Records created in the course of government activity and deemed important enough for permanent retention can be found in governmental repositories such as the Westchester County Archives. Such records can provide valuable information to genealogists. 

Other important genealogical sources, such as diaries, account books, personal letters and photographs, family histories, local histories, records of religious institutions, and published books and journals are often considered private records and are usually located in the collections of historical and genealogical societies, in churches and synagogues, and in local, college and university libraries. 

Listed below are some non-governmental repositories that can be considered resources for genealogical information related to Westchester County. For more genealogical resources, including governmental agencies, see our Additional Resources page. 

Westchester County Historical Society: The Westchester County Historical Society maintains the County's largest collection of private manuscripts and genealogical records and publications. The Society also publishes a quarterly journal, "The Westchester Historian".

Westchester County Historical Society
2199 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
(914) 592-4323 (phone)
(914) 231-1515 (fax)

Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester County, New York: Much useful information, including the addresses of municipal Clerks and of area churches (whose early records may be more valuable than official records), is available in "The Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester County, New York" (2003, 3rd ed.) compiled by Marjorie C. H. Renino. For more information or to obtain a copy, contact the Westchester County Historical Society.

Westchester County Genealogical Society: The Westchester County Genealogical Society meets monthly and publishes a newsletter of interest to family historians. The Society can also help researchers find professional genealogists in the area.

Westchester County Genealogical Society
PO Box 518
White Plains, NY 10603-0518   

Public Libraries: In addition to local history collections in individual public libraries within the Westchester Library System, the libraries listed here have significant genealogical collections related to Westchester County:

Adriance Memorial Library
Poughkeepsie Public Library District
93 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Ferguson Library
Bedford and Broad Streets
Stamford, CT 06904

New York Public Library
Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy
5th Avenue and 42nd Street, Room 121
New York, NY 10018-2788
(212) 930-0828

LDS Libraries: The church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have microfilmed and digitized records worldwide. The organization has two churches in the Westchester area:

Scarsdale Family History Center
60 Wayside Way
Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 472-3186

Yorktown Family History Center
801 Kitchawan Road/Route 134
Yorktown, New York
(914) 941-9754 or (914) 941-9150 

Quaker Records: Members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) were early settlers in the County. The official repository for these records is:

Friends Historical Library
Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081