Indexes to NYC Vital Records
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Originally published
in The NYG&B Newsletter, Summer 1998 and Summer 1999
The NYG&B
Library has expanded its collection for research in New York City vital
records. In 1998 we acquired more than 500 microfilms, which include most
of the available indexes for the five-borough city of the 20th century and
for the 19th century cities of New York and Brooklyn and other predecessors
of the five boroughs. The films were purchased from the Genealogical Society
of Utah with a generous grant from the A. Douglas Henderson Foundation,
and with the permission of the Municipal Archives of the City of New York,
which holds most of the original records.
In 1999, the Library
further extended this collection to cover various pre-1898 vital records
and indexes for Long Island City and the former towns and villages of Bronx,
Kings, Queens and Richmond counties. Purchase of these films was made possible
by a generous grant from the Sidney and Judith Kranes Charitable Trust.
(See Before the Five-Borough City: The Old
Cities, Towns and Villages That Came Together to Form "Greater New York",
for maps showing where the former communities were located and when they
were absorbed by the city.)
We now have a
nearly complete collection of all 19th and 20th century vital records indexes,
and copies of any birth, marriage and death records for which there are
no indexes. NYG&B members still have to utilize the Municipal Archives
or Family History Library to obtain copies of indexed certificates, but
much time should be saved by doing index work in our library.
Since all of this
material is on microfilm, access is limited to members of the Society. The
same films may also be accessed through the Family History Library in Salt
Lake City.
New York State
law first required the keeping of vital records in 1847, but few communities
continued to comply after 1849. Over the next thirty years vital records
were rarely kept except in some of the state's cities, including New York
City, Brooklyn, and also Long Island City from just after its incorporation
in 1870. It was not until 1880-81 that towns and villages resumed registering
births, marriages and deaths. Town and village clerks forwarded the certificates
to Albany, but kept copies of the certificate data in ledgers.
When a community
was absorbed into either New York City or Brooklyn, its ledgers were
turned
over to the city. The ledgers, and indexes to most of them, are now in
the Municipal Archives of the City of New York, and these are the records
found
on the microfilms. For more information, please see New
York City Vital Records Research. The corresponding
certificates are still at the State Department of Health in Albany and
are listed
in the
State vital records indexes. Copies of the certificates may be ordered
from Albany by mail. For more information, please see the NYS Department
of Health
website: http://www.health.state.ny.us/
Following is a
list of films held by the NY&B Library. Titles in quotes are those on
the film boxes. Numbers in brackets [ ] are NYG&B Library call numbers,
all prefixed "N.Y.C. G." 
City of New York Before 1898
(Includes Manhattan and adjacent islands; western Bronx from 1874; eastern
Bronx from 1895; all part of New York County)
New York City
Births Before 1898
- 1830-1865 card index
["Manhattan Birth Index," 18 reels. A few cards from 1830-1852,
mostly delayed registrations; annual indexes for subsequent years]
- 1866-1881 card index
["Manhattan Birth Index," 50 reels, by years or groups of years]
- 1881-1897 printed
soundex ["N.Y.C. Birth Index 1881-1965," by groups of years]
- 1888-1897 printed
index ["Birth Record Indexes, N.Y.C. Dept. of Health," reels
1-4, filmed at NYPL]
New York City
Marriages Before 1898
- 1830-1854 registers
["New York County Marriage Records 1830-1854," 1 reel, mostly civil marriages
by mayor and other officials, from N.Y. County Clerk's Office; one chronological
series, unindexed, but there is indexed transcript by Ray C. Sawyer at NYPL,
and see next entry]
- 1829-1865 registers
["Registers of Marriages, N.Y.C.," 2 reels. Original 1847-48 and 1853-65
Health Dept. registers with entries from above 1830-1854 registers and other
sources added later]
- 1866-1887 card index -
groom ["Manhattan Groom Card Indexes 1866-1893," by groups of years,
reels 1-4]
- 1888-1897 printed index
- groom [in "N.Y.C. Marriage Index 1898-1937," reels 1-2]
-
1866-1897
card index - bride ["Manhattan Bride Card Index, 1866-1937," reels
1-8, by years or groups of years]
New York
City Deaths Before
1898
- 1795-1865 registers
["Manhattan Registers of Deaths," 19 reels. The Library's old set of these
reels has been replaced with a new copy. Begins with victims of the fever
epidemic of 1795. Regular registers start 1801 and cover 1801-1804, part
of 1808, and then are continuous 1812-1865.]
