New York Vital Records

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Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the New York Vital Records State Department of Health.

For Vital Records of New York City Click here.

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Vital Records Reference Dates
New York's vital records outside New York City start the following years:


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New York Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online
The following is a list of online resources useful for locating New York Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for New York Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.  


 * New York Databases listed on Rootsweb.com - Free
 * USGenWeb.org New York Site - Free
 * Search for New York Collections on FamilySearch Record Search under Canada, USA, and Mexico - Free
 * Linkpendium Links for New York Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
 * Search the New York Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Records at Ancestry.com - $
 * Order New York Certificates online - $


 * New York State Library Information on obtaining vital records in New York state
 * Suffolk County GenWeb Information on ordering vital records in New York state
 * Italian Genealogical Group Index of many of the vital records of New York City and Long Island
 * New York Genealogy--Vital Records Organizes vital record sources by locality in New York

If you are aware of other online databases, please feel free to add them.

Records of Births and Deaths
Statewide registration of vital statistics began in 1880 and was usually complied with by 1890 for deaths and by 1915 for births. In some areas of Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley, some births, marriages, and deaths were recorded in town records as early as about 1665. For example, Amenia, Dutchess County, has vital records beginning in 1749.

Births, marriages, and deaths were also recorded for a short time in most counties from 1847 to about 1850. The state legislature passed a law in 1847 requiring school district clerks to send information to the Secretary of State. The law was difficult to enforce, and most school districts stopped doing this by 1852. Historical societies have some of these records, but most are still in the possession of town and county clerks. The very few 1847–1850 vital records that were once on deposit in the New York State Archives have been returned to the towns that deposited them at the archives.

Some cities had pre-1880 registration, such as :

You can learn more about the history and availability of vital records in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in New York State (Including New York City). The Family History Library has vital records for a few counties, mostly from 1847–1850 and marriages from 1908 to the 1930s.

Births and deaths are recorded in the town, village, or city where the event took place. A copy is sent to the New York Bureau of Vital Statistics. If you know the birth or death place, write to the town, village, or city clerk to obtain a copy of the certificate or record. A microfiche index to births 1881–1918 and deaths 1880–1943 is available for public use at the state archives. The indexes do not cover New York City. The archives will search and abstract the indexes for a fee. You can obtain births and deaths since 1880 (except New York City) for a fee by writing to:

New York State Department of Health Bureau of Vital Records Empire State Plaza, Tower Building Albany, New York 12237-0023 Telephone: 518-474-3077 or 518-474-3030 Internet: http://www.health.state.ny.us/vital_records/

There is a 50-year restriction on death records and a 75-year restriction on birth records. The state fees and restrictions apply also to records held by the local clerks.

Birth and death records for Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers to 1914 are filed with local registrars, and the state restrictions apply.

Albany births and deaths 1848, births 1866 to the present, and deaths 1870 to the present can be obtained for a fee from:

Registrar of Vital Statistics City Hall, Room 107 24 Eagle Street Albany, NY 12207 Internet: http://www.health.state.ny.us/vital_records/mailrequests.htm

Buffalo births 1878–1914, and deaths 1852–1914, can be obtained for a fee from:

Bureau of Vital Statistics City Hall, Room 613 Niagara Square Buffalo, NY 14202 Telephone: 716-851-5848 Internet: http://www.buffaloresearch.com/vital.html

Yonkers births and deaths 1875 to the present can be obtained for a fee from:

Registrar of Vital Statistics City Hall Yonkers, NY 10701 Telephone: 914-964-3066 Internet: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nysuffol/vroi.html

New York City. The New York City counties of Kings, Queens, Richmond, and New York were established in 1683. The Bronx was made a separate borough when the five boroughs were created in 1898, and in 1914 it was made a separate county as well. Between 1898 and 1914 the Bronx was part of New York County but not part of the Borough of Manhattan. For more in-depth treatment of vital records in New York City and its bouroughs Click Here.

Provincial Marriage Licenses
Marriages in colonial times were initiated either by publishing the banns in church on three successive Sundays or by obtaining a civil marriage bond and license. The Prerogative Court granted marriage licenses between 1753 and 1783. Most people published the banns since buying a license could cost a month's wages.

Marriage bonds, 1753–1783, that were recorded at the Secretary of State's Office in Albany appear in New York Marriages Previous to 1784. The book lists names of brides and grooms, date of the bond (not the marriage), bond volume, and page numbers. Many marriage bonds were destroyed in a fire in 1911. Those that survived are at the state archives. The full data from these remaining bonds is transcribed in Kenneth Scott's New York Marriage Bonds, 1753–1783

About 152,000 individuals are indexed in Marriage Index: Selected Areas of New York, 1639–1916 These marriages were originally indexed by Knshp publishers. The index is especially good for the years prior to 1810 and in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys from 1810–1899.

