Research
Among the rolling hills of upstate New York, called drumlins, lies a quiet community of country farms and modern industry dispersed within sprawling towns, historic villages and hamlets from yesteryear.
It is here in Wayne County, with over 1200 historic markers and sites, that we begin to tell the story of the people and places that have developed for over 200 years.
Wayne County's vast history started with early native inhabitants, known as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, who lived in the area hunting and foraging alongside pre-colonial visitors. Next were the European settlers, colonists, statesmen and their families who inhabited the land. The county was established formally in 1823 and soon there were economic improvements such as the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad. More social influences of change came throughout the 19th century. Many men and women joined the military to defend a new and growing nation while others made productive contributions throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
The Wayne County Historical Society owns hundreds of artifacts and historic books that we are open to sharing with those interested in further research. Members in good standing are offered one hour of free research assistance in our Research Library with assistance from our staff. Non-members can also request research time and are asked for a donation to compensate us for our time.
ALL RESEARCHEERS Please fill out this short Research Request Form (a Google Doc Form also shown below) and we will get back to you with some of our findings and possibly to schedule a time for follow up. Also see Resources below the form for more options.
Please consider a donation to the Wayne County Historical Society
to support your Research Request.
Other Resources for Research
Historic Sites
The Historic Sites database www.WayneHistorians.org has over 1254 historic sites in the database listed in various categories. Those categories can be broken down into sub-categories. This database is managed and added to by local town historians around Wayne County.
Wayne County Historian
Each municipality (county, city, town, and village) in NY is required to have an historian. Wayne County's Office of the Historian is staffed by a director and clerk. They house county genealogical records, historic deeds, and other documents that are also available for research inquiry. Please contact them directly for hours and options.
Researching Your Civil War Ancestors - Getting Started
Basic Questions:
Who in your family tree could have served in the Civil War?
What Regiment could he have served in?
Where was he living prior to his service?
When would he have enlisted?
Why did he enlist or was he drafted?
How would you describe his service experience?
General Sources:
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Library of Congress Digital Collections related to Civil War Regiments- Digital Resources - Civil War Regimental Histories: A Guide to Finding Unit Information - Research Guides at Library of Congress (loc.gov) - FREE
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National Archives (NARA) - Military Resources: Civil War | National Archives; Civil War Records: Basic Research Sources | National Archives. Compiled military records and pensions available. Fee.
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National Parks Service – Soldiers and Sailors Database - Soldiers and Sailors Database - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) - FREE
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Civil War Research Database - American Civil War Research Database (civilwardata.com) – Annual Fee $25
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U.S. Army Heritage Center, Carlisle, PA - The Civil War Sesquicentennial - Archival Material - Civil War Commemoration - U.S. Army Center of Military History
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Ancestry.com and Fold3.com – both subscription sites. Many local public libraries have access to Ancestry.com. Fold3 has a main focus on military records in the National Archives.
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Familysearch.org – Family trees; not necessarily Civil War references. FREE
New York Resources:
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NY Military Museum - US Civil War, 1861 - 1865 :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center (ny.gov) https//museum.dmna.ny.gov
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New York State Library - Selected Civil War Resources: Military History: Research Library: NYS Library (nysed.gov); www.nysl.nysed.gov/reference/military/cwresources.htm.
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New York State Archives - Military Records | New York State Archives (nysed.gov); www.archives.nysed.gov/research/military-records.
Wayne County Resources:
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Military History of Wayne County, New York, Lewis H. Clark, 1883 – Available online at several sites – Cornell University, Making of America Collection - Cornell University Library Making of America Collection; Internet Archive - Military history of Wayne County, N.Y. : the County in the Civil War : Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive; Google Books - Military History of Wayne County, N.Y.: The County in the Civil War - Lewis H. Clark - Google Books
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History of Wayne County, New York, Professor McIntosh, 1876 - Each town has a list of soldiers who served in the Civil War. A copy of this can be accessed at with membership at Wayne County Museum of History.
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9th NY Heavy Artillery, Alfred E. Roe, 1899. Available on Internet Archive - Full text of "The Ninth New York heavy artillery. A history of its organization, services in the defenses of Washington, marches, camps, battles, and muster-out ... and a complete roster of the regiment" (archive.org)
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Wayne County Historian’s Office - Historian | Wayne County, NY (https://web.co.wayne.ny.us/398/Historian) – Surname files, diaries, letters, census records, etc.