Our New York genealogists are available to research on location. They will find and analyze the best records available to further your family history research. They can search the archives and libraries in New York, as well as help you with other special requests.
Our researchers are available to visit local archives and libraries to access unique record collections to help with your research. Below is a list of a few of the archives our New York researchers have access to.
The New York State Archives hold several specialized collections with thousands of individual articles in each of them. Their indexes of vital records (birth, death, and marriage), cover the entire state outside of New York City. Other types of records include manuscripts, land grants, land survey maps, military records, and the original records of New York government jurisdictions. Erie Canal passenger lists here are dated from 1827 to 1829. The State Archives do not circulate their microfilms, so our local genealogists are the best suited for research here.
The New York State Library’s collection is national in scope, but focuses on records from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England families. Other items hold here are local histories, genealogies, atlases, and church and cemetery records. The collection of censuses contains those at the state and federal levels. The manuscripts in the library are dated from the early 1600s to the present. These include papers and records from notable citizens and organizations, as well as land records from the eastern part of the state. The section on religious records has information on Protestant and Shaker congregations.
The New York Registrar of Vital Statistics is home to Albany birth and death records from 1848. Additionally, the institution holds New York birth records and death records, dating from 1848 and 1870, respectively.
The New York State Department of Health Bureau of Vital Records contains birth and death records for the state of New York (excluding New York City). These records date back to 1880.
The Montgomery County Department of History and Archives was established in 1934. This isn’t a lending library, so it is necessary to visit the archives to access records held here. The archives are home to the largest collection of family genealogies in New York. It also hold church record transcripts, local histories and town records for the Mohawk Valley.
The Bureau of Vital Statistics of Buffalo is home to Buffalo vital records. The birth records span from 1878 to 1914, and their death records from 1852 to 1914.
The Registrar of Vital Statistics of Yonkers is home to vital records of Yonkers. Both their birth and death records date back to 1875.
Our New York City genealogists are available to visit the local archives and libraries in the city to further your research. Some of the repositories they are able to visit in New York City are listed below.
The New York Public Library is one of the largest research repositories in the world with over 14 million titles. The Milstein Microforms Reading Room gives access to thousands of records spanning centuries. These include birth records from the late 1800s to 1909, death records from the late 1880s to 1948, and marriage records from 1869 to 1937. The library’s land and property records date back to the 1600s.
New York Public Library, ca 1908