Be sure to also view our Lookups page!
Government Historians Museums Books Newspapers County Clerk
The County Clerk has many documents of interest to genealogists including, but not limited to, Deeds and Mortgages, Naturalizations (1854-present), and some Vital Statistics and some Military Records. Please note, NYS counties were not required by the state to keep vital records until 1880. Most of these records are kept with the Town Clerk, but in some counties, the County Clerk also has a copy of some of the more recent vital records and sometimes some older vital records (prior to 1880). Also see Misc. Records of the Hamilton County Clerk's Office.
County Clerk
P.O. Box 204, Rte. 8
Lake Pleasant, N.Y. 12108-0204
(518) 548-7111 or 548-6204Town Clerks may also have information of interest to genealogists, especially older Vital Statistics and Military Records.
Town Clerks (as of 1999)
Town Town's Address Town Clerk Phone # Arietta Piseco, N.Y. 12139 Kenneth F. Parslow (518) 548-7321 Benson R.D. Northville, N.Y. 12134 Judy Webber (518) 863-2225 Hope Star Rt., Northville, N.Y. 12134 Richard Bartholf (518) 924-2499 Indian Lake Indian Lake, N.Y. 12842 Irene L. Hutchins (518) 648-5211 Inlet Inlet, N.Y. 13360 Yvonne Shwamle (315) 357-5771 Lake Pleasant Lake Pleasant, N.Y. 12108 Charlotte Smith (518) 548-3625 Long Lake Long Lake, N.Y. 12847 Dixie Lee LeBlanc (518) 624-3088 Morehouse Hoffmeister, N.Y., 13353 Jane K. Kelley (315) 826-7697 Wells Wells, N.Y. 12190 Mary E. Simons (518) 924-7911 Area Zip Codes
Amsterdam 12010 Lake Pleasant 12108 Blue Mountain Lake 12812 Long Lake 12847 Cold Brook 13324 Northville 12134 Eagle Bay 13331 Piseco 12139 Gloversville 12078 Raquette Lake 13436 Hoffmeister 13353 Sabael 12864 Indian Lake 12842 Speculator 12164 Inlet 13360 Wells 12190 Johnstown 12095 Surrogate Court
The Surrogate Court maintains jurisdiction over all actions and proceedings relating to the affairs of decedents, probate of wills, administration of estates and guardianship of the property of minors. Please note that in the 1980s some of the Surrogate Court records were being stored in Indian Lake as there wasn't enough room in the County Court House. I do not know if this is still the case today, or not.
Surrogate Court
Court House
Lake Pleasant, N.Y. 12108
(518) 548-7911Town and Village Courts
Court Address City, State, Zip Telephone Arietta Town Court Old Piseco Road, PO Box 4 Piseco, NY 12139 518-548-6203 Benson Town Court 291 River Road Northville, NY 12134 518-863-8510 Hope Town Court Town Hall, Star Route Northville, NY 12134 518-924-2663 Indian Lake Town Court Town Hall, Pelon Road Indian Lake, NY 12842 518-648-6226 Inlet Town Court Town Office, Box 136 Inlet, NY 13360 315-357-6121 Lake Pleasant Town Court Box 136 Speculator, NY 12164 518-548-3625 Long Lake Town Court Town Hall, PO Box 112 Long Lake, NY 12847 None Morehouse Town Court ----- Hoffmeister, NY 13353 None Wells Town Court Community Hall, PO Box 405 Wells, NY 12190 518-924-9285 Hamilton County Historian
Paul Wilbur / County Historian
County White House, Rte. 8
Lake Pleasant, N.Y. 12108
(518) 548 5526Town Historians
Town Town Historian Address Arietta Julia Damkoehler Piseco Lake Historical Society
HC 1, Box 17
Piseco, NY 12139-9703Benson Danny Meed Benson Town Historian
Northville, NY 12134***Hope Clara Sue King Hope Town Historian
HC #1 - Box 64
Northville, NY 12134-9543
(518) 924-2498Indian Lake William Zullo Town Historian
Indian Lake, N.Y. 12842
(518) 648-5377
website: Indian Lake NY - A HistoryInlet Mary Lee Kalil Town Historian
Town of Inlet
Inlet, N.Y. 13360Long Lake Jeanne F. Plumley Town Historian
Town of Long Lake
Long Lake, NY 12847Morehouse Carol Ford Town Historian
Rt.8 Box 1
Hoffmeister N.Y. 13353Wells Leona Aird Town Historian
P.O. Box 97
Wells, NY 12190***Please know that all records of this town before 1900 were destroyed in a fire in a Town Clerk's home. Effort is being made to try to gather information, but as you can imagine, it is a daunting process, at best!
Museums
The Indian Lake Museum
(Town Museum)Located on the corner of West Main St. [routes 28/30] and Crow Hill Road, next to the school. The house was built ca.1865 by Allen Brooks, who had returned from the Civil War. He lived there with his wife, Annis Smith.
