Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,388. Its county seat is Batavia. Its name is from the Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "the Beautiful Valley".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. The county was created in 1802 and organized in 1803. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.

Genesee County comprises the Batavia, NY micropolitan statistical area, which is also in the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY combined statistical area. It is in Western New York. It is the namesake of Genesee County, Michigan.

History

Precontact era The archaeological record at the Hiscock Site, in Byron, New York goes back 10,000 to 12,000 years to the Ice Age. Researchers have found a variety of humanmade tools, ceramics, metal, and leather, along with a mastodon jaw, tusks, and teeth and assorted animal bones, indicating long occupation of the site. This site is among North America's most important for archaeological artifacts from the Ice Age.Geology The Buffalo Museum of Science, Retrieved on December 5, 2007"Excavation pit at the Byron Dig" , The Buffalo Museum of Science, Retrieved on December 5, 2007

Different Indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years. Centuries before European arrival, the Iroquoian-speaking Seneca Nation developed in the central part of present-day New York; it became one of the first Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee (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 the Beaver Wars, driving out the existing tribes of Wenro, Erie and Neutrals.

Colonial and revolutionary era When counties were established in New York in 1683, the present Genesee County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York, as well as all of the present state of Vermont and in theory extending westward to the Pacific 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 (thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). In 1784, Tryon County was renamed as Montgomery County. Around this time, the Province of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Bay Colony also claimed the territory as their own, but New York did not enforce its territorial claim. In 1789 Ontario County was split off from Montgomery as a result of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. Again, the county theoretically extended west to the Pacific Ocean.

New York State Until the Holland Purchase of 1793, Western New York was not enforced as the territory of New York. Land in the region was sold through the Holland Land Company's office in Batavia, starting in 1801. All the land in Western New York was in the newly created Genesee County, and all of that was in the single town of Batavia.

Genesee County was created by a partition of of land from Ontario 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.New York. Laws of New York.:1802, 25th Session, Chapter 64, Page 97.

On April 7, 1806, Genesee's area was reduced to due to a partition that created Allegany County.New York. Laws of New York.:1806, 29th Session, Chapter 162, Section 1, Page 604. On March 8, 1808, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to due to a partition that created Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties.New York. Laws of New York.:1808, 31st Session, Chapter 15, Page 254. On February 23, 1821, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to due a complex partition that produced LivingstonNew York. Laws of New York.:1820, 44th Session, Chapter 58, Section 1, Page 50. and Monroe Counties.New York. Laws of New York.:1820, 44th Session, Chapter 57, Section 1, Page 46. On April 15, 1825, another partition reduced Genesee's area to in the creation of Orleans County.New York. Laws of New York.:1824, 47th Session, Chapter 266, Section 1, Page 326.New York. Laws of New York.:1825, 48th Session, Chapter 181, Sections 1 & 2, Page 273. On May 1, 1826, the Orleans partition was again surveyed, with of land along the western half of the Orleans/Genesee border returned to Genesee.New York. Laws of New York.:1826, 49th Session, Chapter 269, Page 302. On March 19, 1841, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to the it remains to this day due to the partitioning to create Wyoming County.New York. Laws of New York.:1841, 64th Session, Chapter 196, Section 1, Page 169.

19th-century politics: Origins of antimasonry 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.'"William Preston Vaughn, The Antimasonic Party in the United States, 1826-1843 (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1983), 21. 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.

By the 1820s, Freemasonry was prevalent in Genesee County. From 1821 to 1827, half of all county officials were Freemasons.Ronald P. Formisano and Kathleen Smith Kutolowski, "Antimasonry and Masonry: The Genesis of Protest, 1826-1827," American Quarterly 29 (1977): 145. 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. The Morgan 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 as Thurlow Weed and William 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. 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 as Batavia, the county seat and Le Roy, harbored the strongest support for the party.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. 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.

Modern day In 2009, the City and Town of Batavia began exploring ways to merge or consolidate governmental systems.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Genesee County is east of Buffalo and southwest of Rochester in the western portion of New York State.

Adjacent counties Erie County - west Livingston County - southeast Monroe County - northeast Niagara County - northwest Orleans County - north Wyoming County - south

Major highways

Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) Interstate 490 U.S. Route 20 New York State Route 5 New York State Route 19 New York State Route 33 New York State Route 63 New York State Route 77 New York State Route 98

Genesee County watersheds

Source:Genesee County All Hazard Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan, Chapter 4 Maps (1st Draft, May 2007) (See Watersheds-Genesee County, NY, Map 5), Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council

Black Creek Canaseraga Creek to Oatka Creek, excluding Beards, Conesus and Cayuga Creek Honeoye Creeks Mud Creek Murder Creek Oak Orchard Creek Oatka Creek Ransom Creek to Mouth Tonawanda Creek, Middle and Upper

Lakes

Diver's Lake Genesee Lake

National protected area Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected areas Darien Lakes State Park Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area

County parks Genesee County Park and Forest consists of of forest and rolling hills. DeWitt Recreation Area is a park that includes a pond. Source:

Government and politics Genesee County is governed by a 9–member legislature headed by a chairperson. Genesee County is part of the 8th Judicial District of the New York Supreme Court and the 4th Department of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division.

+ Office District Area of the county Officeholder Party First took office Congressman New York's 24th congressional district All Claudia Tenney Republican 2021 State Senator 61st State Senate District All Sean Ryan Democratic 2021 State Assemblyman 139th State Assembly District All Stephen M. Hawley Republican 2006

Presidential elections Genesee County is solidly Republican at the Presidential level with Lyndon Johnson in 1964 being the only Democrat to ever carry the county. Since then the closest a Democrat has gotten to winning the county was Bill Clinton in 1996 when he lost to Bob Dole by 3 percent. In 2024 Donald Trump received 66.8 percent of the vote which was the best result for a Republican since 1956 when Dwight D. Eisenhower received 74.6 percent.

Law enforcement The primary law enforcement agency is the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

In most counties in N.Y., the undersheriff is the warden of the county jail.See N.Y. County Law, article 17, sections 652, found online at NYPublicLaw, type in CNT, then Article 17, and finally click on 652. 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."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," from Genesee County government web site Jail page . Accessed June 26, 2008.

Demographics

|estyear=2023 |estimate=57529 |estref=

2020 census