Welcome to Orleans County, New York
History and Genealogy Site

~ Brief History ~

A brief history of the establishment of Orleans County, New York.

ALL DATA ON THIS SITE IS FREE TO VIEW.
[though we regret that we do not have time to perform personal research]
 

Orleans County is located in western New York State, between Buffalo and Rochester, on the shores of Lake Ontario. The county seat is Albion. 

In 1683, when counties were established in New York State, the area presently known as Orleans County was part of Albany County. This extremely large county included northern New York, Vermont and extended westward to the Pacific Ocean. On July 3, 1766 Albany was condensed in size by the creation of Cumberland County, then again on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County. Both counties contained territory in Vermont. 

Albany County was divided again on March 12, 1772 into three counties: Albany, Tryon, and Charlotte. Tryon County contained the western portion, still extending to the Pacific Ocean. In 1784, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County in order to honor Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War hero. In 1789, Ontario County was formed from part of Montgomery. In 1802, Genesee County was formed from Ontario County. In 1806, Allegany County was formed from Genesee County. In 1808, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties were created from Genesee County. In 1821, Genesee County was reduced in size again with the creation of Livingston and Monroe Counties. Finally, in 1824, Orleans County was created from what was left of Genesee County. 

When Orleans County was formed, a naming dispute arose.  Would it be named after Andrew Jackson or John Adams?  It would be neither. Orleans County was named in honor of the French Royal House of Orleans. 

As of 2000 census, the population was 44,171. The county has a total area of 817 square miles. 391 of it is land and 426 (52.12%) of it is water. The large area of water is due to the extension of Orleans County north into Lake Ontario to the Canadian border (running through the middle of the Lake Ontario). The Erie Canal runs through the county.

Return to Orleans County | Return to N.Y. State | Return to Genealogy Trails Main Page
 

Genealogy Trails Logo©2006 Melissa Allen Rodriguez

Proudly Affiliated with the Genealogy Trails History Group

This website and its contents in the format presented, except where otherwise noted on the page, are copyrighted by Melissa Allen Rodriguez and may not be copied, altered, converted nor uploaded to any electronic system or BBS, nor linked from any "pay-for-view" site, linked in such a manner as to appear to be part of another site including "frame" capturing, nor included in any software collection or print collection of any type without the express written permission of the author of this site.

Information is furnished for the free use of researchers who are interested for the purpose of researching their family histories and genealogies. However, copying & pasting the information presented here onto another website is prohibited! This website is considered to be a compilation of facts, and is therefore covered under current copyright laws.

While every effort has been made to provide accurate information, there is no warranty of any kind regarding the accuracy of any information found on this or any other genealogy website presented by this author. It is the responsibility of the interested party to research and document the information located on this or any other website. Links to other sites should be considered referrals only and should not necessarily be taken as endorsements.