CHEMUNG COUNTY, NY HISTORY AND LOOKUP
County History Books
A Brief History of Chemung County, New York by Ausburn Towner, (1907) – 118 Pages
Source: Internet Archive
Book ID: CH.2024.09.16.1137.CD.AR
Chemung County, Its History by Elmira, N.Y. : Chemung Co. Historical Society (1961) – 124 Pages
Source: Internet Archive
Book ID: CH.2025.09.23.2156.AR
Our County and Its People: A History of the Valley and County of Chemung, From the Closing Years of the Eighteenth Century by Ausburn Towner (1892) – 950 Pages
Source: Internet Archive
Book ID: CH.2025.09.23.2200.AR
History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler Counties, New York by H. B. Peirce, D. Hamilton Hurd (1879) – 1110 Pages
Source: Internet Archive
Book ID: CH.2025.09.18.1936.AR
Chemung County, New York: A Genealogical Overview
Located in the Southern Tier along the Pennsylvania border, Chemung County is centered on the Chemung River valley and the city of Elmira. Its history is marked by its importance as a Haudenosaunee crossroads, a key site in the Revolutionary War’s Sullivan-Clinton Campaign, its role as a major canal and railroad hub, and its connection to author Mark Twain. Genealogical research often involves tracing ancestors who passed through or settled in this vital transportation corridor.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Chemung County was created from a larger neighboring county to better serve a growing population.
- 1836: County Formed: Chemung County was established on March 29, 1836.
- Parent Entity: It was formed from Tioga County.
- Subsequent Formations: A small portion of its territory was used to form Schuyler County in 1854.
- Name Origin: Named for the Chemung River. The name is derived from a Lenape (Delaware) word meaning “big horn,” possibly referring to a large mammoth tusk found in the river.
- County Seat History: Elmira has been the county seat since the county’s formation.
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: The area was a significant center for the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and served as a major crossroads of trails.
- American Revolution: The Battle of Newtown (near present-day Elmira) in 1779 was the largest and most significant engagement of the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign against the Iroquois.
- Pioneer Settlement: After the Revolution, the area was settled by pioneers from Pennsylvania and New England, drawn to the fertile river flats.
- Key Historical Events:
- Transportation Hub: The opening of the Chemung Canal in 1833, connecting the Chemung River to Seneca Lake, and later the arrival of the Erie Railroad, established Elmira as a critical transportation and commercial center.
- Civil War: Elmira was the site of a major Civil War training and recruitment depot and later, a notorious Confederate prisoner-of-war camp, where nearly 3,000 soldiers died.
- Mark Twain: Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) married an Elmira native, Olivia Langdon, and spent over twenty summers at Quarry Farm, where he wrote many of his most famous works. He is buried in Elmira’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
- County Courthouse: The Chemung County Clerk’s Office is located in Elmira, NY.
- Vital Records:
- Birth, Marriage, and Death Records: Statewide registration began in 1880. Elmira city records may predate this.
- Essential Records and Archives:
- Chemung County Historical Society: Located in Elmira, it is the premier institution for local history and genealogy, with a museum, research library, and archives.
- Elmira College Archives: Holds records related to the college and Mark Twain.
- Libraries and Societies:
- Steele Memorial Library: The central library of the Chemung County Library District, with a genealogy department.
- Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery: An important resource for information on burials in this historic cemetery.
- Bordering Jurisdictions:
- Schuyler County (north)
- Tompkins County (northeast)
- Tioga County (east)
- Steuben County (west)
- Bradford County, Pennsylvania (south)
- Tioga County, Pennsylvania (south)