Nassau County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Long Island and Nassau County, New York ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

New York Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for the old name for Long Island, which was at one time named Nassau, after the Dutch Prince William of Nassau, a member of the House of Nassau, itself named for the German town of Nassau. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parent County
1899: Created from eastern 70 percent of Queens County.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating New York County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New York County Boundary Maps" (1683-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

1664 Yorkshire became the first large government unit (not actually a county) organized by New York after the English took control from the The Netherlands. It was divided into three ridings including North Riding (Westchester, Bronx, New York (Manhattan), Nassau and part of Queens counties). 1683 New York ended Yorkshire, creating Queens County (including later Nassau County) from part of Yorkshire. 1899 Nassau County was created from the eastern 70 percent of Queens County.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records

 * 1581–1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry– ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.


 * 1800-1965 - at FamilySearch — index

Census
For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History &amp; Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of Nassau County, years parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Nassau County parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

The following church records are available online:


 * 1660s-1770 - Hicks, Benjamin D. "Records of the Society of Friends of Westbury, L.I.," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Births 1660s-1750s: Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct. 1885):171-175; Births 1710s-1770: Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul. 1886):218-222. Digital version at New York Family History ($); . Internet Archive has digitized Vol. 17, but not Vol. 16.


 * 1785-1878 - Frost, Josephine C. Marriages Recorded at Reformed Dutch Church, Manhasset, Long Island: 1785-1878, Also a Few Deaths 1841-1878. Brooklyn, N.Y., 1913. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1790-1900 - Quaker Marriages, Jericho Monthly Meeting, Long Island, New York. 1991. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Births 1812-1887, marriages 1790-1900, deaths 1813-1888.


 * 1800s - Register of Members, Jericho Monthly Meeting, Long Island, New York, courtesy: Dunham - Wilcox - Trott - Kirk.


 * Westbury Monthly Meeting and Nassau Monthly Meeting, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. III, courtesy: Ancestry ($).

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1906-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

 * Long Island Genealogy Surname Files Database at Long Island Genealogy - free.


 * Rootsweb message board for has many information threads about families that resided in that county. There is a search engine that allows you to search by surname and topic.

Land and Property
Original land records in began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online



Microforms



Books



Maps

 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Service men in Nausau County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.


 * - 14th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies A and B.
 * - 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 119th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.
 * - 139th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and I.
 * - 142nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.
 * - 145th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K.
 * - 155th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D and E.
 * - 176th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies C and D.
 * - 193rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.
 * - 194th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and C.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1791-1980 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1865-1957 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.


 * 1899-1986 The Nassau County Naturalization Project at Italian Genealogical Group - free.

Indexes

 * 1792-1989 Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 at Ancestry ($). This database is based on NARA's Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. All 5 boroughs are included.

The Family History Library has also acquired this comprehensive index for the years 1792 through 1906 on microfilm:. The courts this index covers are:


 * City Court of Brooklyn, 1836-1894
 * Kings County Court, 1806-1906
 * New York City Marine Court, 1806-1849
 * New York County Common Pleas Court, 1792-1895
 * New York County Superior Court, 1828-1895
 * New York City and County Supreme Court, 1868-1906
 * Queens County Court, 1799-1906
 * Queens County Surrogate Court, 1888-1898
 * Richmond County Court, 1869-1906
 * U.S. Circuit Court Southern District, 1846-1876
 * U.S. District Court Eastern District, (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties), 1865-1906
 * U.S. District Court Southern Court Southern District, (New York, Bronx and also Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Richmond, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester counties), 1824-1906

Newspapers

 * Long Island NY Daily Star 1881-1889
 * Long Island NY Star Journal 1938-1967

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * 1629 - 1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1659 - 1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1866 - 1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Libraries The Nassau Library System consists of 54 public libraries in Nassau County. Each library has access to genealogical databases - especially newspaper sites. Many are accessible with your library card from home. A list of the libraries in this system and their website and contact information is found here.

