Town Historian
Robert Lowell Goller
Town Hall Second Floor
5 South Grove Street
East Aurora, New York 14052
NOTICE: Beginning July 11, the Town Historian's Office will be open for research from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays, instead of Wednesdays.
Historian's Office Open for Research: Fridays from 1-4 p.m., and by appointment by calling (716) 652-7944. Requests for information may be sent to the Town Historian's attention at 5 South Grove St., or via e-mail.
E-mail: historian@townofaurora.com
WHO IS THE TOWN HISTORIAN AND WHAT DOES HE OR SHE DO?
TOWN AND VILLAGE HISTORIAN'S 2007 ANNUAL REPORT
The Opera House stood at Main and Church streets until a fire destroyed the structure in 1908.
The Town Historian's Office is available as a resource for historical documents, photographs and family histories. New York State law requires each town and village to appoint a historian to collect and preserve materials related to the history of the municipality. The Town Supervisor appoints the Town Historian for a one-year term. The town historian also serves as historian for the Village of East Aurora.
Contents of the office include:
Indexed file boxes with items related to Roycroft, businesses, civic clubs, etc.
Obituary files - more than 5000 index cards on former residents and computer index to many newspaper notices.
Marriage records - Computer index to many newspaper notices.
Cemetery records and maps for area grounds.
General historical reference books - Architecture, State, County and Local, People and Military.
Scrapbooks - 100 scrapbooks of various events.
East Aurora Advertiser on Microfilm - films from 1872 to present, and bound copies of some early editions. Other newspapers are also available.
U.S. Census - data from 1810 to 1910 on microfilm.
Family group files - files on more than 500 families.
Photographs
Maps - Sanborn, Holland Land purchase, periodic development maps, and atlases of Erie County for 1866, 1880 and 1909.
Computer resources - There is an ongoing effort to index and digitize many of the Historian's Office records. The system can be used to assist in information searches.
