New York Genealogy
Guide to Ancestry and Family Tree Records

New York Counties – The State of New York was created as the 11th state on July 26, 1788. It has 62 Counties. New York borders VermontMassachusetts, Connecticut, New JerseyNew York and  Canada. The New York State Capital is in Albany and the state government website is http://www.ny.gov/. Select a New York county to view information & records pertaining to each County

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New York Genealogy Record Guides

Getting Started with New York Genealogy and Family Trees

Learning to Search for New York Genealogy Materials – New York is often condensed in people’s minds to the vast city known familiarly as “the Big Apple,” but New York is also a massive state that is home to a large array of historical figures and events. Native Americans, Revolutionary War sites, major American companies, and all kinds of settlements and villages that date back to the nation’s earliest days and all of them are of interest to genealogists. Luckily, it is very simple to get data for New York genealogy projects, and this article will explain how!

Good Ways of Searching for New York Genealogy Data – When you need to look something up you probably don’t head to the local library, but instead head to your computer or mobile device with Internet access. This is also something that modern genealogists can do too because of the large amount of electronic material available. Consider that when searching for New York genealogy information you can go online and use the different New York resources that will allow you to begin acquiring facts and copies of the materials needed.

Not all of the information for New York genealogy is available in this format though, and there are many organizations and groups that have yet to digitize their collections. This means that your research for New York genealogy materials will also have to incorporate offline locations. It is necessary for a genealogist to learn about the tools to use for New York genealogy, and how to differentiate the offline from the online.

A Standard Method for New York Genealogy Research – Public records easily qualify as the most frequently used resources for New York genealogy, and they are found in the following places:

Local Records – anyone looking for New York genealogy will tend to begin in a county clerk’s office or website, and then move on to the local small local libraries, genealogical societies, historical societies, and school or college libraries for New York genealogy data. These are places that are usually offline and open by appointment or special arrangement.

Vital Records – New York vital records certainly are a foundation of New York genealogy and family history research because they were usually recorded at or close to the time of the occurrence, making the record more likely to be reliable.

This web page contains links, details that will help you obtain copies from New York state and county vital records keepers. Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the key events of our lives and are the foundation of genealogy and family tree research.

State Records – from probate information to surname lists, state census information, private manuscripts, newspapers, military or veterans information, marriage details, maps, land records, genealogical folders, estate information, deeds, death records, cemetery information, birth certificates and more; these records are available as online and offline resources for New York genealogy.

Best Resources for New York genealogy – You will need to learn which resources work best for New York genealogy projects. Below we have supplied some of the strongest tools for New York genealogy:

New York (except NYC):

  • Certification Unit, Vital Records Section/2nd floor, 800 North Pearl Street, Menands, NY 12204

New York City details at:

  • NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, CN4, Rm. 133, New York, NY 10013;
    Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_york.htm OR http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_york_city.htm .
    This is where anyone can order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.

Additional state and local records can be found at the:

  • New York State Archives, New York State Education Department , Cultural Education Center , Albany, NY 12230;
    Website: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_genealogy.shtml

Also, consider using the New York Genealogical and Biographical website at http://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/.

New York Genealogy Databases and other Helpful Links

Finally, these popular websites provide a tremendous amount of state-specific details to those in search of details for New York genealogy projects.