Genealogy

The Library has a collection of local history and genealogy materials for use in the Library.  Included are several town and county histories, local cemetery records and Cuba Central School yearbooks.  We have copies of the Cuba Patriot on microfilm from the late 1800s.

Sites you may wish to visit include:

Ancestry.com
A subscription service that allows users to start with what they know and make connections using site records. The service will search their records for you and offer possible connections. Lists over 274 million names in 1,728 databases, including Social Security, military, and immigration records. Contains both free and subscription-based sources.

Ellis Island Records
Search for your relative’s arrival in a database of over 51+ million passenger records.

Find a Grave
Find the graves of ancestors and thousands of famous people from around the world.  Create virtual memorials, add ‘virtual flowers’ and a note to a loved one’s grave, etc.

Fulton Historical Newspapers
Here you will find archives for historical newspapers from throughout the US and Canada. The Cuba Patriot is available here from the first issue to 2009 at this link : Cuba Patriot. The site does require that you create an account, but it is free to do so. Be aware that if you start on the main page the website comes up as “Postcards” but if you click on the 2nd link option to browse the archives, the first link in the top left is the Historic Newspapers.

NYS Historic Newspapers

The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York’s unique history. Digitized historic newspapers can be browsed by county or by title, and are fully searchable. The website uses the same software as the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America Project. This is created and administered by the Northern New York Library Network in partnership with the Empire State Library Network. Cuba, NY newspapers available on the site include the Amateur Courier (1877 – 1878), Cuba Daily News (1880 – 1881), Cuba Evening Review (Aug 1881 – 1882), Cuba True Patriot (1862-1872), Cuba Patriot 1875-1908, Cuba Patriot Free Press 1909-1914, Cuba Patriot Free Press 1920-1962, Cuba Patriot 1914-1920.

Family Search 
This site contains a large and freely searchable archive.  Among the data are: the Social Secruity Death Index (SSDI), U.S. Federal Census for 1880 or the 1881 census for both the British Isles and Canada, a vital records index containing birth, marriage and death records from around the world.  A very helpful site and free to all visitors.

The National Archives and Records Administration  
The National Archives and Records Administration web site contains a tremendous amount of information on everything from genealogy to White House tape recordings, Presidential Libraries to the Declaration of Independence.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself coming back to this site on a regular basis – it’s full of useful information for all levels of research.

USGenWeb Project
A group of volunteers working together to provide Web sites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.  The Project is non commercial and fully committed to free access of genealogy information for everyone.  Organization of the site is by county and state, providing links to all the state Web sites which, in turn, provide gateways to the county.  USGenWeb also sponsors important Special Projects at the national level.

The Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
A group of volunteers focused on transcribing passenger arrival records and publishing their work online so that immigrant arrivals can be more easily found online. Access to this site is free and all researchers are welcome to share transcriptions they may have already completed. The site currently has free access to more than 7,000 individual passenger manifests and this number continues to grow.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies
An umbrella organization whose membership is made up of the hundreds of genealogical and historical societies in the United States, as well as some international organizations. With more than 500 member societies, FGS has a collective membership numbering in the tens-of-thousands. Each year, representatives an delegates from many of these societies gather for an annual conference. A quarterly publication, FORUM, contains an assortment of articles of interest to societies and their membership.

The National Genealogical Society
This non-profit organization was formed in 1903 for the benefit of all levels of genealogy (beginner to professional) and promotes education, a high standard of research principles and scholarly practices, and interest in genealogy, family history, and a range of other related activities. This group has now merged with the Association of professional genealogists, which had more than 1,500 members, the expert knowledge of their members covers a wide range of geographic, ethnic, and other specialties.

Accessible Archives
Developed by dedicated instructors and students of American history, their databases contain the rich, comprehensive material found in leading historic periodicals and books. Eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records are available in a user-friendly online environment. Includes such items as :

  • African American Newspapers
  • American County Histories
  • The Civil War Collection
  • Frank Leslie’s Weekly
  • Godey’s Lady’s Book
  • History of Woman Suffrage
  • The Liberator
  • The Lily
  • National Anti-Slavery Standard
  • National Citizen and Ballot Box
  • The Pennsylvania Gazette
  • The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue
  • The Pennsylvania Newspaper Record
  • The Revolution
  • Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
  • South Carolina Newspapers
  • Twelve Years A Slave
  • The Virginia Gazette

Census Records
This site is maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau and is useful for basic information about census records and how to search them. A great learning resource for census research.

Pier 21  
Canada’s equivalent to Ellis Island.  From 1928 to 1971 this port received over one million immigrants, wartime evacuees, refugees, troops, war brides and their children.  In 1999, Pier 21 reopened after a renovation of the historic building and now pays tribute to those who passed through its doors.

Library of Congress 
A tremendous variety of material on many subjects relating to American history, veterans, and other areas sure to be of interest to any genealogist. Of particular interest, you should be sure to see the remaining collections from the American Memory section, which provides access to many photographs, maps, historic documents, as well as audio and video. An especially useful site for educators.

Find a Genealogist
A way to find genealogists with many different locations and specialties. Service provided by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.  This is not an official endorsement by the Steele Memorial Library. All genealogists are independent.

German Genealogy Group
From the German Genealogy Group this database currently contains the indexes to Birth, Marriage and Death records from 1862 to 1948 for the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond).