Suffolk County New York Genealogy

Suffolk County Genealogy is part of the New York American History and Genealogy Project (AHGP). This website features free genealogy and history concerning Suffolk County New York. Biographies, cemeteries, directories, genealogy, history, military records, newspaper records, and yearbooks.

Suffolk County was an original county of the Province of New York, one of twelve created in 1683. From 1664 until 1683 it had been the East Riding of Yorkshire. Its boundaries were essentially the same as at present, with only minor changes in the boundary with its western neighbor, which was originally Queens County but has been Nassau County since the separation of Nassau from Queens in 1899.

Suffolk County New York Genealogy is part of the New York History and Genealogy Project. My name is Dennis Partridge and I am the county coordinator. If you have information about this county you would like to place online, then please contact me using the contact form on this website. The American History & Genealogy Project (AHGP) is a group of like-minded individuals committed to providing free access to American genealogical and historical information online. Organized by locations, volunteers host states, counties, and sometimes town or city websites specializing in their areas of interest. Come join us today!

Suffolk County NY Cemeteries

Suffolk County New York Church Records

Suffolk County New York Genealogy

Suffolk County New York History

  • Long Island New York – Historic Account Books
    The East Hampton Library has placed online a treasure trove of original and unique genealogical data in the form of digitized account books of former residents of Long Island. They have placed these online as part of the Digital Long Island Collection. Most of these account books pertain to East Hampton and the area surrounding it on Long Island.
  • The Long Island Forum 1938-1964
    The Long Island Forum was a Journal dedicated to the History of Long Island, Originally published by Paul Bailey out of Bayshore, Long Island, New York. It was the most informative Journal On Long Island.
  • History of Suffolk County, New York
  • Suffolk Life Covers  1964-1969
    A nostalgic look back at the people and events of the North Fork through the front page pictures of the Suffolk Life Newspaper
  • A Century of Brentwood
    Written by Verne Dyson is the history of Modern Times and Brentwood, New York
  • Story of a celebration, Bridgehampton, Long Island, New York, 1660-1910
  • Deer Park-Wyandanch History
    Written by Verne Dyson is the history of two neighboring communities on Long Island.
  • Back Over the Years
    Searchable PDF files containing transcribed oral interviews of local Mattituck residents conducted by the Friends of the Library in 1978. These interviews contain a great  detail about daily life in Mattituck at the turn of the century and  into the early 20th century
    • Volume 1
    • Volume 2
    • Volume 3
    • Volume 4
  • History of the town of Riverhead, Suffolk county, N.Y, 1876
  • Shoreham
    • A Short History of Shoreham Village
      By Mervin G. Pallister, Village Historian 1972-1986.
    • A History of the Incorporated Village of Shoreham
      By Mervin G. Pallister, Village Historian 1972-1986. (Complete 63 page text). Published July 4, 1976. This is the definitive history of Shoreham Village by the son of Claude V. Pallister, Shoreham Village’s 1st President and a pivotal figure in the incorporation of the Village in 1913. Much of the early history of the Incorporated Village was witnessed first-hand by the author.
    • History of Shoreham
      By Mary Lou Abata (1979). This is an excellent history of Shoreham, its natural history and settlement, as well as the evolution of Shoreham Village and its institutions. The author is a long-time resident of Shoreham Village and a widely recognized educator and principal (retired) in the Shoreham-Wading River School District. This is a well-referenced, scholarly work, but it is also very well-written, readable and widely illustrated.
  • West Islip
  • Yaphank as it is, and was, and will be
    Containing biographical sketches of all its prominent men, the characteristic proclivities of its “funny” people, its business and business “monarchs,” its facilities for enterprise and improvement, and an impartial description of the advantages and disadvantages enjoyed and suffered by its citizens. The Suffolk County alms-house as it is. This work contains the most authentic and pleasing history of this “model” institution before the public

Suffolk County NY Land Records

The Office of the County Clerk holds land records dating from the mid -1600’s. These do not always contain descriptions of the house or other buildings found on the land. Even so, a deed is a good place to begin researching the history of your house. Records in the Historic Documents Library include several large bound Atlases of various portions of Suffolk County. The earliest one is dated c.1873. Many of these include the property owners’ names. Buildings and houses are also indicated on several of the atlases, sometimes with numbers that signify the number of stories in the house.

