Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

WALTON and DELAWARE COUNTY RESEARCH TIPS

by Melissa Harrison, March 22, 2006

Walton Library: As many advised, I did contact Annie Sulgar at the William B. Ogden Free Library (607-865-5929) in advance and she did have a couple of obituaries waiting for me when I arrived. That was good because the microfilm is very hard to read. It is a negative image - white type on black, so very slow to go through. There is an index for all types of references through 1897 and a listing of all deaths from 1900 onward. Early newspaper listings (prior to about 1890) are very brief - one liners only, so the entire content is reproduced in the index reducing the need to review the actual microfilm. Also, the room with the reader is very cold - even wearing my coat I was still shivering. Note: The library is open 2:00 - 8:00 PM Monday - Thursday and 10:00 - 4:00 Friday/Sat.

Cemeteries: Annie also took us out to the Johnson Hill Cemetery, which was not that hard to get to but would be pretty difficult during the summer when the brush is grown. I took pictures of most of the graves there if anyone is interested.

Walton Historical Society: I met Larry Miller (607-865-3186, evenings; whs@waltonhistoricalsociety.org ) who gave me a tour of the building which they are renovating; however, the materials they have are in boxes and not yet inventoried. So there's no way to really go through it at this time. I need to follow up in a year or 2 to see where they are in the process.

Delaware Historical Society (Delhi)( dcha@delhi.net): They do have records for Christ Church Parish (Episcopalian) and the First Congregational Church in Walton; however, they are only open Mondays and Tuesdays so I was not able to go. They will do paid research so I may look into that option.

Walton Town Clerk: Rhonda Williams (phone: 607-865-5766; fax: 607-865-9314; waltonclerk@stny.rr.com) will review the index for marriages, births, and deaths and, if a record is found, type a genealogical certificate for $22. The Town Clerk's office has records for events happening outside the village, but in the township, from the early 1880s onward. For events occurring within the village of Walton, we need to contact the Village Clerk.

Delaware County Records (Delhi)(Shirley Houck, 607-746-2123): They have the land records, along with state and federal census, civil war records, Poor House deaths, land patents, school records (the only individual info is a listing of parents), maps, and some misc. stuff. Note: They will not allow digital cameras and will not make copies of many of the records so be prepared to copy by hand. This is the first county records office that would not allow me to take digital pictures. They had no explanation - that's just their policy. Copies of deeds are $.50 page. Since they have no records that the Family History Library does not have on microfilm, you may be better off ordering from them, since you can make copies from the film at lower cost, photograph the reader, or download copies to a flash drive or CD for free. The Family History Library charges $5.90 to rent a film.

Delaware County Surrogates Court (Delhi)( Delaware County Courthouse, 3 Court Street, Delhi, NY, 13753; phone: 607-746-2126; fax: 607-746-3253; Open 9:00 - 12:00 and 1:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday): Located in the same building as the County Records. They have all the wills scanned, but the system is very difficult to use. But they have all the originals downstairs and you are able to look the wills up in an index book, locate the box downstairs and view the original papers. You can take digital pictures or have copies made at $.50/page. If you want to get copies remotely, just send or fax them a letter with the info, they will send you the copies with a note indicating the cost and then you send a check. Allow 2-3 weeks to recieve your copies. The Family History Library has the index on microfilm. I believe the files that went to probate are located on the DCNYhistory.org web site, but the intestate files are not, and they can be just as interesting.