Genesee County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNew York. As of the2020 census, the population was 58,388.[2] Itscounty seat isBatavia.[3] Its name is from theSeneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "the Beautiful Valley".[4] The county was created in 1802 and organized in 1803.[5] The county is part of theFinger Lakes region of the state.
The archaeological record at theHiscock Site, inByron, New York goes back 10,000 to 12,000 years to theIce Age. Researchers have found a variety of humanmade tools, ceramics, metal, and leather, along with amastodon jaw, tusks, and teeth and assorted animal bones, indicating long occupation of the site. This site is among North America's most important forarchaeological artifacts from the Ice Age.[6][7]
DifferentIndigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years. Centuries before European arrival, theIroquoian-speakingSeneca Nation developed in the central part of present-day New York; it became one of the first Five Nations of theHaudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Beginning in 1639 and lasting for the rest of the century, the Seneca led an invasion of Western New York as part of theBeaver Wars, driving out the existing tribes ofWenro,Erie andNeutrals.
When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Genesee County was part ofAlbany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State ofVermont and, in theory, extending westward to thePacific Ocean. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces,Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). In 1784 Tryon County was renamed asMontgomery County. Around this time, theProvince of Pennsylvania and theMassachusetts Bay Colony also claimed the territory as their own, butNew York did not enforce its territorial claim. In 1789Ontario County was split off from Montgomery as a result of thePhelps and Gorham Purchase. Again, the county theoretically extended west to the Pacific Ocean.
It was not until theHolland Purchase of 1793 that Western New York was enforced as the territory of New York State. Land in the region was sold through theHolland Land Company's office inBatavia, starting in 1801. All the land inWestern New York was in the newly created Genesee County, and all of that was in the single town ofBatavia.
Genesee County was created by apartition of 7,100 square miles (18,000 km2) of land fromOntario County. The county was not fully organized so it remained under the supervision of Ontario County until it achieved full organization and separation during March 1803.[8]
On April 7, 1806, Genesee's area was reduced to 5,550 square miles (14,400 km2) due to a partition that createdAllegany County.[9] On March 8, 1808, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to 1,650 square miles (4,300 km2) due to a partition that createdCattaraugus,Chautauqua, andNiagara Counties.[10] On February 23, 1821, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to 1,450 square miles (3,800 km2) due a complex partition that producedLivingston[11] andMonroe Counties.[12] On April 15, 1825, another partition reduced Genesee's area to 1,030 square miles (2,700 km2) in the creation ofOrleans County.[13][14] On May 1, 1826, the Orleans partition was again surveyed, with 10 square miles (26 km2) of land along the western half of the Orleans/Genesee border returned to Genesee.[15] On March 19, 1841, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to the 500 square miles (1,300 km2) it remains to this day due to the partitioning to createWyoming County.[16]
Genesee County was included in the 19th century "burned-over district" — the Western region of New York consumed by religious revivals and characterized by "the evangelical desire to convert the entire American population to Christianity and to create a 'moral, homogeneous commonwealth.'"[17] This religious moral crusade provided the social atmosphere that allowed antimasonic sentiment to gain momentum as a significant church-oriented movement and, later, a grass-roots political party that became the nation's first third party.[citation needed]
By the 1820s, Freemasonry was prevalent in Genesee County. From 1821 to 1827, half of all county officials were Freemasons.[18] In September 1826,William Morgan, a resident of Batavia, New York, disappeared after having been briefly imprisoned for failure to repay a debt. Morgan had been rejected from the Masonic lodge in Batavia, and, as a result, threatened to publish a book which exposed the secret rituals of Freemasonry. His disappearance and presumed murder ignited a campaign against Freemasonry. The investigation into Morgan's disappearance confronted major obstacles from government officials and the judiciary- positions that were largely occupied by Freemasons.[19] TheMorgan affair combined with existing suspicions and distrust of the secrecy of Freemasonry initiated mass meetings throughout the county to decide how the issue of Freemasonry should be handled. The Antimasonry crusade's original goal was to oust Masons from political offices. Through the political guidance of party organizers, such asThurlow Weed andWilliam H. Seward, the crusade developed into a political party that enjoyed a political stronghold in Genesee County and the rest of the "burned-over district."
