In 1826 two additional towns were annexed from Steuben County, these being Barrington and Starkey. In 1832 Middlesex was split, its larger eastern part renamed as Potter. The full present roster of nine towns was reached in 1851 when Torrey was created from parts of Milo and Benton. It might be noted here that in New York, towns are different from townships. The former, as explained above, are governmental divisions with taxing power and a legislative body.
Townships are a convenient surveying unit, ideally six miles square.
The nine towns in Yates County, like all towns in the state, are governed by a supervisor and a town council. The town clerk keeps the council's minutes and is almost always also the registrar of vital records, as well as the designated manager of all the town's records. Each town also has a public historian whose task it is to preserve the town's history. All towns have some records of interest to the general public, other public officials, or family and local history researchers. These include a few series held by all towns, and a few unusual or even unique.