NYGenWeb
Westchester County, NY
Westchester County, NY
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Westchester County, NY |
This page was last updated: Thursday, 05-Apr-2012 09:39:43 MDT
West Farms was a town originally located in Westchester County, until 1873 when it was annexed by New York City. In 1898 it was incorporated into The Bronx County which is one of the five New York City counties/buroughs. When looking for vital records for the town of West Farms, you will need to check both counties, as well as the records located at the NYC Municipal Archives.
Boundaries: "The patent for West Farms was granted to John Richardson and Edward Jessup (on) April 25, 1666. 'Bounded east by the river called by the Indians Aquehung, otherwise Bronks river, westerly by a little brook called by the Indians Sackwrahung, and southward to the Sound at East river, including a certain neck called Quinahung.' Edward Jessup had a daughter Elizabeth, who married Thomas Hunt, and his part came into their possession. The whole was divided in 1669. Thomas Hunt having the part still known as 'Hunt's Point.'"
Source: Early Wills of Westchester County, New York 1664-1784 by William S. Pelletreau, Am. M.; Pub. 1898; page 6, footnote.
Read the following article which explains the change in boundaries and governmental jurisdictions for some older towns of Westchester and the Bronx. Before the Five-Borough City: The Old Cities, Towns and Villages That Came Together to Form "Greater New York" by Harry Macy, Jr., F.A.S.G., F.G.B.S, Originally published in The NYG&B Newsletter, Winter 1998
See also the early records for Eastchester.
Visit the Westchester County Archives.
For more information at a county level, see the NYGenWeb Westchester County Resources page as well as the main site page.
For an index of naturalizations within Westchester county, see the web pages of the Westchester County Archives.
The web page for the New York State Dept. of Health can be found at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/consumer/vr.htm. Also, check out the following web pages: http://www.vitalchek.com/us/ny.html
Records include those for the Town of Westchester, including Morrisania, which are now located in The Bronx County, NY, and the Village of Mount Vernon (before it became a city in its own right).
Membership includes subscriptions to The Bronx County Historical Journal, published semi-annually, and The Bronx Historian Newsletter. There are a variety of membership categories, each having a different fee. Two categories are individual for $20 and Senior Citizen for $15. Write the Society for details of membership categories. The Society also has a large selection of publications for purchase. Ask for their brochure which gives details of available publications and their respective pricings.
Their Library is open to the public, free of charge.
Presbyterian Historical Society, 1908. Journal of Presbyterian history, Volume 4 [Presbyterian Historical Society, 1908] See a copy in PDF format on Google Books.
Records of the Reformed Church of Fordham in the Borough of the Bronx (New York), 1793-1921, transcribed by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society ; edited by Royden Woodward Vosburgh. The church was formerly known as being of West Farms, Westchester County. West Farms is now part of the Borough of the Bronx. — The LDS Family History Library has theese church records relating to Fordham available for use at a Family History Center near where you live.
http://home.att.net/~Local_Catholic -- There are currently 72 RC parishes in the Bronx, 25 in the South Bronx. Site also gives history of some local parishes, NY cemetery information and links to many other related sites.
This cemetery is located at 2103 Bryant Avenue in the Bronx. This cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in the Bronx and serves as a resting place for veterans of the following wars: The War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I. Contact the NYC Parks Department for admission
See the above entry under churches.
The Westchester County Historical Society also has extensive manuscripts giving inventories of many old cemeteries located throughout the County.
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in what is today The Bronx County. Check the "current cemeteries" list on the attached page for their address: cemetery listing.
Carretta, Katherine A., compiler. A Guide to Listings of Old Cemetery Inscriptions and other Genealogical Aids for Westchester County, New York. [Westchester County Historical Society, 1977]
Horton, William P. Cemetery Inscriptions of Westchester County, NY. [Peekskill, NY: 1928] Copy available at New York Public Library's Genealogical & Local History Room.
