The White Plains Collection contains useful materials for genealogical research in Westchester County. These include census records, genealogical periodicals, published records, narrative histories, and indexes. The Library also has a subscription to Ancestry.com where digital versions of the Federal Census and other useful genealogical materials like immigration, military, and vital records can be found. If we are unable to meet your research needs, the Librarian for White Plains History can work with you on determining which institutions hold the records you are seeking.
If you would like assistance locating an obituary or other genealogical information, please contact librarian@whiteplainslibrary.org. We will do our best to fulfill your request.
Materials Especially Useful for Genealogy Research
Biographical History of Westchester County, New York. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1899. (920 B)
Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books. Washington, D.C. : [The Society], 1896-1921 ; Harrisburg, Pa. : Harrisburg Pub. Co. (Contact for availability of a specific volume)
Davis, Norman. Westchester Patriarchs: A Genealogical Dictionary of Westchester County, New York, Families prior to 1755. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1988. (929.3D)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. For Better or Worse: Westchester County Marriage Notices in the Eastern State Journal, May 1845 – April 1875. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (929.3 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Index of Personal Names in J. Thomas Scharf's History of Westchester County, New York. Mamaroneck, NY: Harbor Hill Books, 1988. (974.727 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Indexes to Westchester County Names in the Federal Censuses, 1790-1840. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (317.4727 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Lives Well Spent: Westchester County Obituaries and Death Notices in the Eastern State Journal, May 1845 – April 1875. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (929.3 F)
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. (Contact for availability of specific volume)
Renino, Marjorie Chamberlain Herrmann. The Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester County. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 2003. (929.1 R)
Westchester County Census Records on Microfilm
The United States Federal Census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. Copies of census rolls for Westchester County are available on microfilm for the years 1790 through 1930 at the White Plains Public Library. Because of confidentiality, census forms are not available to the public for 72 years after their creation.
Two websites helpful in understanding how to use census information for genealogy research are the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Census microfilm should be requested at the Periodicals Desk. In most cases, where multiple rolls cover Westchester County, towns included on individual rolls are listed on the side of microfilm boxes.
Census Indexes:
Name indexes for Westchester County for census years 1790 – 1840 can be found in:
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Indexes to Westchester County Names in the Federal Censuses, 1790-1840. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (317.4727 F)
An index to the 1890 and 1910 census is available on microfilm (see below under microfilm holdings).
Microfilm Holdings:
First Census of the United States, 1790
M637 Roll 6 (New York)
Note: M637 reproduces original census schedules for 1790 (handwritten).
First Census of the United States, 1790
T498 Roll 2 (New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania)
Note: T498 are printed schedules as published by the Bureau of the Census in 1907 to 1908.
Second Census of the United States, 1800
M32 Roll 27 (Saratoga, Suffolk and Westchester Counties)
In addition, the 1800 census is published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society's Record, v. 57, no. 1 – v. 59, no. 1, January 1926 – January 1928. (929.1 N in the Reference Collection)
Third Census of the United States, 1810
M252 Roll 37 (Schenectady, Steuben, Tioga, Ulster and Westchester Counties)
Fourth Census of the United States, 1820
M33 Roll 75 (Lewis, Seneca and Westchester Counties)
Fifth Census of the United States, 1830
M19 Roll 112 (Westchester and Kings Counties)
Sixth Census of the United States, 1840
M704 Rolls 352 and 353 (Westchester County)
Seventh Census of the United States, 1850
M432 Rolls 614 and 615 (Westchester County)
Eighth Census of the United States, 1860
M653 Rolls 878, 879, 880, 881 and 882 (Westchester County)
Ninth Census of the United States, 1870
M593 Rolls 1114, 1115, 1116, 1117 and 1118 (Westchester County)
Tenth Census of the United States, 1880
T9 Rolls 945, 946 and 947 (Westchester County)
Index to the Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890
M496 Rolls 1 (A-J) and 2 (K-Z)
Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890
M407 Roll 3 (Eastchester in Westchester County)
Note: Most of the 1890 population schedules were badly damaged by fire in 1921.
Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War
M123 Roll 48 (Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester Counties)
Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900
T623 Rolls 1174, 1175, 1176, 1177 and 1178 (Westchester County)
Twelfth Census of the United States Enumeration District Descriptions, 1900
T1210 Rolls 6 and 7
Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910
T624 Rolls 1088, 1089, 1090, 1091, 1092 and 1093 (Westchester County)
New York Index to the Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910
T1224 Roll 35 (New York)
Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920
T625 Rolls 1275, 1276, 1277, 1278, 1279, 1280 and 1281
Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930
T626 Rolls 1658, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1667, 1668, 1669 (Westchester County)
Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts of the Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930 (Arizona through Virginia)
M1931 Rolls 4, 5
Biography Index / Scrapbooks
Biography Scrapbooks consisting of newspaper clippings about individuals were created by past librarians. There are scrapbooks for White Plains and Westchester County, covering most of the 20th century. All the scrapbooks have been indexed. Contact the Librarian for White Plains History to access the Biography Scrapbooks and index.
