
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION IN JEFFERSON COUNTY gives you addresses
and information about our archival institutions. We have provided email
addresses wherever possible. Again, note that Flower Library in Watertown
will not answer mail unless SASE is provided. On this page you can access:
JEFFERSON COUNTY LIBRARIES, ETC which includes every library, no matter how
small, which might offer the searcher some genealogical material.
Please remember these are operated on a shoestring, and SASE is necessary
to assure an answer.
LOOK UPS consists of volunteers who offer to look up for you information from their personal libraries. Please do not abuse their good nature. It is impossible for some, and not advisable for any, to photocopy several pages of material. They are willing to give you a few sentences, noting the book and page number. It is up to you, the researcher, to order the book through inter-library loan, or to find it in a nearby library, or perhaps through the Family History Center of the local LDS (Mormon) church, if you need in-depth study. Copyright laws forbid wholesale copying of recent books. Please remember to thank the volunteer, and pay for any postage or copying of older books that she might do for you.
Do glance through our list of JEFFERSON COUNTY BOOKS. Many of these are available through interlibrary loan.
9. Look at QUERIES. Perhaps someone has left a clue there for you to follow up, or perhaps you would like to correspond with someone who is researching the same or collateral lines. An address is always provided with a query.
The query section was removed years ago. Recently I discovered a page from 1998 and reposted it. Queries may come back if it proves popular.
10. Lastly, JEFFERSON COUNTY MISC contains some tourist information for the partner not interested in genealogy, and some lovely scenery for all.
Copyright 2016 Jefferson County NYGenWeb — a member of the NYGenWeb Project
If you have any questions or comments about this page, please contact,
County Co-Coordinator Co-Coordinator Bruce Coyne.