Review of a presentation by Harry Macy, Jr., FASG, FGBS

Before attempting New York City research it is helpful, and often necessary, to acquire an understanding of the political and administrative history of the area.. Prior to the creation of present-day New York City in 1898, records were maintained by the various local authorities. In 1874 New York City, which had gradually expanded to include the whole of Manhattan island, annexed the towns of Kingsbridge, West Farms and Morrisania from Westchester County. This new area was called The Annexed District, or Northside. In 1895 the eastern part of lower Westchester County, which included the town of Westchester plus pieces of Eastchester and Pelham, was also added to New York City. In 1898 the entire area became the borough of The Bronx but remained part of New York County. In 1914 the county of The Bronx was officially formed.

In 1834 the City of Brooklyn was formed from the old Village and Town of Brooklyn. In 1854 Brooklyn annexed the town of Bushwick and the city of Williamsburg, called the Eastern District. In 1886 New Lots, which included East New York, was added; in 1894 New Utrecht, Flatbush and Gravesend; and in 1896 Flatlands. This made all of Kings County part of the City of Brooklyn, which in 1898 became the Borough of Brooklyn and part of New York City.

Queens County originally included what is now Nassau County. In 1898 the western part of Queens (Long Island City - with vital records from 1870 - Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica, and the Rockaway Peninsula which had been part of the Town of Hempstead) all merged into New York City as the Borough of Queens. In 1899 the Eastern portion of Queens, which still remained outside the city, was separated to form Nassau County.

Staten Island consisted of the towns of Castleton, Northfield, Westfield, Southfield, and Middletown, plus some incorporated villages. In 1898 it too became part of New York City as the Borough of Richmond. It is currently the Borough of Staten Island, County of Richmond. 

Census Records: Special Schedules were taken with the regular Federal Censuses. The 1890 census includes a veterans and widows of veterans of the Civil War schedule. The 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses include schedules for mortality, manufacturing, agriculture, and defective and dependent classes. The special schedules taken with the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses were destroyed after the statistics were recorded. The mortality schedules are important because in areas where vital records were not kept, e.g. Queens County before 1880, they are the only surviving records of deaths. The manufacturing schedules include small businesses. The defective schedule includes individuals with physical problems, and the dependent schedule lists persons in institutions, including orphanages and prisons. New York State census records were taken between the years of the Federal censuses. They are not indexed, but there are finding aids if one has an address. City Directories are a good source for locating addresses. Phone Directories only began to be published in the mid 1920's.

Vital Records: New York City death records start in 1801, birth and marriage in 1853. Brooklyn City death records start in 1848, birth and marriage in 1866. Long Island City birth and death records start in 1871, and marriage in 1881. State law required towns and villages to record birth, marriage and death records from 1847 to 1849, and from 1881. The certificates were sent to Albany, but ledgers were also kept locally. Most of these ledgers for towns that eventually became part of New York City are available at the Municipal Archives, which also holds certificates for births to 1909, deaths to 1948, and Health Department marriage certificates to 1937 when the Department stopped keeping marriage records. The Municipal Archives also has City Clerk Marriage License Bureau files from 1908 to 1929 and Coroner Inquests. Deaths were almost always registered but birth and marriage records are incomplete before 1900. 

Church Records: Besides Soundex indexes to the Federal Censuses, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created an inventory of New York State and New York City church records by denomination. This inventory includes when the church was established, what kind of records it holds, the number of volumes, and some information on schools. The WPA also made Guides. The Catholic volume for the Archdiocese of Manhattan covers three of the five counties in New York City. They include histories, when the facility started to keep records, span of years of the registers, church related organizations, and Roman Catholic institutions, and schools. Unfortunately, New York City Catholic parish records are not filmed, except for St. Peter's, the oldest Roman Catholic parish in the city, established in 1784. This film is available at the New York Genealogical and Biographical (NYG&B) Society Library. 

Land Records are found in each borough's Office of City Register and in Staten Island's City Clerk's Office. Each holds two sets of books of genealogical interest - deeds and mortgages. There is an index by block and lot numbers, and an alphabetical index for grantor/grantee for deeds, and mortgagor/mortgagee for mortgages.

Probate / Surrogate's Court: Each county has its own Surrogate’s Court holding three principal sets of genealogically relevant records: wills, administrations, and guardianships - a person appointed to represent a minor's interest in a probate. These records may be kept separately or consolidated. Always ask to see the complete file not just the liber copies. Check for probates and administrations of siblings, aunts and uncles, and other relatives - especially those that died while single, or widowed without children, since these generally provide a more diverse group of heirs. 

Cemetery and Funeral Directors: Some good sources for research include burial records, interment lists and monument inscriptions. Some cemeteries had pamphlets or publications. Fairchild Funeral Home published The Fairchild Cemetery Manual. Check for other funeral home records or collections. Also check Rosemary Ardolina's book, Old Calvary Cemetery: New Yorkers Carved in Stone, and Joseph Silinonte's on tombstone inscriptions in Holy Cross Cemetery. 

Major Libraries & Government Offices: The New York City Public Library, NYG&B Society, New York Historical Society, Queensborough Public Library (Jamaica), Brooklyn Public Library (Grand Army Plaza), Bronx Historical Society, Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, and large university libraries. Also the Municipal Archives, Health Department, Office of the City Clerk, Marriage License Bureau, Surrogate's Courts, County Clerk's Office, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints Family History Centers, and the National Archives and Records Administration. 

Other Sources: Civil and Criminal Court Records, Naturalization Records, Voter Records, Employment Records, School Records, The Irish Emigrant Savings Bank Records, Federal and State Military Records, Almshouse Records, Assessment Rolls, the Brooklyn Eagle Almanac (1886-1929), Stokes Iconography of NYC (1600-1909), the Encyclopedia of New York City, maps, tax photos, and major photo collections found at the Municipal Archives, the New York City Public Library (42nd St.), the New York Historical Society, and the Museum of the City of New York, and papers and records kept by other family members.

Guides: Genealogical Resources in the New York Metropolitan Area published by the Jewish Genealogical Society and sometimes referred to as the JGS Guide, Fred Knapp's New York Public Records Guide, Rosalie Fellows Bailey's Guide to Genealogical and Biographical Sources for New York City (Manhattan) 1783-1898, and Marion Casey & Nancy Shea's The Irish Experience in New York City, A Select Bibliography. Keep up to date with newsletters from organizations such as the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, the Irish Family History Forum, the Jewish Genealogical Society, and others.

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