Courthouses
The Nassau County Clerk's office has marriage, land, court, military discharge and naturalization records as well as the state census. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Nassau County are held, see the Nassau County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers

 * Lynbrook New York Family History Center
 * Plainview New York Family History Center

Societies
Nassau County Historical Society Box 207 Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: 516-538-7679 Email: Natalie.A.Naylor"at"hofstra.edu

The Nassau County Historical Society Journal is the offical publication and released annually. The society has no research staff but their collection of books and manuscripts are located at:


 * Long Island Studies Institute
 * Joan And Donald E. Axinn Library, Room 032 123 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 11549-1230 Phone: 516-463-6411 Email: LISI@hofstra.edu

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Birth

 * 1881-1942 Reclaim the Records: New York State Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

Birth Substitutes


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.

Marriage

 * 1639-1962 - New York, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1664–1784 New York. Secretary of State, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued By the Secretary of the Province of New York, Previous to 1784 (Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1860). At Cornell University digital library-free; Internet Archive - free; Ancestry edition($); ; . Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.
 * 1847–1848 and 1908–1936 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1881-1964 Reclaim the Records: New York State Marriage Index at Archive.org - images of index
 * 1908–1915 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free;
 * 1908-1936 Nassau County Marriage Index at German Genealogy Group - free. Click on Database Searches for an index of  Nassau County, New York marriage records from 1904 - 1939.
 * 1908-1936 Nassau County Marriage Records 1908 to 1936 at Italian Genealogical Group - free.

Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.
 * 1740s-1840s George M. Easter Marriage Records at Virginia &amp; New York Genealogy - free.
 * 1770s-1830s Marriage Records Kept by Mr. John Hegeman (1754-1844) at DUNHAM - WILCOX - TROTT - KIRK.
 * 1793-1855 Register of Marriages Performed by the Rev. Marmaduke Earle at DUNHAM - WILCOX - TROTT - KIRK.
 * 1800–1855 New York Marriage Notices at Ancestry– ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state. Contains name of bride and groom, marriage date, marriage location, residence, and newspaper found in.
 * 1801–1880 Barber Collection- Newspaper Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
 * 1808–1848 Huntington American Revolution Bicentennial Committee and Daniel Darling Whitney, Marriages and Deaths (with Comments) From the Account Book of Darling Whitney and Daniel Darling Whitney of Woodbury, Long Island, New York, 1808-1848: Towns of Huntington and Oyster Bay.(Huntington, New York: Huntington Town Historian, 1977). - free; ;
 * 1839-1864 Stevens, Marian F. An Index to the Long Islander, 1839-1864, Marriages-Deaths. Huntington, New York : Huntington American Revolution Bicentennial Committee Huntington Historical Society, 1974..
 * 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as mid-westerners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.
 * 1878-1900 Roberts, David. Deaths and Marriages as Reported by the Long Islander at Long Island Genealogy - free.

Death
Death Indexes
 * 1824-1962 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1880-1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1880-1956 - New York, Death Index, 1880-1956 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1880-1956 - Reclaim the Records: New York State Death Index at Archive.org - images of index
 * 1957-1963 - at FamilySearch — Index only

Death Substitutes
 * 1795–1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. The entries are primarily from the IGI along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as Family Records, Church Records, and Civil Registration. There may be entries that cite a specific source.
 * 1801–1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
 * 1808–1848 Huntington American Revolution Bicentennial Committee and Daniel Darling Whitney, Marriages and Deaths (with Comments) From the Account Book of Darling Whitney and Daniel Darling Whitney of Woodbury, Long Island, New York, 1808-1848: Towns of Huntington and Oyster Bay.(Huntington, New York: Huntington Town Historian, 1977). - free; ;
 * 1839-1864 Stevens, Marian F. An Index to the Long Islander, 1839-1864, Marriages-Deaths. Huntington, New York : Huntington American Revolution Bicentennial Committee Huntington Historical Society, 1974..
 * 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.
 * 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.
 * 1878-1900 Roberts, David. Deaths and Marriages as Reported by the Long Islander at Long Island Genealogy - free.
 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for death information.
 * 1900-2003 Roberts, David. Suffolk-Times Obituaries 1900-2003 at Long Island Genealogy - free.
 * 1995-1999 Newsday (Long Island, NY) Obituaries, 1995-99 Nassau County, NY at NYGenWeb - free.

Additional Resources

Nassau County New York Genealogy Websites

 * Nassau County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Nassau County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Nassau County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Nassau County. (Backup site)
 * Long Island Genealogy
 * Nassau County Genealogy