The Antimasonic Party found strong support within Genesee County from 1827 to 1833. The party averaged 69 percent of the vote and won every county office.[19] After continuous domination of Masonic politicians, citizens saw Antimasonry as a solution and an opportunity to restore justice and republicanism. The Baptist and Presbyterian churches favored Antimasonry and encouraged their members to renounce ties with the fraternity. The party was originally associated with populist rhetoric, however, strong Antimasonic sentiment throughout the county correlated with positive economic developments and high population densities. Larger towns, such asBatavia, the county seat and Le Roy, harbored the strongest support for the party.[20] The timing of the creation of the Antimasonic Party coincided with a time in New York politics that encouraged the expansion of political participation. The party leaders made the Antimasonic Party, and later the Whig Party, a great success in Genesee County and other neighboring counties.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 495 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 493 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) (0.5%) is water.[21] Genesee County is east ofBuffalo and southwest ofRochester in the western portion of New York State.
Genesee County is solidly Republican at the Presidential level withLyndon Johnson in 1964 being the only Democrat to ever carry the county. Since then the closest a Democrat has gotten to winning the county wasBill Clinton in 1996 when he lost toBob Dole by 3 percent. In 2024Donald Trump received 66.8 percent of the vote which was the best result for a Republican since 1956 whenDwight D. Eisenhower received 74.6 percent.
United States presidential election results for Genesee County, New York[27]
In most counties in N.Y., theundersheriff is thewarden of the countyjail.[29] In Genesee County, the sheriff has ultimate authority to operate the 80-bed county jail, built in 1985. In this county, rather than an undersheriff, it is managed by a "jail superintendent" with 27 other employees and managers. The current Genesee County Jail was built in 1985.[30]
Genesee County, New York – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 22,770 households, of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18. 55.4% weremarried couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 24.80% of households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10.
26.10% of the county's population was under the age of 18, 7.50% were from age 18 to 24, 29.50% were from age 25 to 44, 22.60% were from age 45 to 64, and 14.30% were age 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The U.S. Census in 2000 showed the county had a 63.7% employment rate and 2.9% were unemployed. The median household income was $40,542, and themedian family income was $47,771. Males had a median income of $34,430 versus $23,788 for females. The county'sper capita income was $18,498. About 5.60% of families and 7.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.[46]
Several private schools at the primary and secondary levels are also maintained (Catholic schools are affiliated with theRoman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo):
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe original on May 31, 2011. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
^THE AMERICAN REVIEW; A WHIG JOURNAL DEVOTED TO POLITICS, LITERATURE, ART AND SCIENCE. VOL. VI NEW-YORK: GEORGE H. COLTON, 118 NASSAU STREET, Published 1847, Wiley and Putnam, p. 628.[1]
^Darcy G. Richardson,Others: Third-Party Politics From the Nation's Founding to the Rise and Fall of the Greenback-Labor Party (New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2004), 51.
^W, Eric (April 2, 2012)."Congressional District 27"(PDF).View 2012 Congressional Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2013.
^W, Eric (March 2, 2012)."Senate District 61"(PDF).View 2012 Senate District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2013.
^W, Eric (January 25, 2012)."Assembly District 139"(PDF).View Proposed 2012 Assembly District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2013.
^See N.Y. County Law, article 17, sections 652, found online atNYPublicLaw, type in CNT, then Article 17, and finally click on 652.
^"County Law, Article 17, Section 650, acknowledges the Sheriff as an Officer of the Court; Correction Law, Article 20, Section 500C, designates the Sheriff as custodian of the County Jail," fromGenesee County government web site Jail pageArchived February 25, 2011, at theWayback Machine. Accessed June 26, 2008.
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