Local History

Please bear with us as our physical materials are being reorganized!
If you wish to see a particular physical resource from our catalog, please contact us prior to visiting the library at 585-343-9550 x3 to allow enough time to locate the resource. 

The Local History/Genealogy Collection includes print and online resources for Genesee Valley Region.   

The purpose of the Local History Collection at the Richmond Memorial Library is to serve as a vital resource for research and education by maintaining a comprehensive collection of local history materials, promoting community understanding and engagement with the past. Our goal is to provide open access to a well-organized and balanced collection that documents Genesee County’s history and people, with a particular focus on Batavia.

The emphasis of this collection will be to maintain, preserve, and classify materials that contribute to the knowledge of the social, civic, religious, economic and cultural life, both past and present, of Batavia, New York and Genesee County. Materials to be held will include books, yearbooks, pamphlets, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, genealogical reference works, bibliographies, directories and guides which include  holdings of materials in other manuscript or archival collections, Batavia based publications, published works of local authors, city directories, records of local businesses, schools, photos, prints, current and historic maps, churches, sporting bodies and information in a variety of formats to support research. Materials will emphasize individuals, groups and organizations whose activities have principally been in Genesee County.

RML Selected Genealogy Bibliography

  Local History/Genealogy Consulations are available by appointment.  Email btvgenealogy@nioga.org  or contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 to schedule an appointment. 

FamilySearch -- The library has Affiliate Library designation, giving patrons greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch.  It's 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.

HeritageQuest is a comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids.  The database provides genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries, with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s.

The  National Archives is an independent federal agency of the executive branch of our government that is responsible for the preservation of government and historical  records. The database is available in the Library and remotely..

Batavia Daily News Subject Index - this indexing was done by Ruth McEvoy, former historian for the city of Batavia, and covers the period from 1880 through the 1990s.

Local News Index -  listings from early newspapers, cemetery records, military records, and other miscellaneous records for Genesee County, NY. The index is not complete. Copies of the newspapers are available at the library.

Daily Morning News (full text) - 1878-1879, published in Batavia, NY. Issues may be missing.

Batavia Daily News (full text) - 1880-1909. Published in Batavia, NY  Issues may be missing.

Daily News (full text) - 1882-1923, 1965.  Published in Batavia, NY.  Issues may be missing.

People's Press - 1825-1826 index to The People's Press newspaper, published in Batavia, NY.

Spirit of the Times - 1830-1845 index to The Spirit of the Times newspaper, published in Batavia, NY.

Palmyra Freeman (full text) - A weekly newspaper published in Palmyra, NY from 1828-1829:

3_Feb_1829, 21 Apr 1829, 12_May_1829, 9_Jun_1829, 16_Jun_1829, 30_Jun_1829, 7_Jul_1829, 14_Jul_1829, 18_Aug_1829, 25_Aug_1829, 1_Sep_1829, 22_Sep_1829, 27_Oct_1829, 29_Oct_1829, 10_Nov_1829, 24_Nov_1829, 1_Dec_1829, 15_Dec_1829, 22_Dec_1829
Also available at the library are issues for: 14 Apr 1829, 28 Apr 1829, 5 May 1829, 21 Jul 1829, 28 Jul 1829, 11 Aug 1829, 15 Sep 1829, 29 Sep 1829, 13 Oct 1829, 3 Nov 1829, 17 Nov 1829, 8 Dec 1829, 22 Dec 1829.

Old Fulton New York Postcards Support Forum  - Contains over 34,000,000 indexed New York State historical newspaper pages.  Coverage includes Genesee County, Central and Western New York. 

Genesee County Newspapers available on microfilm:

• The Batavia Daily News, 1878- present
• Republican Advocate, 1822-1876
• Progressive Batavian, 1868-1895
• Spirit of the Times, 1825-1901
• Batavian, 1895-1897
• Genesee County Herald, 1857-1861
• Morning Call, 1881-1882

New York State Library Newspaper Collections

Heritage Hub   Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

Castle Gardens, NY, NY:

Between 1790 and 1820, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people freely immigrated to the United States each year. They traveled on sailing ships that were often dangerously overcrowded and without adequate provision for passengers’ health and comfort. Starting in 1820, to ensure safer traveling conditions, ship captains had to provide passenger lists to U.S. customs officials.  In the 1850s, New York City and state officials pooled their efforts to create a more protective landing experience. Their solution was the country’s first immigration station: the Emigrant Landing Depot at Castle Gardens:

Castle Gardens Immigration Records

Ellis Island, located in New York City, did not open its doors until 1892.  The following sites will offer name, age, date of entry into to the United States, and last residence for thos processed through Ellis Isand:

Ellis Island Foundation: Passenger Lists

Ellis Island Foundation:  Ship Listing

National Archives:  - National Archives Passenger Arrival Records Online  - Includes New York arrival of Irish Famine immigrants, Germans to America passenger data file, Italians to America, and more:

 Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild - More than 14,000 passenger manifests from ports around the country.

Immigrant Ancestors Project - Sponsored by the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University, uses emigration registers to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries.

New York State Health Department Genealogical Research Death Index, 1957-1963

Vital Records - Addresses, prices, and availability of birth, marriage, and death records in the 50 states.

Batavia Cemetery (external link to Find a Grave)

Byron Cemetery (PDF) Established in 1856-on Route 262 and Swamp Road, Byron, Genesee County, New York.

St. Joseph Cemetery (PDF) Batavia, NY

LeRoy Obituaries

Other online resources:
Find a Grave 
Billion Graves 
Veteran's Affairs Gravesite Locator - search for the burial location of veterans (all those with a veteran's marker on their grave, not only those in military cemeteries).

Diary of Dean Richmond Jr. (in whose memory the library was founded)

• Batavia High School Yearbooks (full text)

  1913    1915    1916    1918    1920    1922    1923    1924    1925    1926    1927    1928 1929    1930    1931 1932

  1933    1934    1935    1936    1937    1938    1939    1940 1941 1942    1943    1944    1945    1946 1947    1948

  1949    1950    1951    1952 1953    1954    1955 1957  1958   1959   1960   1961   1962   1963  1964  1965

Located in the heart of Western New York, Genesee County, named from the Seneca word meaning “Beautiful Valley", was created in 1802 to meet the needs of a growing population. The original boundaries extended from Lake Ontario to the north, the Genesee River to the east, south to the Pennsylvania state line and to Lake Erie in the west. 

Genesee County History Department

Genesee County Home/ Poorhouse History and Resources (Genesee Co. History Department)

The Holland Land Office Museum  The Holland Land Office Museum's mission is to preserve the past of Genesee County, western New York, and The Holland Land Company for present and future generations. 

NY State Archives Digital Collections  

New York Heritage Digital Collections  - Discover photographs, letters, diaries, maps, directories, artifacts, oral histories and more that present a glimpse into the history and culture of what is today New York State. 

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record is a quarterly journal dedicated to the scholarly preservation of materials related to New York State families. It is also the second-oldest continuously published genealogical journal in the English language, with more than 600 issues published over the last 150 years.

As we digitize our collection, please contact the Reference Desk at (585) 343-9550 x3 or email btvgenealogy@nioga.org for assistance .

Library of Congress Digital Collections 
Smithsonian Library Digital Collections 
National Park Service Digital Collections - Includes the National Register of Historic Places
NPS Soldiers and Sailors Database- The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.