Buffalo, Erie County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Buffalo, Erie County, New York ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

African American

 * African American history and genealogy sources available in the Grosvenor Room at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Black History in the Buffalo Area: A Bibliography by The Buffalo History Museum
 * Buffalo Criterion newspaper - African-American newspaper published in Buffalo, NY since 1925
 * Funeral Programs: African-Americans from Western NY, mid-20th century to 2007
 * Newspaper Obituaries: African-Americans from Western NY, dates vary; most seem to be around 1975-2002

Cemeteries



 * Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Cemetery Record Holdings - A research guide
 * Cemetery Records on Microfilm at The Buffalo History Museum

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


 * Buffalo Wards by Street 1915, 1920, and 1925 - Compiled by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.
 * Buffalo Wards and Census Tracts by Street, 1940

Church Records

 * 1853 - 1853 Membership List, North Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, N.Y., courtesy: Internet Archive.
 * 1876? - Catalogue of Members of Church Congregation, Lafayette Street, Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, N.Y., courtesy: Dunham - Wilcox - Trott - Kirk.
 * Church records at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Church records at The Buffalo History Museum, with links where available
 * Early Polish Priests of Western New York at Polish Genealogical Society of New York: biographies.
 * Records of Grace Lutheran Church, Buffalo, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

City Clerk
Tianna M. Marks, City Clerk Buffalo City Hall Room 1308 Niagara Square Buffalo, NY 14202 Phone: 716-851-5844 Email

Genealogy Records and Resources explains how to order Buffalo birth, marriage, and death certificates from the City Clerk's office.

City Historian
This position is vacant.

City Records

 * Black Rock Village, 1795-1854: History & Genealogy by The Buffalo History Museum, about the town that Buffalo annexed in 1854
 * City of Buffalo Inactive Records Center
 * No, City Hall Has Not Lost Records in a Fire at BuffaloResearch.com, debunks a newly emerging urban legend

Online City Records


 * Buffalo Town Proceedings, 1814-1837: Page scans courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum
 * Buffalo Common Council Proceedings, 1861-1922 full text editions, with gaps, courtesy of BuffaloResearch.com

Directories

 * The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library has digitized Buffalo city directories from 1832-1913. A detailed guide to the library's print holdings is available online.
 * Buffalo Research.com: City Directories has links to all known digitized city directories for Buffalo, plus a few for regional directories

History

 * Buffalo City Guide by Family Tree Magazine, July-August 2012
 * Buffalo history and genealogy research guides by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Buffalo History Museum Digital Collections
 * BuffaloResearch.com: Digital Library: Over 3,000 Buffalo-related books online for free in full text

Maps and Atlases

 * Buffalo & Erie County Atlases: Best Bets for Genealogists and House Researchers - A research guide by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Buffalo & Erie County Atlases in Our Collection by The Buffalo History Museum, with links where available
 * BuffaloResearch.com: Maps Over 200 historic and contemporary online maps of Buffalo
 * Buffalo Street Name Changes - Compiled by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.

Newspapers

 * Blasdell NY Frontier Herald 1956-1966
 * Buffalo NY Daily Courier 1847-1888
 * Buffalo NY Evening Courier and Republic 1862-1884
 * Buffalo NY Polish Weekly Review 1929-1930
 * Buffalo NY Morning Express 1880-1924

Online Newspapers and Guides

 * A Timeline of Buffalo Newspapers by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Buffalo & Western New York Newspapers at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Buffalo Newspapers on Microfilm at The Buffalo History Museum
 * BuffaloResearch.com: Online and Offline Newspapers with links where available
 * Erie County, New York Newspapers online at New York State Historic Newspapers

Obituaries

 * BuffaloResearch.com: Deaths has a compilation of all known online necrologies and obituary sources
 * Death Notices and Obituaries: Finding deaths in Buffalo & Erie County Newspapers by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.
 * 1911-1941 Dziennik Dla Wsystkich Death Notice Database at Polish Genealogical Society of New York: Obituaries of Polish individuals.


 * Newspaper Obituaries: African-Americans from Western NY, dates vary; most seem to be around 1975-2002

Taxation

 * The City of Buffalo Inactive Records Center has tax rolls from 1815-1997 and select assessors land maps for the City of Buffalo.
 * Tax Records for Buffalo: A list of owning libraries courtesy of WorldCat.org

Vital Records

 * BuffaloResearch.com: Vital Records: A chart showing 27 kinds of genealogical records in the 7 largest repositories in Buffalo and Erie County, with links
 * Vital and Related Records for Buffalo & Erie County: Research guides by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * An Index to births, marriages, and deaths found in select Buffalo & Erie County Publications by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Births

 * Polish Midwives of Western New York courtesy of the Polish Genealogical Society of New York

Marriages

 * 1935 1935 Buffalo, NY Marriages
 * The Why of This Book: Early Buffalo-area marriage and death announcements from Buffalo newspapers.
 * Index of marriages from Buffalo newspapers, 1811-1884: This book is not online but the WorldCat link shows you a list of libraries who have it
 * Marriages from Buffalo church records 1825-1900: This names are transcribed from microfilm of English-speaking Protestant church records. This book is not online but the WorldCat link shows you a list of libraries who have it.
 * A Select Index to the Bellringer, 1940-1945: An index of marriages, engagements, and deaths reported in the Bell Aviation company magazine, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Marriages and Deaths in the Pierce Arrow Newsletter, 1918 to 1922: An index of marriages and deaths reported in the Pierce-Arrow company newsletter, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * A Select Index to the Curtiss WrightER, 1943 to 1944: An index of marriages, engagements, and deaths reported in the Curtiss-Wright company magazine, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Deaths

 * 1852-1944: Index to Deaths in Buffalo, New York, 1852-1944: Courtesy of Reclaim the Records
 * 1882-1892: Buffalo Deaths, 1882-1892: Drawn from Buffalo city directories
 * BuffaloResearch.com: Deaths: Links to over 35 name lists, necrologies, and indexes
 * The Why of This Book: Early Buffalo-area marriage and death announcements from Buffalo newspapers.
 * A Select Index to the Bellringer, 1940-1945: An index of marriages, engagements, and deaths reported in the Bell Aviation company magazine, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * Marriages and Deaths in the Pierce Arrow Newsletter, 1918 to 1922: An index of marriages and deaths reported in the Pierce-Arrow company newsletter, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
 * A Select Index to the Curtiss WrightER, 1943 to 1944: An index of marriages, engagements, and deaths reported in the Curtiss-Wright company magazine, courtesy the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Voting Registers
Published official lists of registered voters for the City of Buffalo (1919-1961; 1969-1971) are available in the Grosvenor Room at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. The listings are arranged by ward--> district --> street address.


 * City of Buffalo ... official list of registered voters: These volumes are not online but the WorldCat link shows you which libraries have them

Websites

 * catalog for Buffalo
 * LDS Genealogy: Buffalo
 * Linkpendium: Erie County, New York
 * Buffalo is part of Erie County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.

Yearbooks

 * Buffalo Digital Library: Yearbooks: Links to over 80 online Buffalo & Erie County yearbooks, courtesy of BuffaloResearch.com via Raindrop.io
 * Yearbooks & School Publications, Buffalo & Erie County: A bibliography of offline volumes in the collection of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.