Suffolk County NY Maps

  • Sanborn County Fire Maps
    There is a collection of Sanborn Company maps in the Historic Documents Library of Suffolk County. This company, started in 1867 by D. A. Sanborn was the major provider of maps to the insurance industry for more than a hundred years. Although the collection here does not cover all of Suffolk County, the entire collection of Sanborn maps for the state of New York can be found at SUNY Stony Brook library on microfilm. These maps show buildings and are coded to indicate the type of construction, such as, wood or steel frame.
  • 1917 Interactive Map of Views of Shoreham Village

Suffolk County NY Native American History

Suffolk County NY Newspapers

Suffolk County New York libraries, organizations, and societies have placed a considerable number of historical newspaper titles online. This set of Newspapers can be searched from their websites and we provide details of online editions available, along with each specific title. Remember, that a search alone in online records like these is not considered a “thorough” search, as they rely on OCR capability and rarely have been edited by a human eye. Expect errors, so if you have an approximate date and cannot find the information, then check the corresponding issues of the local newspaper.

Suffolk County NY Vital Records

The Suffolk County Clerk’s Office does not maintain Birth, Marriage or Death records; rather this is a function of the Town Clerk and or Registrar.

  • Town Clerk’s Offices
    The Town Clerk performs four basic functions that include records management, registrar of vital statistics, marriage officer, and licensing officer. This list includes website address, phone and address contact for each township of Suffolk County.

Suffolk County NY Wills

The first will recorded in Suffolk County is that of Josiah Stanborough, who lived at Sagaponack, in the town of Southampton. It was dated July 16, 1661, and proved at the “Quarter Court,” held in Southampton, September 3, 1661. At that time the town was under the jurisdiction of Connecticut, and the probate was according to the laws of that Colony. It may be found in the second volume of Southampton records.

  • Early Long Island wills of Suffolk county, 1691-1703
    An unabridged copy of the manuscript volume known as “The Lester will book;” being the record of the Prerogative court of the county of Suffolk, New York; with genealogical and historical notes, by William S. Pelletreau.

Suffolk County New York Yearbooks

  • Yearbooks of the Bayport-Blue Point High School, 1945-2011
    The Bayport-Blue Point Public Library has digitized 65 years of yearbooks from the Bayport-Blue Point High School. The books have been scanned and uploaded in full resolution to Long Island Memories. Browse the pages and even download an entire yearbook to your computer. Bayport-Blue Point High School is a high school in Bayport, New York, constructed in 1927 as an elementary school and high school for the Hamlet of Bayport. The high school serves two towns, Bayport and Blue Point, from which it derives its name, but in earlier years it was simply known as the Bayport High School.

Knapp Family Bible

The Knapp Family Bible was given by J. H. Knapp to his grandson, John Henry Knapp of New York. The author of the writing within it is not clear, but it likely is Mehitable (Heatty) Covell Ackerman Knapp, John’s second wife. It takes a little to unscramble this family, but both William Ackerman and John Knapp married Mehitable (Heatty) Covel. William first in 1784. After his death in 1798, Heatty married as her 2nd husband, John Knapp. While the Bible was handed down to John, the inclusion of William Ackerman and her children would presume that she was the…
Read More

THE SALMON RECORDS

The Salmon Records are a mine of genealogical wealth, and was, doubtlessly, used by Moore in his compilation of “Indexes of Southold”, New York. The manuscript appears originally to have consisted of two separate registers, one of deaths, containing a few marriages, and the other of marriages. Download a free PDF of the complete manuscript.
Read More

Suffolk County New York Libraries

Most public libraries now have websites and online catalogs that typically point to the most significant resources about the areas the libraries serve. Some of these libraries may have specific rooms dedicated to genealogical or historical research. Rarely is this material made available via library loan. Most often a researcher must visit the library, contact the library, or hire a local researcher to visit for them. Over the past decade, however, more of these libraries are digitizing their material and placing it online for free public consumption. This is a list of libraries in Suffolk County, New York which presently…

Read More

Suffolk County New York Newspapers

Suffolk County New York libraries, organizations, and societies have placed a considerable number of historical newspaper titles online. This set of Newspapers can be searched and we provide a link below along with each specific title available. Remember, that a search alone in online records like these is not considered a “thorough” search, as they rely on OCR capability and rarely have been edited by a human eye. Expect errors, so if you have an approximate date and cannot find the information, then check the corresponding issues of the local newspaper.
Read More

