New York, New York City Municipal Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an Index to New York municipal death records. The records come from the five-borough city. The time period varies by borough (county): New York City (Manhattan) 1795-1949, Bronx 1898-1948, Brooklyn 1847-1949, Queens 1898-1949, and Richmond 1898-1949.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Death
 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age in years, months and days
 * Length of residence in community
 * Institution where died
 * Date and place of birth
 * Gender, race, marital status, and occupation
 * Cause of death
 * Parents names, including maiden name of mother
 * Parents' birth place
 * Father's occupation
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Name of physician or person reporting death and their residence
 * Place and date of interment

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * The place where the death occurred
 * The approximate death date

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents (if the deceased is a child) to locate church and land records
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have died or been buried in the same county or nearby This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Check for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * Consult the New York Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of New York.
 * New York Guided Research
 * New York Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step New York Research, 1880-Present

Updated Article Headers – February 7, 2022

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Bronx death certificates, 1898-1948
 * Brooklyn death certificates, 1862-1897
 * Brooklyn death certificates, 1898-1920
 * Brooklyn death certificates, 1919-1949
 * Death certificates (Manhattan, New York), 1919-1948
 * Manhattan death certificates, 1866-1919 ; index, 1868-1890 : Works Projects Administration, project no. 265-1-97-28; Work project no. 1
 * Manhattan death registers, 1795-1865
 * Manhattan bodies in transit, 1859-1894
 * Queens (New York) death certificates, 1898-1949
 * Index to deaths, Richmond County, New York, 1847-1897
 * Richmond County, New York death certificates, 1898-1949

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.