- 1866-1867 certificates
["Manhattan Death Certificates," 19 reels. For these years certificates
were filmed in alphabetical order and there is no index. Certificates for
cholera and coroner's cases filmed separately, on first reel.]
-
1868-1887
card index ["Manhattan Index to Deaths," by year, 89 reels] 1888-1897
printed index ["Manhattan and Brooklyn Death Indexes 1888-1899," 2 reels]
New York City
Coroner's Records Before 1898
- 1823-1898 inquisitions
["Coroner's Inquisitions," 101 reels, chronological. For index 1823-48 see
Kenneth Scott, Coroners' Reports, New York City , 2 vols. (NYG&B, 1989,
1991, call no. N.Y. G 12). Similar records for 1790-1820 and 1899-1918 are
to be added later.]
Bronx
(former Westchester County Towns)
(Before annexation
to New York City 1895)
Bronx (former
Westchester Co. Towns) Births
-
1880-95
Villages of South Mount Vernon and Wakefield (parts of the Town of Eastchester)
[1.011]
-
1881-95
Town of Westchester [1.011]
Bronx (former
Westchester Co. Towns) Marriages
-
1880-95
Villages of South Mount Vernon and Wakefield (parts of the Town of Eastchester)
[1.021]
-
1882-95
Town of Westchester [1.021]
Bronx (former
Westchester Co. Towns) Deaths
-
1878-81,
1890-95 Villages of South Mount Vernon and Wakefield (parts of the Town
of Eastchester) [1.031]
-
1887-95
Town of Westchester [1.031]
City
of Brooklyn
and Kings County Towns Before 1898
(The City of
Brooklyn was expanded in stages 1855-1896 to include all of Kings County;
towns kept their own records before they became part of Brooklyn)
Brooklyn Births
- 1869 register [on reel
with "Brooklyn Death Liber"]
- 1866-1880 card index
["Index to Brooklyn Birth Certificates," one alphabetical series, 10 reels]
- 1881-1897 printed soundex
[in "N.Y.C. Birth Index 1881-1965," reels 1-2]
Kings County
Town Births
- 1847-51, 1880-94 Town
of Flatbush (annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.012, index 1.0121]
- 1880-95 Town of Flatlands
(annexed to Brooklyn 1896) [1.012]
- 1880-94 Town of Gravesend
(annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.012]
- 1880-94 Town of New
Utrecht (annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.012]
- 1881-86 Town of New
Lots (part of Flatbush before 1852; annexed to Brooklyn 1886) [1.012]
Brooklyn Marriages
-
1894-1897
printed index - groom [in "N.Y.C. Marriage Index 1898-1937," reel
1]
Kings County
Town Marriages
- 1847-51 Town of Flatbush
(annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.022]
Brooklyn Deaths
- 1848-1861 registers
["Brooklyn Death Liber"; records for 1854-56 missing]
- 1848-1866 card index
["Brooklyn Index to Deaths," one alphabetical series, 7 reels]
- 1862-1895 card index
["Index to Brooklyn Death Certificates," by year, 69 reels, see note in
catalog regarding entries filmed out of order in 1877-1879]
-
1895-1897
printed index [in "Manhattan and Brooklyn Death Indexes 1888-1899,"
2 reels.]