Jesup, Henry Griswold. Edward Jessup of West Farms, Westchester Co., New York, and his descendants [1887]
Manville, Margaret. Revolutionary War Soldiers buried in Cemeteries in Westchester County, New York. [White Plains, NY: 1966] Copy available at New York Public Library's Genealogical & Local History Room.
New York (N.Y.) Landmarks Preservation Commission. Old West Farms Soldier Cemetery, 2103 Bryant Avenue and 180th Street, Borough of The Bronx [The Commission, 1967]
Spies, Francis F. Inscriptions copied from gravestones in West Chester County yards with genealogical notes. Copy available at New York Public Library's Genealogical & Local History Room.
Spies, Francis F. West Chester, West Farms, Hunt's Point, N.Y.: inscriptions from the graveyards [and] records of St. Peter's Church [F.F. Spies, 1931]
Willis, Oliver Rivington. A biographical sketch of Dr. Alphonso Wood, of West Farms, professor of botany in the College of Pharmacy, New York [Eastern State Journal, 1881]
Wray, Stephen. The old village of West Farms: now in New York City [1942]
The Westchester County Historical Society also has extensive manuscripts giving inventories of many old cemeteries located throughout the County. Also check with the local historical society for information about the above cemeteries.
Have you looked at the cemetery listings here at the Westchester NYGenWeb site?
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection: Map of West Farms, circa 1868
The Map Division of the New York Public Research Library, which is located in Manhattan, has an extensive map collection.
Many town historical societies hold maps of their vicinities, including copies of the Sanborn insurance maps. Insurance maps were detailed to the point of showing each building on each street so that insurance companies knew what to pay the insurer in the event of fire or destruction. Be sure to inquire at such institutions as well as at local libraries.
Also, see additional information on the Maps page at this Westchester site.
The New York Public Library Genealogical and Local History Room of the Research Division is one of the foremost genealogical libraries in the country.
Some census information for Westchester county can be found at the Census page.
The only NY State censuses which survived are for the years 1905, 1915, and 1925. Check at your local LDS Family History Center for these films.
Fuller, Elizabeth Griffen. Index to Westchester County Names in the Federal Censuses, 1790-1840 [Elmsford: Westchester Cty. Historical Society] 1994.
Also see the City Directories page on this Westchester Site.
Fuller, Elizabeth Griffen. Index to Westchester County Names in the Federal Censuses, 1790-1840 [Elmsford: Westchester Cty. Historical Society] 1994.
Jenkins, Stephen. The story of the Bronx from the purchase made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the present day. [G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1912] See a copy of this book in PDF format on Google Books.
Leggett, Theodore Augustus and Abraham Hatfield. Early settlers of West Farms, Westchester County, N.Y. [s.n., 1913] You can view this book in serialized sections as published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, copies of which can be viewed on Google Books at the links below:
Mancini, Anthony. The Miracle of Pelham Bay Park. [New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.] c. 1982.
Myers, John Hays and Frederick C. Haacker. Recollections of Bronxdale & West-Farms, New York city [1951]
Pelletreau, William S., Am. M. Early Wills of Westchester County, New York 1664-1784 Pub. 1898. Cornell University Library has scanned this book and placed it on the web at the following address: http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/MOA/bookp.html
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms which have been annexed to New York City. [Philadelphia: L. E. Preston & Co.] c. 1886. 2 volumes. NOTE: Since republished by the Westchester County Historical Society which has copies for sale. For an index of personal names to this work, see the entry under "Fuller, Elizabeth G." found above.
For other books with information relating to this town but covering a county-wide level, see the County section of the Bibliography page.
The Sixth Heavy Artillery, Company C, enlisted many men from West Farms, some of whom were buried at the Old West Farms' Cemetery. See the military rosters at Westchester in the Military.
Rootsweb.com has Some Message Boards where you can post a query for others to view.
You might also consider joining a Mailing List and correspond with other researchers.
Return to Westchester County's Town Index page.
Return to the main page for Westchester County at NYGenWeb.
Return to the NYGenWeb web site.
Copyright © 1996-2012 Cathy Horn. All rights reserved.
This web site was designed by and has been exclusively maintained since November 1996 by Cathy Horn.