The Local History Collection - Books
The Local History Room has approximately 600 books concerning White Plains and Westchester County history. All of these books are searchable, by subject, in the regular online library catalog (CatalogPlus+). Books shelved in the Local History Room do not circulate. However, additional copies of some of them are available in the circulating collection.
Listed below are some of the most frequently used books in the Local History Collection (and a good place to start research):
About White Plains
Rösch, John. Historic White Plains. Harrison, NY: Harbor Hill Books, 1976 (reprint of the 1939 edition). (974.727 R)
Hoffman, Renoda. It Happened in Old White Plains. White Plains, NY: Efficiency Printing Co., 1989. (974.727 H)
Hoffman, Renoda. Yesterday in White Plains: A Picture History of a Vanished Era, 3rd ed. Tuckahoe, NY: Little Art Graphics, 2003. (974.727 H)
Hoffman, Renoda. The Changing Face of White Plains. White Plains, NY, 1994. (974.727 H)
About Westchester County
Bolton, Robert. A History of the County of Westchester, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time. New York: Alexander S. Gould, 1848. (974.727 B, in two volumes)
Shonnard, Frederic, and W.W. Spooner. History of Westchester County, New York, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900. New York: New York History Co., 1900. (974.727 S)
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, Which Have Been Annexed to New York City. Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co., 1886. (974.727 S, in two volumes)
Griffin, Ernest Freeland. Westchester County and Its People, a Record. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1946. (974.727 G, in three volumes)
French, Alvah P. History of Westchester County, New York. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1925-1927. (974.727 F in five volumes)
Hufeland, Otto. Westchester County During the American Revolution, 1775-1783. White Plains, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1926. (974.727 H)
Hoffman, Renoda. Historic Highlights of Westchester. White Plains, NY: The Battle of White Plains Monument Committee, 1969. (974.727 H, pamphlet)
Weigold, Marilyn E., ed. Westchester County: The Past Hundred Years, 1883-1983. Valhalla, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1984. (974.727 W)
Book Especially Useful for Genealogy Research
Renino, Marjorie Chamberlain Herrmann. The Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester County. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 2003. (929.1 R)
Davis, Norman. Westchester Patriarchs: A Genealogical Dictionary of Westchester County, New York, Families prior to 1755. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1988. (929.3D)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Index of Personal Names in J. Thomas Scharf's History of Westchester County, New York. Mamaroneck, NY: Harbor Hill Books, 1988. (974.727 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Lives Well Spent: Westchester County Obituaries and Death Notices in the Eastern State Journal, May 1845 - April 1875. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (929.3 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. For Better or Worse: Westchester County Marriage Notices in the Eastern State Journal, May 1845 - April 1875. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (929.3 F)
Fuller, Elizabeth Green. Indexes to Westchester County Names in the Federal Censuses, 1790-1840. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1994. (317.4727 F)
In addition to these books, bound volumes of The Westchester Historian, a quarterly magazine published by the Westchester County Historical Society, are housed in the Local History Room (974.727 W), along with an index to the series.