The David A. Howe Public Library holds materials to help you in your search for ancestors from our area. We have not listed all possible sources here, but what follows is a list of the most commonly used resources both at our library and elsewhere in Wellsville and Allegany County.

BOOKS

Local history and reference books do not circulate. The following is a selective list of the most often used books.

GENEALOGY SEARCHES

The library staff will do a search (15 minutes) for a specific, limited request for information. For example if you provide the name, month, date and year of a death, the staff will make a photocopy of the obituary. The library charges $5.00 per requested item.  Please enclose a SASE. For involved genealogical searches, please contact the County Historian.
 

ONLINE CATALOG

Use the online catalog to search by author, title or subject for books, pamphlets, newspapers and a variety of other materials.

Suggested subject searches include:

Use KEYWORD to search for family names.

Click here for links to recommended Allegany County genealogy web sites.

OTHER AREA RESOURCES

Allegany County Historian, Craig Braack,
Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813.  Phone:  585-268-9293.  E-mail:  historian@allegany.com  Records are open to the public.  A partial list of holdings include:  county histories, census records, newspapers on microfilm, centennial books on Allegany County towns, marriage records after 1885, cemetery records and Civil War information.

The Historical Society and Dyke Street Museum
PO Box 1331
118 East Dyke Street
Wellsville, NY 14895
Phone: 585-593-1965 (Mary Rhodes) or 585-593-4515 (Jane Pinney)
open Wednesdays, 1-4, May - October or by appointment
Operated by Thelma Rogers Genealogical & Historical Society
The Historical Society and the Dyke Street Museum have files, books, cemetery records and other information useful to help with searches.  Readers may submit names for searches to the newsletter.

Town and Village of Wellsville Clerks’ Offices.
156 N. Main St., Wellsville, NY 14895.  Phone:  Town 585-593-1780, Village 585-593-1121.  Birth, marriage and death records are available.  Office staff do the searches and charge fees.

MICROFILM

The David A. Howe Public Library has two microfilm readers and one microfilm reader/printer for public use on a first come, first served basis. 

Microfilm holdings include:

Allegany County Census

Local Newspapers

Allegany County Reporter
April 1, 1874 – June 25, 1930.

Allegany County Republican
Aug 15, 1879 – March 25, 1898.

Allegany County Democrat
Jan 4, 1882 – Dec 23, 1885
Jan 2, 1889 – Nov 5, 1890
Nov 12, 1936 – Sep 1, 1938
Jan 5, 1939 – Dec 28, 1939
Jan 3, 1952 – Dec 31, 1953
Jan 7, 1954 – Dec 20, 1956
Jan 2, 1964 – April 29, 1965.

Andover News
1945
1946
1959 – 1971
1973 – 1977.

Angelica Reporter
Aug 16, 1937 – Oct 12, 1870.

Angelica Whip & Advocate
May 6, 1853 – April 24, 1856.

Cuba Patriot
1971 – 1975
Nov 17, 1976 – Dec 21, 1978.

Cuba True Patriot
Jan 5, 1866 – April 20, 1893.

Friendship Chronicle
April 7, 1880 – Aug 31, 1881.

The Friendship Volunteer
July 14, 1960 – Oct 14, 1965.

Friendship Weekly Resister
Jan 20, 1872 – Dec 10, 1885
Jan 7, 1886 – April 20, 1893.

Genesee Valley Free Press
March 7, 1866 – Dec 29, 1873
Jan 22, 1879 – Dec 29, 1880.

Genesee Valley Post
April 13, 1881 – July 7, 1892.

The Patriot
1972 – 1977.

Rushford Spectator
Nov 11, 1880 – Oct 1, 1891
Oct 11, 1894 – 1915
1921
1924
1926 – 1942.

Wellsville Daily Reporter
Nov 1, 1880 – current.

Wellsville Free Press
May 1867 – Dec 28, 1870.

We can also request microfilm from the New York State Library for viewing in the building. Click here to search the New York State Newspaper Project for holdings.