Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society
A nonprofit historical and genealogical organization that preserves and interprets the history of Yates County, New York, through museums, archives, research resources, and public exhibitions.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society is a local historical and genealogical organization based in Penn Yan, New York. Its work centers on documenting, preserving, researching, and presenting the history of Yates County and the communities that developed there. The organization operates the Yates History Center, a museum complex consisting of the Oliver House Museum, the L. Caroline Underwood Museum and Research Center, and the adjacent Scherer Carriage House. The society traces its origins to a meeting held in January 1860 by early settlers of the territory that became Yates County and their descendants. The meeting sought to establish an institution dedicated to collecting records, objects, and other evidence relating to the county's early settlement, its communities, Indigenous history, and local families. Russell A. Hunt chaired the meeting, while William M. Oliver introduced the resolution supporting the creation of a county historical society. Thirty-two people from several surrounding towns signed the resolution. The organization was incorporated in 1860, but its collections initially lacked a permanent home and were kept in private residences and other temporary locations. Interest in organized preservation weakened and revived several times during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Newspaper commentary in 1915 and the 1920s warned that historically significant objects associated with Yates County were dispersed or at risk of being lost. Renewed organizing efforts culminated in a reconstituted society under the leadership of Arthur Bailey. New bylaws were prepared, and a New York State charter was granted in 1929. The organization also adopted the name Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc., which remains associated with it. In 1930, it issued its first publication for sale, Memories of Local Naturalists. A permanent museum presence developed in the postwar period. In 1946, the Village of Penn Yan made rooms in the Oliver House available to the society. The house had been bequeathed to the village by Carrie Oliver, together with a fund intended to support its maintenance and operation. The museum formally opened in July 1948. Built in 1852, the Oliver House retains historic furnishings, portraits, and other objects connected with the Oliver family and nineteenth-century domestic life. It also hosts changing exhibitions and has undergone restoration, including a major rehabilitation completed in 1975. The L. Caroline Underwood Museum reflects the bequest of L. Caroline Underwood, a longtime teacher who spent most of her career in the Penn Yan school system. Her estate helped establish a museum for preserving her collections and supporting public interpretation. The museum opened in 2004 and includes permanent and rotating displays. It also houses the Catherine A. Spencer Research Center, which provides genealogical and local-history resources such as publications, maps, census indexes, directories, cemetery records, and other collected information. The Scherer Carriage House, located behind the Underwood Museum, presents material associated with the Public Universal Friend, an evangelist who established a significant early settlement in the area. The collection includes objects such as a portrait, Bible, hat, carriage, and saddle, along with related documents and artifacts held by the society. Together, the three sites connect domestic history, decorative arts, genealogy, religious history, settlement history, and broader county interpretation. The society's principal audience is local and regional. Its museums and research resources serve residents, descendants of Yates County families, genealogists, students, visitors to the Finger Lakes, and researchers interested in New York State history. The organization marked the 150th anniversary of its origins in 2010. No reliable public information in the supplied sources establishes a current director, president, budget, membership figure, or separate official website.
History
The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society originated in a January 1860 effort by settlers and descendants of early settlers in the area that became Yates County, New York. Organizers wanted to collect and preserve evidence relating to the county's settlement, early residents, towns, Indigenous history, and other local subjects. Russell A. Hunt served as chair of the organizing meeting, and William M. Oliver presented the resolution calling for the society's formation. Thirty-two participants from Milo, Benton, Jerusalem, Middlesex, and Potter signed the resolution. The society was incorporated in 1860. Although the organization began collecting relics and documents, it did not initially have a permanent repository. Material was stored in private homes and other temporary locations, and the society's activity appears to have become intermittent. By 1915, local newspaper coverage was again urging the creation or revival of a historical society, warning that valuable objects connected with Yates County's past were scattered throughout the community and could be lost. Similar appeals appeared in the 1920s. In 1926, the Penn Yan Democrat renewed the call for an organized county society, and a 1927 meeting prompted further discussion about whether the earlier organization had disappeared. A more durable revival took shape in 1928 under Arthur Bailey. Bylaws were prepared and a New York State charter was sought. The charter was granted in 1929, and the organization was also identified under the name Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc. The revived society had only one member in common with the fifty-member organization associated with the earlier period. In 1930 it published Memories of Local Naturalists, its first publication offered for sale. The society's museum program became more established after the Second World War. In 1946, the Village of Penn Yan provided rooms in the Oliver House for the organization. The Oliver family had left the house and a maintenance fund to the village. The society opened the museum to the public in July 1948. The 1852 residence preserves original or period furnishings, portraits, and family possessions while also accommodating changing exhibits. A restoration completed in 1975 enabled the Oliver House Museum to reopen that year. Beginning in 1977, the society promoted a ten-year endowment campaign intended to raise $250,000 for the broader organization. The related Oliver Fund, administered by the village board, was restricted to the property and was used for work such as plumbing and redecoration rather than general society operations. A second major facility developed from the estate of L. Caroline Underwood, a teacher who worked for decades in the Penn Yan school system. Underwood left most of her estate to establish a museum that would preserve and display selected collections. The L. Caroline Underwood Museum and Research Center opened in 2004. Its exhibitions include both permanent and changing displays, while the Catherine A. Spencer Research Center provides genealogists and local-history researchers with books, maps, census indexes, directories, cemetery records, and related materials. The third component of the Yates History Center is the Scherer Carriage House, located behind the Underwood Museum. It interprets the Public Universal Friend, an evangelist associated with one of the earliest white settlements in what is now Yates County. Objects and documents connected with the evangelist and the Society of Universal Friends form the basis of the exhibit. The collection includes a portrait, Bible, hat, carriage, and saddle. Through these facilities, the society evolved from a nineteenth-century collecting initiative into a local heritage institution with museums, research resources, publications, and interpretive programs. It celebrated the 150th anniversary of its origins in 2010. The supplied reference material does not provide current leadership, financial statements, membership totals, or a confirmed official website.
