Collections & Databases
The Local History and Genealogy collections are located on the second floor of the library and offer many unique resources, including Town of Gates County Cornerstone Bicentennial and Town of Gates Sesquicentennial. Other materials encompass the history of Rochester, Monroe County, as well as various regions of New York State.
Some of the books in this collection are reference only but others may be checked out.
We offer in-library access to Ancestry.com and remote access to other genealogy databases.
Genealogy Help
Call us at (585) 247-6446 or stop in to make an appointment with genealogy volunteer Ed Groszewski. Mr. Groszewski is available for 1 hour appointments on Fridays from 1-4 pm. More information.
Gates-Chili Newspapers
50+ years of local newspapers are available at the links below from the NYS Historic Newspapers database.
- Gates-Chili Press (1947-1958)
- Gates-Chili Shopping Dollar News (1962-1963)
- Gates-Chili News (1963-1999)
- Search all three simultaneously
Many other Monroe County and New York State newspapers are also available.
Town of Gates Historian: William Gillette
The Town Historian is a unique position responsible for the gathering and preservation of historic town information for reference purposes and for preservation of this information for future generations. Information pertaining to buildings, land use, commercial development, and population growth is preserved as a community resource.
Contact Gates Historian Bill Gillette at bgillette@townofgates.org or (585) 247-6100 Ext 124.
Links:
Gates Historical Society
Founded in 1999, the Gates Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization with the intention to collect and preserve Gates history, and to showcase the Hinchey Homestead as a model historic site. For more information or to volunteer, please contact:
Gates Historical Society & Hinchey Homestead
634 Hinchey Road
Rochester, NY 14624
(585) 464-9740
gateshistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Rochester Public Library
The Rochester Public Library has an abundance of resources and records on site at their Local History and Genealogy Division, which is located on the 2nd floor of the Rundel Library Building. Staff are available to help you by telephone, email, or in person for quick reference questions. Request an appointment with this form.
115 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604
585-428-8370
TDD: 585-428-8023
New York Heritage Digital Collections
New York Heritage is a project of the NY 3Rs Association, Inc. New York Heritage is a research portal for students, educators, historians, genealogists, and anyone else interested in learning more about the people, places and institutions of New York State. The site provides free access to more than 170 distinct digital collections, totaling hundreds of thousands of items.