Steuben County history, genealogy info more accessible in 2024. Meet the new historian
2024 should be a banner year for Steuben County history lovers.
Steuben's youngest municipality — North Hornell — is putting together plans for a centennial celebration this summer that will spotlight village history.
Nominations for the 2023 Steuben County Hall of Fame are being accepted until March 31. Since 1976, more than 600 people have been nominated with 160 individuals inducted into the Hall.
A new Steuben County history trail map is under development and will be available ahead of a statewide history weekend in the fall.
Meanwhile, the county has a new historian. Griffin Bates, a 2017 Bath-Haverling graduate, took charge of the historian's office in Bath on Jan. 22.
So far, Bates has adjusted hours to have the Historian's Office open one night a week in an effort to make the documents and records available to a wider audience.
The Historian’s Office features a large collection of Steuben County genealogy materials, including birth and marriage records, hundreds of years of newspapers on microfilm, census indexes and obituary files.
The resources allow researchers to "discover new stories and new bits of history about their family that they never knew about," Bates said.
Here is what else there is to know about Bates and the Steuben County Historian's Office as the year gets rolling.
Meet Griffin Bates, the new Steuben County historian
The Bath native was aware from a young age that history was his best career fit.
“I was a unique kid. I knew right around 10-years-old that I wanted to work in museums," said Bates, who has experience at two popular history attractions in Hammondsport: the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum and Finger Lakes Boating Museum.
Bates has been associated with the Corning Museum of Glass since 2014 and he is currently a tour guide there.
He also is on the board of directors of the Steuben County Historical Society and serves as a consultant to that organization as well.
“I am excited to be taking on the new position of historian. It’s a way for me to help people connect with history," Bates said.
Making the Steuben County Historian's Office more accessible
The Steuben County Historian’s Office is at 1 Cohocton St. in Bath in the John Magee House. New office hours are Mondays, 5 to 9 p.m., and Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. The change is the evening hours on Monday.
“I want the hours to be accessible for more people who work during the week," Bates said. “I have received positive feedback from people saying they were hoping this would happen."
There is no charge for use of the services at the office, although there is a charge for copies.
A longer term goal is uploading the office's physical archives to a digital platform that researchers can access online.
“So that people who are living in Texas who want to do family research don’t have to make a cross-country trip to my office," Bates said.
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History Awareness Group: Steuben County history map in the works
As historian, Bates is responsible for spearheading the Steuben County History Awareness Group, which began under his predecessor, Emily Simms, in 2018.
The Steuben County History Awareness Group is a collection of historical societies, museums and independent historians in Steuben County that collaborate on an annual project.
“This year we are planning a map and a history trail for Steuben County," Bates said.
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The trail will feature the county's historical societies, museums and organizations, along with contact information for historians and researchers.
“It’s a way to bring people to not just the county history but to some of the resources that they may not realize are in their own communities," Bates said.
The history map is expected to be completed by the summer, well ahead of a state-wide history weekend in October.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: New Steuben County historian Griffin Bates sets out plans for office.
