November 1, 1998 -
This month NYGenWeb honors a site and a county that have both undergone many transformations. Only 5 months ago Tompkins County Genweb was adopted by Melinda Cornwell of Alaska. Word spread across mailing lists and within the county that Melinda had a Grand Plan and needed help. In less than 6 months Melinda, her co-coordinator Janet Nash, and a large team of dedicated volunteers have transformed Tompkins County GenWeb into one of the largest and most diverse sites within the New York GenWeb Family of Counties.

Specialized to General
Melinda and Janet refer to their site as "Your Online Guide to Tompkins County" - a motto and an understatement. Tompkins County GenWeb combines traditional resources and state-of-the-art GenWeb features: transcriptions of 19th century books and articles mix with GenConnect queries, obits, and biographies boards. Researchers will find general county and township background in the French's 1860 Gazetteer of New York State, browse in-depth sections about individual townships where they just might see their own ancestors mentioned, and then receive off-site help in the look-ups section and from other researchers who're posting their families in the Surnames Listings.

Team Projects
Some members of the Tompkins County team are meticulously typing up listings of all county cemeteries that have been read. Others are planning to go out into the field and read cemeteries that have never been surveyed. Vital records, both county-wide and from individual townships, are being gathered locally and prepared at a pace that is unprecendented

within the NYGenWeb. School lists, church records, Bible records, probate records, wills, and pension lists are on line now and will be expanded within the next few months. As word spreads within Tompkins County local residents are contributing items that have been tucked away for close to a century in attics and drawers. Every week there is something new to see!

The Scrapbook
The Scrapbook contains unique items that fit into no one category. This is the heart of the site, adding to the homey and sharing atmosphere by focusing on neighborhoods and individual families. One of the most recent additions are reminiscenses about the residents of one road.

Center of the Finger Lakes
You say that your ancestors didn't live in Tompkins County? Don't be so sure. The county was first settled by men of the Revolution whose families spread in all directions into neighboring counties. Throughout its history the boundaries of Tompkins have changed as tracts of land once part of Cayuga, Seneca and Tioga Counties were brought together to create Tompkins in 1817. The county overall has particularly strong historical ties to northern New Jersey and the southeastern-most NY counties. Heirs in Sussex County NJ wills have been known to turn up on census lists. Fashionable couples from neighboring counties took their vows in Ithaca. Your missing gggg-uncle might have received a land grant and taken the family records with him. Keep your eye on this site. Those records could turn up at any time!

In-depth Coverage
Find out more and explore - the Tompkins County NYGenWeb!