Bronx Borough, New York Genealogy

United States New York  New York City  Bronx County

Officially, the Borough of Bronx is one of five boroughs of greater New York City since 1914. The county is coterminous with the Borough of Bronx (meaning they have identical borders.)

Borough
The Bronx does not have a county government. The county is part of the greater New York City, as a borough. The borders are common to The Bronx borough.

Boundary Changes
1664 Yorkshire became the first large government unit (not actually a county) organized by New York after the English took control from 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 extinguished Yorkshire. What later became the Bronx was then created part of Westchester County from part of Yorkshire. 1874 The West Bronx was annexed to New York County. 1895 Areas east of the Bronx River were annexed to New York County. 1898 What became the five boroughs were consolidated into New York City, and her county governments were dissolved. The Bronx joined New York City attached to Manhattan. 1914 Bronx was separated from Manhattan. Bronx borough/county borders are the same.

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.

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


 * The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see Directories.

Federal
Before the annexation, see Westchester County.

Church Records
Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History &amp; Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of the Bronx, years when parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Parishes in the Bronx fall under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New York.


 * Records of Burials in the Dutch Church, New York. New York, USA: Reformed Dutch Church, 1899. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Church Histories

 * Attwood, Frederick L. History of Fordham Manor Reformed Church: 2703 Reservoir Avenue, Bronx, New York, 1696-1946. Bronx, N.Y.?: The Church?, 1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Campbell, John. History of the Church of the Mediator: Kingsbridge, New York. New York: unknown, 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Henry, Atley W. Fordham Manor Reformed Church: 2703 Reservoir Avenue, New York 63, New York: 250th Anniversary Historical Pageant. Bronx, N.Y.?: The Church?, 1991. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 250th Anniversary Services Celebrating the Foundation of Fordham Manor Reformed Church: 2703 Reservoir Avenue, New York 63, New York : November 17, through November 24, 1946.. Bronx, N.Y.?: The Church?, 1991. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

History
Origins and name of the Bronx


 * The Bronx was called Rananchqua by the native Siwanoy band of Lenape ("the Delawares" to Europeans), while other Native Americans knew the Bronx as Keskeskeck. It was divided by the Aquahung River.


 * Jonas Bronck (died 1643), a Dutch sea-captain born in Sweden (about 1600), entering New Netherland in 1639, became the first recorded European settler in the area. He leased land from the Dutch West India Company on the neck of the mainland immediately north of the Dutch settlement in Harlem, and bought additional tracts from the local tribes. He eventually accumulated 500 acres (about 200 hectares, 2 square km, or 3/4 of a square mile) between the Harlem River and the Aquahung, which became known as Bronck's River, or "the Bronx". Dutch and English settlers referred to the area as Bronck's Land.


 * The Bronx is referred to, both legally, and colloquially, with a definite article, as The Bronx. (The name of the coterminous Bronx County, or more formally the County of Bronx, does not include a the, nor does the United States Postal Service in its database of Bronx addresses.) The name for this region, apparently after the Bronx River, first appeared in the Annexed District of the Bronx created in 1874 out of part of Westchester County and was continued in the Borough of the Bronx, which included a larger annexation from Westchester County in 1898. The use of the definite article is attributed to the style of referring to rivers. Another explanation for the use of the definite article in the borough's name is that the original form of the name was possessive: The Bronck’s or The Broncks’ (referring to the family).

Before 1914


 * The development of the Bronx is directly connected to its strategic location between New England and New York (Manhattan). Control over the bridges across the Harlem River plagued the period of British colonial rule. Kingsbridge, built in 1693 where Broadway reached the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, was a possession of the lords of Philipse Manor. The tolls they charged were resented by Bronx farmers with crops and cattle to sell in New York. It was angry farmers who built a "free bridge" across the Harlem River which led to the abandonment of tolls altogether.


 * The territory now contained within Bronx County was originally part of Westchester County, one of the 12 original counties of the English Province of New York. The present Bronx County was contained in the town of Westchester and parts of the towns of Yonkers, Eastchester, and Pelham. In 1846, a new town, West Farms, was created by division of Westchester; in turn, in 1855, the town of Morrisania was created from West Farms. In 1873, the town of Kingsbridge (roughly corresponding to the modern Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, Riverdale, and Woodlawn) was established within the former borders of Yonkers.


 * The consolidation of the Bronx into New York City proceeded in two stages. In 1873, the state legislature annexed Kingsbridge, West Farms and Morrisania to New York, effective in 1874; the three towns were abolished in the process.[20][21] In 1895, three years before New York's consolidation with Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, the whole of the territory east of the Bronx River, including the Town of Westchester (which had voted in 1894 against consolidation) and portions of Eastchester and Pelham, were annexed to the city. City Island, a nautical community, voted to join the city in 1896.


 * 1 January 1898: The consolidated City of New York was born, including the Bronx as one of the five distinct Boroughs. (At the same time the Bronx's territory moved from Westchester County into New York County, which already contained Manhattan and the rest of pre-1874 New York City.)


 * 19 April 1912: Those parts of New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County in the past decades were newly constituted as Bronx County, the 62nd and last county to be created by the state, effective in 1914. Bronx County's courts opened for business on January 2, 1914 (the same day that John P. Mitchel started work as Mayor of New York City). Source:

Jewish Records
The Museum of Family History has compiled a list of synagogues that operated in the Bronx. Synagogue names, addresses, and town associations (nationalities) are included.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Bronx County for European settlers included:


 * Ellis Island, Castle Garden, etc.
 * the Atlantic Ocean
 * Long Island Sound
 * Hudson River with connections to:
 * Mohawk River
 * Lake Champlain with connections to Richelieu River, Chambly Canal &amp; St. Lawrence River
 * Lake Champlain Trail pre-historic
 * Champlain Canal 1823
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * King's Highway (or Boston Post Road, or New York-Philadelphia Post Road) 1664
 * Albany Post Road (or Queen's Road, or King's Road) 1669
 * Hudson River Path
 * Great Shamokin Path
 * Delaware and Raritan Canal 1834

Military Records
Civil War

Civil War service men in Albany County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.