Hours: July - Oct, Tue. & Thur., 1 - 4, and Friday 7 - 9p.m.
Adirondack Museum Library Route 30
Blue Mountain Lake, NY 12812
Phone: (518) 352-7311
Hours: M-F: 9am-5pmNote: The Library will make microfilmed materials available thru interlibrary loan.
Morehouse Historical Museum
(Town Museum)Located on rt 8 in the village of Hoffmeister in the old Methodist church which was closed in 1989 for services. In 1999 it was re-opened as our History museum to hold/display our history records and pictures, etc. We had over 200 people visit last year, and we are looking forward to opening this year. Hours: Late June to Labor Day weekend; Sat. & Sun. from 11:00 to 3:00.
Book List
for Hamilton County
Title Author Publishing Info Comments Long Lake [1845] John Todd Purple Mountain Press, 1997
originally published, 1845Few individual names given but lots of info about how the early settlers lived. A copy is available on microfilm at the Onondaga County Public Lib. in Syracuse Sesquicentennial of the Town of Arietta, Hamilton County, New York. Prepared by the Historical Book Committee. 1986 A copy is available at the NYS Public Library in Albany Hamilton County, New York, genealogical research secrets Loren V. Fay Albany, NY, 1981
(17 leaves)A copy is available at the NYS Public Library in Albany Township 34; a history with digressions of an Adirondack township in Hamilton County in the State of New York. Harold K. Hochschild 1952 copies available at the NYS Public Library in Albany and through the Mid-York Library System Life at an Adirondack inn : the story of one hundred years of the Irondequoit Club Inn and its owner, the Piseco Company : the Piseco Company centennial, 1892-1992. The Irondequoit Club Inn 1992 A history of South Pond and origin of Long Lake Township Howard I. Becker 1963? A backward look at 6th and 7th Lakes : commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Sixth and Seventh Lakes Improvement Association (1939-1989) Robert A. Maloney. 1989 A copy is available at the Old Forge Library The quiet years / by Minnie Patterson Stanyon ; with illustrations by Mildred Stanyon Colvin. Stanyon, Minnie Patterson, 1873-1963. [Speculator, N. Y. : s.n.] c1994, 1965. Description of life in Newton's Corners, later Speculator, N.Y. - personal narrative. An old time inn; Blue Mt. House Edited by A. S. Knight. Adirondack Museum. 1972 copies available through the Mid-York Library System Griffin, ghost town in the Adirondacks : and other tales Ouida Girard 1981 A copy is available at the Old Forge Library The New York wilderness : Hamilton County and adjoining territory (map) compiled by B. C. Butler. Albany, N.Y. : Weed, Parsons & Co., 1879 A copy is available at the Utica Public Library Calked shoes : life in Adirondack lumber camps Barbara Kephart Bird ; photos by Royal G. Bird Prospect, N. Y. : Prospect Books, 1952. copies available through the Mid-York Library System Raquette Lake - A Time to Remember Ruth Timm 150 pgs, 1989 Morehouse Past and Present 1835-1992 Carol Ford / Town of Morehouse Historian 1992 copies available thru Carol Tree Talks:
see our Tree talks Hamilton County Subject Index for detailsA quarterly magazine published by Central New York Genealogical Society, Syracuse, NY Adirondack Museum History Book List (a link) books on local and Adirondack history offered by the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake History of Hamilton County Adirondack Folks Tales From an Adirondack County Folklore From the Adirondack Foothills Check our Lookups page for these books and other available resources offered by our volunteers. Newspapers
Although Hamilton county has had a few papers published the county over the years, there are other newspapers outside the county that have carried news of our residents. From my own experience, I know that the Boonville and Herkimer papers tended to carry news about Morehouse families and the Amsterdam and Fulton papers tended to carry news about Hope, Benson, Wells and sometimes Lake Pleasant families. So don't limit yourself to searching for these papers to find obituaries or other articles about our county!
Years Freq. Name Started by Printed at< 1845-???? weekly Hamilton County Sentinel Walter N. Clark
Cyrus ThayerJohnstown c1845-???? ? The Hamilton County Journal George M. Thompson Gloversville c1845-???? ? The Hamilton County Republican George M. Thompson Gloversville 1873-???? weekly Hamilton County Press George W. Heaton Hope 1892-???? weekly Hamilton County Democrat Charles E. Watson Wells 1876-1947 weekly Adirondack Herald Joel B. Morrison Wells 1893-1947 weekly Hamilton County Record D. L. Patterson Wells 1947-present weekly Hamilton County News ? Inlet 1960-1968 bi-weekly Indian Lake Bulletin ? Indian Lake Sources:
NYS Newspaper Project
History of Hamilton County
Last Updated: Wednesday, 14-May-2008 13:15:29 PDT
Copyright © 2000: Lisa K. Slaski
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