Local History

Dig Into Your Roots  Are you interested in learning more about your family and their history?  The Richmond Memorial Library will be offering a series of classes on how to research your genealogy.  Classes will be held on Wednesday afternoons  at 2 PM.  Dates are July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31 and August 7, 2013.
This series of classes will look at how to begin searching for your ancestors and how to record and organize the information that you find.  Many sources are available to aid you in your search.  Learn how to obtain vital records, obituaries, cemetery records and track your family members through the generations.  Many sources are available online.  Other materials are available for loan to you from institutions including the New York State Library and Family Search.  Use a computer to check indexed census records from the 1800s and early 1900s to search for a listing of your ancestors.  Search passenger and immigration lists to see when your ancestor arrived on U.S. shores.  There are military records available and online newspapers to help in your search.  Check the Social Security Death Index for recent deaths. 
Join us at the Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross Street, Batavia and discover ways to research and compile a family genealogy.  Contact the library at 585-343-9550 to register.

Genealogy By Appointment is held on Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 4 PM. Staff will be available to work with you one on one to help with your genealogical research and assist you in use of the library's resources. Contact the library to register for an appointment.
You are welcome to use the Local History/Genealogy collection whenever the libary is open. Reference librarians are always available to help. It is not necessary to schedule an appointment.

The Richmond Memorial Library has Affiliate Library designation with FamilySearch. Library patrons now have greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch.

FamilySearch is the world’s largest repository of genealogical records and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land, and court records of genealogical significance from over 130 countries.

Microfilm and microfiche can be ordered and sent to Richmond Memorial Library for your use.  Images can be printed, emailed, or saved to a flash drive for future reference. The library staff can help patrons see what films are available, show you how to place film orders, and answer research questions.  Patrons can also search the Family History Library Catalog online at FamilySearch.org to see what records FamilySearch has available to order.

Genesee County is located in the heart of western New York. Nicknamed the "Mother of Counties", it originally encompassed an area stretching from Lake Ontario on the north to the Pennsylvania state line in the south and from the Genesee River in the east to Lake Erie on the west. The local history collection places its primary emphasis on the area that is located within the current boundaries of Genesee County, New York. Limited information is available for other areas.

The local genealogy group, the Genesee Area Genealogists, holds monthly meetings open to all those interested in genealogical research.

Additional information on Genesee County history and genealogy can be found on the Internet.

Do you have a question for one of our librarians?     Let us know

HeritageQuest offers over

• 28,000 family and local histories
• 1790 through 1930 federal census listings
• PERSI (the Periodical Source Index)
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files
• Freedman's Bank Records

HeritageQuest is available from home with a borrower's card from Richmond Memorial Library. In library usage is available to all. Questions about HeritageQuest?     Let us know

Richmond Memorial Library provides access to Ancestry within the library.