Today millions of Americans of all backgrounds are searching for their ancestors.  Many have been tracing their family tree for more than a decade.  It can be an adventure.  It can be frustrating.  And it can definitely uncover the expected! 

Primary sources... secondary records.... wills and probate packets..... cemetery records and iconography... military records..... SSDI.... message boards.... RootsWeb.com.....Ancestry.com.....the list goes on! The Internet has opened the door to an endless array of online databases and repositories.  

Will your family be recorded in the annals of Tottenville history?  Historians can write the biographies of famous families now gone, but no one but you can trace yours.  The story of your family, a family that helped build our community, must be written so that others will know and remember them, too.  If you have not already done so, we encourage you to begin today.

Coming Soon!  1855 State Census Index

We have been helping family historians with their research for several years, sometimes providing new information or new direction, or both.

Some of these families and family surnames include:

The Tottenville Historical Society will soon begin publishing a series of biographical booklets on the founding families of our community, starting with the Hopping family.  Who were they?  Where did they come from and what brought them to Tottenville?

In addition, a biographical directory of our 20th century families is being compiled.  There is very little written about our local families.  It's up to you to change that.  Send us a copy of your family's biography for the directory so that future generations may know them, too.