 * -135th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1824–1941 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.


 * 1914-1952 Bronx Borough Naturalization Index Project at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * 1917-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.

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

Probate Records
West Bronx (west of the Bronx River)


 * Early to 1874 see Westchester County, New York
 * 1874 to 1913 see New York (Manhattan) County, New York
 * 1914 to present contact the Bronx County Surrogate's Court

East Bronx (east of the Bronx River)


 * Early to 1895 see Westchester County, New York
 * 1895 to 1913 see New York (Manhattan) County, New York
 * 1914 to present contact the Bronx County Surrogate's Court

No online probate indexes or records are available yet for the Bronx, nor are any on microfilm.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Bronx County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1988). ExLibris digital copy - free; ; Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries, and Museums
City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum 190 Fordham Street P.O. Box 82 Bronx, New York 10464 Phone: 718-885-0008 Email: CIHS@cityislandmuseum.org


 * Focuses on nautical, marine, sailing, boat-building history and City Island families.

Kingsbridge Historical Society 426 West 259th Street Bronx, New York 10471 Phone: 718-796-1195

Lehman College Library of the City University of New York 250 Bedford Park Blvd, West Bronx, New York 10468-1589 Phone: 718-960-8577 and 718-960-7766 Email: libref@lehman.cuny.edu

Bronx Library Center New York Public Library 310 East Kingsbridge Road Bronx, New York 10458 Phone: 718-579-4244

Borough Historian
Official Bronx Historian 3309 Bainbridge Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 Phone: 718-881-8901

Borough Registrar
New York City Registrar Borough of the Bronx Bronx Business Center 1932 Arthur Avenue, Third Floor Bronx, New York 10457 Phone: 718-579-6820


 * Official record of real estate and personal property transfers, recording deeds and mortgages

City Clerk's Office
City Clerk's Office Bronx Office Supreme Court Building 851 Grand Concourse Bronx, New York 10451 Phone: 718-590-5307


 * Marriages from 1866 to 1907
 * After 1907 if bride's residence or licenses of nonresidents was obtained in the Bronx

County Historian's Office
Dr. Lloyd Ultan 3309 Bainbridge Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 Phone: 718-881-8901

The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

Courthouses
The County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, court and naturalization records. For further information about where the records for Bronx County are held, see the Bronx County Courthouses page.

Societies
The Bronx County Historical Society


 * Administration Office 3309 Bainbridge Avenue The Bronx, NY 10467 Phone: (718) 881-8900 Fax: (718) 881-4827 Email: administration@bronxhistoricalsociety.org Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm


 * Research Library 3309 Bainbridge Avenue The Bronx, NY 10467 Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9 am - 5 pm by appointment only To book an appointment or for general questions, contact the librarian at (718) 881-8900 Email: librarian@bronxhistoricalsociety.org


 * The Bronx County Archives Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm by appointment only To book an appointment, contact the archivist via email at archivist@bronxhistoricalsociety.org

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch)

Birth
A digital version of the Family History Library's guide to New York City birth records is available.


 * 1881-1965 Births Reported in the City of New York, 1881-1965;.


 * 1891-1902 Births Reported in the City of New York, 1891-1902 at Ancestry ($).


 * 1898-1909 Borough of the Bronx Certificate and Record of Birth, 1898-1909;.


 * 1898-1964 Birth Index at Vital Search ($).


 * 1901-1909 New York City Births at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * 1901-1909 New York City Birth index at German Genealogy Group - free.

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.


 * 1851-2003 Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Announcements, 1851-2003 at Ancestry ($) - includes New York Times.

Marriage
A digital version of the Family History Library's guide to New York City marriages is available.


 * 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.


 * 1888-1937 New York City Index to Marriages in All Boroughs, 1888-1937;.


 * 1898-1937 New York City Grooms Index at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * 1898-1937 New York City Grooms Record index at German Genealogy Group - free.


 * 1899-1937 New York City Brides Record Index at German Genealogy Group - free.


 * 1899-1937 New York City Brides Index at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * 1898-1937 Bronx Marriage Certificates, 1897-1938; Groom Index, 1898-1937;.


 * 1898-1937 Bronx, New York Marriage Index to Brides, 1898-1937; Index to Delayed Marriages, 1902-1907;.


 * 1898-1913 Marriage Index at Vital Search ($).

Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.


 * 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."


 * 1851-2003 Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Announcements, 1851-2003 at Ancestry ($) - includes New York Times.


 * 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 browseable.

Death
A digital version of the Family History Library's guide to New York City death records is available.


 * 1888-1965 Index to Deaths, New York City, 1888-1965;.


 * 1892-1902 Deaths Reported in the City of New York. New York: Department of Health. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1898-1948 New York City Death Index at German Genealogy Group - free.


 * 1898-1948 New York City Death Records Search 1891-1948 at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * 1898-1948 Bronx Death Certificates, 1898-1948;.


 * 1898-1965 Department of Health. Index to Deaths, New York City, 1888-1965;.


 * 1898-1937 Death Index at Vital Search ($).

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."


 * 1851-2003 Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Announcements, 1851-2003 at Ancestry ($) - includes New York Times.


 * 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 browseable.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for death information.


 * 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.


 * 1909-1911 The Forgotten of Ellis Island - Deaths in Quarantine, 1909-1911 - free.

Additional Resources

Web Sites

 * The Bronx County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Bronx County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Bronx County. (Mirror site)