County Marriage Records
New York is one of the few states that does not have county marriage records dating back to the time when each county was formed. From 1908–1935, county clerks kept copies of marriages filed with the town clerks and also sent copies to Albany. Some counties, though, recorded marriages only to 1916 or 1926. The Family History Library has county marriage records on microfilm for all upstate counties except Albany, Dutchess, and Erie.

Town and State Marriage Records
Town and city clerks generally began registering marriages in 1881. Copies are sent to the state capital in Albany. Between 1847 and about 1850, before the state began registering vital statistics, some marriages were recorded by justices of the peace, and some were recorded by school districts. Some justice of the peace registers have been published in the periodicals Tree Talks and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.

If you know where a marriage took place, you can write to the town, village, or city clerk to request a copy of the certificate or record. A microfiche index to marriages, 1881–1943, is available for public use at the New York State Archives. This index does not include New York City. The archives will search and abstract the index for a fee. If you do not know the exact place of marriage and are willing to wait six or seven months for a reply, you can get marriage records (including those from Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers, 1908 to the present) for a fee by writing to the State Department of Health.

There is a 75-year restriction on marriage information needed for genealogical purposes. The state fees and restrictions apply when obtaining records from the village, town, and city clerks. For more information, go to http://www.health.state.ny.us/vital_records/genealogy.htm

The Family History Library has not filmed the city marriages of Albany, Buffalo, or Yonkers. Albany city marriages 1848 and 1870–1917 and county marriages 1908–1936 are available at:

Albany County Hall of Records 250 South Pearl Street Albany, NY 12202 Telephone: 518-447-4500 Internet: http://www.albanycounty.com/achor/

Albany city marriages, 1920 to the present, are also available at the Albany City Clerk's office (24 Eagle Street, Albany, NY 12207; Telephone: 518-434-5081). You can get Buffalo marriages 1837–1935 by writing to the Erie County Clerk's offices. Buffalo marriages 1935 to the present and Yonkers marriages 1900 to the present can be obtained from the respective city registrars of vital statistics.

Gretna Greens. When an eloping New York couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like:


 * Niagara Falls, New York
 * Ogdensburgh, St. Lawrence, New York
 * Buffalo, Erie, New York
 * Crown Point, Essex, New York
 * Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
 * Elkton, Cecil, Maryland

Published Newspaper Notices of Marriages and Deaths
For New York City's five boroughs and some other counties, many newspaper notices of births, marriages, and deaths have been published. See New York Newspapers for a partial list. In the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog, these notices are listed under:

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - NEWSPAPERS

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - OBITUARIES

Check also under the state and county levels.

You will also find that many church marriage records have been published or have been microfilmed for the five boroughs. You can look for these in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under:

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS

An example is:

New York City Methodist Marriages, 1785–1893 contains a groom index and a bride index, each of which has about 41,000 names.

Divorce Records
Before 1787, divorce was practically nonexistent in New York. Some petitions for divorce were made to the governor or legislature, but only a few were granted. Records of divorces granted by acts of the legislature consist both of the legislative act and petitions that were sent to the legislature. Acts of divorce are indexed in the index mentioned under the "Law and Legislation" page.

From 1787–1847, divorces were recorded in chancery court records. Chancery court divorces are at the state archives.

ince 1846, the supreme court has recorded divorce proceedings. Many people before 1966 found it easier to obtain a divorce out of state. Access to supreme court divorce records less than 100 years old is prohibited without judicial permission. You must obtain a court order to see a file. The actual trial records are sealed.

The Family History Library has microfilmed very few divorce judgments. For New York County, only the index to divorce records has been microfilmed in Index to Matrimonial Actions, 1784–1910

Adoption Records
The New York State Department's Adoption Registry provides a method for adopted children and birth parents to share information and possibly have a reunion. The Web site explains how this is done and the restrictions. For instance, only an adoptee who was born and adopted in New York State can register.

Substitute Records
These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.

Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.

Census: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.

Newspapers: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.

Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted early birth, marriage and death information.

Military Records: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information, In addition, soldiers' homes records can included this same information.

Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.

History: Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the Family History Library catalog.

Tips

 * Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the realtionship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time to the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
 * If you are unabale to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record birth, marriages and deaths.
 * Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
 * Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for New York to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by that county.