Michelle Henry, a member of the Chautauqua County Historical Society board of trustees, gave two presentations at the Fenton History Center’s recent genealogy conference.

Henry detailed the many valuable collections that are available free of charge to genealogists on the CCHS website. Other collections that have not yet been digitized are available to researchers by scheduling an appointment at McClurg Museum in Westfield where the historical society is based. Visit cchsmcclurg.org for more information.

The Chautauqua County Historical Society was established in 1883, making it one of the oldest historical organizations in western New York. Its collections include documents, photographs, and ledgers from the county’s earliest settlers, businesses, and organizations.

Henry’s second presentation provided information about records held by town and village offices. In addition to vital records, local governments have meeting minutes, tax assessment records, election returns, and other miscellaneous volumes that are of interest to genealogists.

According to the state’s records retention laws, many of these records must be held permanently and made available to the public. As with historical societies, it is always best practice to call the repository first to ask about their holdings and to schedule an appointment.

In addition to her service on the CCHS board, Henry served on the boards of the State Records Managers Association and the State Historical Records Advisory Board. She is past chair of the historian’s association that represents municipal historians for the nine counties in western New York.

Henry, a museum consultant with the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, received several state awards for her work in local history and government records management. She served as a grant reviewer for the New York State Archives and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Henry and Pam Brown, historian for Panama, North Harmony, and Harmony, are the only two New York state registered historians in Chautauqua County.