Flower Genealogy of Jefferson County New York

Colonel George Walton Flower, the subject of the following memoir, was of English descent, his ancestors, known by the name Floier, holding large possessions in Devonshire at the time of the Conquest. One of the ancestors, Captain William Floier, was born near the city of Exeter in 1450 and accompanied the army of King Edward IV in the descent on France in 1490. He married Phillipa Crooke and became later a resident of Willston, Dorsetshire. Of his three sons, William, born 1530, married Elizabeth Kirk.
Read More

East End Cemetery, Amagansett, New York

The East End Cemetery is located on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Route 27, almost directly across the street from Amagansett Fire Department. This cemetery is also known by the name of the Amagansett Cemetery.The first deed referring to Amagansett is dated 1683. By means of that document the Reverend Thomas James sold to Abraham Schlellinger 52 acres of woods by a highway known as Amagansett commonly called Amagansett Way. The name Schlellinger is commonly found on many of the tombstones in this ancient burial ground. The earliest families who settled in Amagansett were the Bakers, the Conklings and…
Read More

Suffolk County New York Genealogy

Suffolk County Genealogy is part of the New York American History and Genealogy Project (AHGP). This website features free genealogy and history concerning Suffolk County New York. Biographies, cemeteries, directories, genealogy, history, military records, newspaper records, and yearbooks.
Read More

Agudath Achim Cemetery, East Setauket, New York

Transcription of the Agudath Achim Cemetery at East Setauket, Suffolk County, New York. The Agudath Achim Cemetery was founded 1892 by Agudat Achim (c1885) and is one of the oldest congregations on Long lsland. Active from 1893-1914 the cemetery was later acquired by Temple Israel of Riverhead, New York.
Read More

Long Island New York – Historic Account Books

The East Hampton Library has placed online a treasure trove of original and unique genealogical data in the form of digitized account books of former residents of Long Island. They have placed these online as part of the Digital Long Island Collection. Most of these account books pertain to East Hampton and the area surrounding it on Long Island.
Read More

Early Long Island Wills of Suffolk County, 1691-1703

This is a list of early wills (1691-1703) occurring in a lost will book for Suffolk County New York – called the “Lester Will Book” after the family who had kept the manuscript in their personal possessions. Our list provides the testators name, date of will, date will was probated, along with the page number which you can use to reference the specific will in a freely available manuscript which contains a full extraction of the Lester Will Book.
Read More

6 thoughts on “Suffolk County New York Genealogy”

  1. Looking for information on ancestors of John Hamilton Rhodes b. 1804 Suffolk Co. N.Y. d.1882
    married Hannah Benjamin 1830.

  2. Looking for info. on Jeremiah King B. 1800 Southold, Suffolk County, NY. D. 1883 Maxville, WI. Would like to know who he was married to and who his parents were.

  3. I have been up against a brick wall for years. My fourth G Grandmother, Phoebe Vail (Vaill) 1796-1848 was suppose to be born to parents Silas Vail and wife Elizabeth Youngs in Suffolk County butI have never been able to find proof. The book A Genealogical History of Some of the Vail Family descended from Jeremiah Vail shows Silas and Elizabeth having two children not four as my family records have shown Is there someone who can help me find the proof I need.
    Sincerely
    Cheryl L. Dieter
    clddbd007@yahoo.com

  4. Is there someplace I can purchase the CE “History of the Town of Southampton”. I would like to know if there is any group I can correspond with on doing searches in Southampton, North Sea etc. My family was original settlers of Southold and migrated to North Sea. I have tons of questions and don’t know where to go for solutions.

    Thanks in advance

    1. Hi, just stumbled on this site. I am a Payne (Paine) . My most recent relative is Permacy Paine who married Benjamin Pierce (Peirce). I haven’t fully researched my Payne family yet. I live in Suffolk County. You should contact Edana at the Suffolk County Historical Society. http://www.suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org They are also on Facebook. Email me and I can provide you with more info.

      1. Hello,
        I am a long time researcher of my Pearce (maybe Perse or Parse) family who show up in Orange Co., NY and Sussex Co., NJ associating with the Shepards, Oldfields, Corys, Conklins, and maybe Willises of Suffolk, esp. around Southold, LI. I am stuck in the early 1700s as to where my Pearces migrated from. I am also researching Abraham Shepard m. Temperance Cory, and David, his father or brother, who married Sarah Bradner. They might have come from Southold, New Haven or so. NJ. Who would be able to tell me if there is any Pearce in Suffolk at this time?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pin It on Pinterest

Scroll to Top