- 2010
150th anniversary observed
[1]The society commemorated 150 years since its 1860 origins.
- 2004
Underwood Museum and Research Center opened
[1]The museum founded through L. Caroline Underwood's bequest opened with exhibition space and a genealogical research center.
- 1975
Oliver House restoration completed
[1]The Oliver House Museum underwent restoration and reopened to visitors.
- 1948
Oliver House Museum opened
[1]After the village made rooms available in the Oliver House, the society opened the museum to the public in July.
- 1930
First publication issued
[1]The society published Memories of Local Naturalists, its first publication offered for sale.
- 1929
New York State charter granted
[1]The revived organization received a state charter and adopted the incorporated society name used today.
- 1928
Revival under Arthur Bailey
[1]A more permanent organizational revival began under Arthur Bailey, including the preparation of new bylaws.
- 1915
Public calls for preservation renewed
[1]Newspaper commentary urged the county to reestablish a historical society and create a central place for artifacts and documents.
- 1860
Historical society organized
[1]A meeting of early settlers and descendants led to the formation and incorporation of a county historical society dedicated to preserving Yates County history.
Products and positioning
A county-focused preservation and research institution combining historic-house museums, decorative-arts interpretation, genealogical resources, archival collections, and public exhibitions.
Historic house museum · 1948
Oliver House Museum
A nineteenth-century house built in 1852 and associated with the Oliver family. The museum preserves portraits, furnishings, and household belongings while presenting changing exhibitions. The Village of Penn Yan received the property through Carrie Oliver's bequest, and the society has operated it as a public museum since its opening in 1948. A major restoration was completed in 1975.
Local history museum and genealogy research center · 2004
L. Caroline Underwood Museum and Research Center
A museum established through the estate of longtime Penn Yan teacher L. Caroline Underwood. It displays decorative arts and local-history material through permanent and changing exhibitions. The associated Catherine A. Spencer Research Center holds publications, maps, census indexes, directories, cemetery records, genealogical information, and other Yates County research resources.
Specialized historical exhibit
Scherer Carriage House
An exhibition space behind the Underwood Museum devoted to the Public Universal Friend and the Society of Universal Friends. The display interprets the evangelist's role in the region's early settlement history and includes associated objects such as a portrait, Bible, hat, carriage, saddle, and documentary material.
Historical publication · 1930
Memories of Local Naturalists
The society's first publication offered for sale, issued in 1930 as part of its program of documenting and disseminating information about local history and naturalists.
Marketing campaigns
- 1977Oliver Fund endowment campaign
Yates County, New York
The society began a ten-year campaign seeking $250,000 to strengthen the financial foundation supporting its programs and day-to-day work. A related fund administered by the village board was restricted to the Oliver House property and supported maintenance projects rather than general society operations.
Brand decisions
2004
Opening of the Underwood Museum and Research CenterOtherBackground
L. Caroline Underwood's estate provided support for preserving and displaying her collections and for maintaining a public historical resource.
Action taken
The society partnered in operating a new museum and genealogical research center.
Aftermath
The organization expanded its public facilities and strengthened access to county genealogical and documentary resources.
1948
Opening of the Oliver House MuseumOtherBackground
The Village of Penn Yan made rooms in the Oliver House available after the property and a maintenance fund had been left to the village by the Oliver family.
Action taken
The society established and opened a public museum in the historic house.
Aftermath
The Oliver House became a continuing base for the society's collections, historic furnishings, portraits, and exhibitions.
1929
Rechartering as an incorporated county societyStrategyBackground
Repeated periods of inactivity and renewed newspaper appeals created pressure for a more durable organizational structure.
Action taken
The revived organization prepared bylaws and obtained a New York State charter under the incorporated society name.
Aftermath
The chartered organization became the institutional basis for the society's later museums, publications, and research work.
Sources1 sources
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