The Herkimer County Historical Society’s Library is located in our Eckler Building, 406 N. Main St., Herkimer, and open during our Open Hours of Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., year round, and on Saturday’s in the summer during the months of July and August, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
DAY USE FEE: To use the library, we ask for a $5.00 donation to help support our facilities. On-staff volunteers and employees are always available to assist you with your research. There is no fee charged to members of the Society. We do have free Wi-Fi available.
RESEARCH REQUESTS: We will do genealogy research for you for a $30.00 donation using the resources that are listed below. Research inquiries should be mailed with your check to Herkimer County Historical Society, 400 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY 13350 or emailed to us at herkimerhistory@yahoo.com. A benefit to membership is free research services by Society staff.
For brief research inquiries on local history, we do not charge a fee. Please email them to us.
Below is a listing of our resources.
~ Access to ancestry.com online
~ Census: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1825, 1830, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1880
Census for the above and later (1892 and up to 1940) are available through ancestry.com
~ Directories:
Herkimer County: 1869-90, 1888-89
Little Falls, Herkimer, Mohawk and Ilion:1886-1887
Herkimer, Mohawk, Ilion & Frankfort:
1893, 1902, 1904, 1907-8,1909-10, 1913, 1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1936, 1938, 1940-41, 1942,1945, 1947
1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960-62, 1964, 1965,1968, 1970-72, 1974-79, 1983-85, 1987-88, 1990-1991
Herkimer: 1992-93, 1995
Little Falls & Dolgeville: 1918, 1928, 1936, 1947, 1949, 1951,1953, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995
~ Cemetery files: Up to the year 1930 – these are based on the transcription of cemetery stones for every cemetery in Herkimer County – project done in the 1970s
~ Newspaper marriages & obituaries: 1800’s from a variety of newspapers and Evening Telegram 1900-1920 and Herkimer/Ilion Citizen – 1867-1921
We have an index to obituaries in the Evening Telegram 1923-1944 – the Frank J. Basloe Library has them on mi
~ Township & Village Publications: except Columbia, Danube, Stark, Warren & Webb
~ Family Genealogies
~ History books: Local, Native American, Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Adirondacks and biographies.
~ Herkimer County listing of men in various wars (incomplete)
~ Vertical files: Local history, industry, transportation, historic homes, churches, schools etc.
~ Gazetteers:1860 & 1875
~ Herkimer County Atlases: 1868 & 1906 There is a wall map dated 1857 in the Library.
~ Abstract of Wills: Will Index from 1790’s-1900
Please note: The Society does not have New York State birth, marriage or death records or certificates. New York State did not mandate that they be kept until after 1880. You can write to the Town or Village Clerk where that event occurred or to Albany. For further information please check the NYS Dept. of Health web site at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/holding/fact/vital.htm