Research Links
Below are links to a variety of archival and research organizations that may be helpful in your research. These organizations are not affiliated with the Town of Aurora or the Aurora Town Historian's Office.
The Buffalo History Museum Research Library
The collection at the Buffalo History Museum (Formerly the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) includes books, pamphlets, letters, diaries, personal papers, organizational and business records, periodicals, newspapers, scrapbooks, photographs, postcards, prints, drawings, posters, maps, atlases, microfilms and even some DVDs. Major collections include those on the Holland Land Company, President Millard Fillmore, Seneca Indians, the Pan-American Exposition and the Larkin Company.
The Aurora Historical Society operates the Millard Fillmore Presidential Site, Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum and Aurora History Museum, and it manages a collection of artifacts related to the history of the President Millard Fillmore and the Roycroft.
The Roycroft Campus Corporation (RCC) offers educational programming, artisan classes, lectures, interactive events and social gatherings to further promote and preserve the historic Roycroft Campus and the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement as if Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters never left.
Village of East Aurora Historic Preservation Commission
A governmental organization within the Village of East Aurora. It was established in 1987 when the Village Board of Trustees adopted a Historic Preservation Ordinance, designated as Chapter 156 of the Village Code. The general purpose of the Commission is to promote historic preservation in East Aurora. This website also includes a digital version of the 2013 Reconnaissance Survey of Historic Architectural Resources in the village.
Government Appointed Historians of Western New York
The Government Appointed Historians of Western New York (GAHWNY) represents town, village, city, county and Seneca Nation historians throughout Western New York. The website includes contact information and links for historians throughout the region.
Located in Batavia, New York, the Holland Land Office Museum's collection includes original documents and information related to the early land surveys of Western New York.
Western New York Genealogical Society
The Western New York Genealogical Society makes a variety of genealogical resources available to its members and the general public in support of its mission to preserve and encourage interest in the rich genealogical heritage of Western New York.
Buffalo and Erie County Public Library's Links to Genealogy Websites
The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library provides a number of helpful links.
Grosvernor Room, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library
Special collections at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, which includes the Rare Book collection, holds nearly 500,000 titles, including monographs, serials, scrapbooks, manuscripts, organizational archives, maps, phonograph discs, sheet music, scores, and orchestrations.
The New York State Archives, part of the New York State Education Department, maintains its own collection of documents and artifacts. It also partners with other organization to make information and documents available to the public.
The National Archives and Records Administration
Records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration include paper documents, microfilm, still pictures, motion pictures, and electronic media related to the history of the United States. The National Archives also oversees Presidential Libraries.
The National Archives and Records Administration's website dedicated to Census records.
Free, searchable online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York State's unique history.
Fulton History contains archives of over 700 New York newspapers, and some from other states and Canada.
An easier search engine for the archives contained on the Fulton History website.
Roycroft founder Elbert Hubbard's writings on the University of Pennsylvania Libraries' The Online Books Page.
Learn more about the farm on Olean Road established in the spring of 1804, when Joel Adams of Brookfield, Mass. purchased a lot from the Holland Land Company. The seventh generation of the Adams family continues to maintain the farm.
Immaculate Conception (Catholic) Cemetery Index
Richard D Jachimiak's website dedicated to the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) Cemetery on Bowen Road. It includes plot maps, names and biographical information about individuals buried in the cemetery, in part using information gleaned from the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office.
The Early Life of Millard Fillmore: A Personal Reminiscence
Millard Fillmore's personal recollections of his early life in Aurora, Buffalo and Western New York. Digitized by Google.
The Historical Marker Database
An online searchable catalog of historical markers from around the world.
Centennial History of Erie County
A digital version of the book by Crisfield Johnson published in 1876, featuring information about communities throughout Erie County.
Western New York Heritage Magazine Index
A searchable index of the articles contained in Western New York Heritage magazine, dating back to 1997. (The archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office includes many of the early print editions).
New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865
The New York State Library's digital version of the six volume book related to New York State's role in the Civil War.