Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Cortland County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Other records
Court records
- Minutes/Records of the County Court, 1856-present · court-record survey1856-present (as described by source; confirm cutoff)
- Minutes/Records of the Court of General Sessions, 1832-1895 · court-record survey1832-1895
- Minutes/Records of the Supreme Court, 1856-present · court-record survey1856-present (as described by source; confirm cutoff)
- Minutes/Records of the Oyer and Terminer Courts, 1833-1895 · court-record survey1833-1895
- Minutes/Records of the Court of Common Pleas, 1808-1840 · court-record survey1808-1840
Naturalization records
Newspapers and directories
- Cortland County sentinel. · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1896–1900 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard and Cortland daily journal. · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1892–1893 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard and Homer Republican (Cortland, N.Y. : Daily) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1919–1921 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard and weekly journal. · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1892–1893 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard (Cortland, N.Y. : 1877) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1892–1892 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard (Cortland, N.Y. : 1892) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1892–1892 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard (Cortland, N.Y. : 1893) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1893–1919 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard (Cortland, N.Y. : 1921) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1921–1921 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland standard (Cortland, N.Y. : Semiweekly) · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1893–1903 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- The Village museum. · Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1820–1820 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- Cortland repository. · Homer · NYSL newspaper microfilm1821–1825 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- The 7 valley villager. · Marathon · NYSL newspaper microfilm1961–1969 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- The Marathon independent. · Marathon · NYSL newspaper microfilm1870–1888 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- The McGrawville sentinel. · McGraw · NYSL newspaper microfilm1885–1887 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
- So. Cortland luminary and Reformed Methodist intelligencer. · South Cortland · NYSL newspaper microfilm1837–1839 · scattered issues; consult exact holdings
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected sources are linked on individual entries. NYSL newspaper dates summarize service-copy microfilm holdings, not a continuous run or the newspaper’s entire publication life; follow the link for exact issues and gaps. Court surveys describe county holdings and may require advance arrangements. Historical NYG&B microfilm listings refer to a collection transferred to NYPL; confirm current availability there. These sources do not promise online images or complete county coverage.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Cortland County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk, the surrogate's court and the town or city clerk, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk
Deeds and other land records, naturalizations and court records.
- The surrogate's court
Wills, estates and guardianships.
- The town or city clerk
Births, marriages and deaths registered locally (New York City has its own vital records).
- The New York State Archives
In Albany: state records, including the state censuses, and the statewide indexes to births, marriages and deaths outside New York City.
- New York State Archivesfree
The state archives in Albany: state censuses, court and military records, and genealogical guides.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "New York, Cortland" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Onondaga County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Onondaga County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1808, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
New York took state censuses in years ending in 5 from 1825 to 1875, and in 1892, 1905, 1915 and 1925. Many survive at the county clerk's office and fill gaps between federal censuses.