Kings County
Town Deaths
- 1847-51, 1880-94 Town
of Flatbush (annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.032, index 1.0321]
- 1880-95 Town of Flatlands
(annexed to Brooklyn 1896) [1.032, index 1.0321]
- 1880-94 Town of Gravesend
(annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.032, index 1.0321]
- 1880-94 Town of New
Utrecht (annexed to Brooklyn 1894) [1.032, index 1.0321]
- 1881-86 Town of New
Lots (part of Flatbush before 1852; annexed to Brooklyn 1886) [1.032, index
1.0321]
Queens
County Before 1898
(All became part of New York City 1898)
Note: some records
extend into January 1898. Before 1898 the villages of Far Rockaway and Rockaway
Beach on the Rockaway Peninsula were part of the Town of Hempstead (now in
Nassau County). Except as indicated below, pre-1898 vital records of the Rockaway
Peninsula are in the custody of the Hempstead Town Clerk (and the State Dept.
of Health in Albany).
Queens County
Births
- 1847-49 [1.014], 1881-97
Town of Newtown[1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1847-49 [1.014], 1881-97
Town of Flushing [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1847-48 [1.014]; 1881-97
Town of Jamaica [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1871-97 Long Island
City (before 1871 see Newtown) [1.014; index 1.0141]
- 1889-97 Village of
College Point (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1889-97 Village of
Flushing (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1889-97 Village of
Whitestone (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1889-97 Village of
Whitestone (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.0242]
- 1889-97 Village of
Jamaica (before 1889 see Town of Jamaica) [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1889-97 Village of
Far Rockaway [1.014, index 1.0141]
- 1895-97 Village of
Richmond Hill (before 1895 see Town of Jamaica) [1.014]
- 1897 Village of Rockaway
Beach [1.014, index 1.0141]
Queens County
Marriages
- 1847, 1881-97 Town
of Newtown [1.0242]
- 1847-49 [1.024]; 1881-97
Town of Flushing [1.0242]
- 1847-48 [1.024]; 1881-97
Town of Jamaica [1.0242, index V-Z 1.0241]
- 1881-97 Long Island
City (before 1871 see Newtown) [1.0242]
- 1881-1897 register
["Queens County Marriage Register," 1 reel, separate chronological registers
for Long Island City, the towns of Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown, and several
incorporated villages.]
- 1881-1897 index - groom
["Queens County Groom Index," 1 reel; separate indexes for each city,
town and village]
- 1889-97 Village of
College Point (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.0242]
- 1889-97 Village of
Flushing (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.0242]
- 1889-97 Village of
Jamaica (before 1889 see Town of Jamaica) [1.0242, index 1.0241]
- 1890-97 Village of
Far Rockaway [1.0242, index 1.0241]
- 1895-97 Village of
Richmond Hill (before 1895 see Town of Jamaica) [1.0242, index A-Smith 1.0241]
- 1897 Village of Rockaway
Beach [1.0242, index 1.0241]
Queens County Deaths
- 1847-49 [1.034], 1881-97
Town of Flushing [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1847-48 [1.034]; index
only, 1881-97 Town of Jamaica [1.0341]
- 1871-97 Long Island
City (before 1871 see Newtown) [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1881-97 Town of Newtown
[1.034; index 1.0341]
- 1889-97 Village of
College Point (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1889-97 Village of
Flushing (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.034]
- 1889-97 Village of
Whitestone (before 1889 see Town of Flushing) [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1889-97, index only,
Village of Jamaica (before 1889 see Town of Jamaica) [1.0341]
- 1889-97 Village of
Far Rockaway [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1895-97 Village of
Richmond Hill (before 1895 see Town of Jamaica) [1.034, index 1.0341]
- 1897 Village of Rockaway
Beach [1.034, index 1.0341]
Richmond
County (Staten Island) Before 1898
(All became part of New York City 1898)
Staten Island
Births
- 1847-97 County-wide
indexes [1.0151]
- 1847-50, 1881-97 Town
of Northfield [1.015]
- 1848-50, 1881-97 Town
of Castleton (=Village of New Brighton 1872-97) [1.015]
- 1848-53, 1881-97 Town
of Southfield [1.015]
- 1849, 1882-97 Town
of Westfield [1.015]
- 1882-97 Town of Middletown
(for 1848-50 see Castleton) [1.015]
- 1885-97 Village of
Edgewater (before 1885 see Middletown and Southfield) [1.015]
- 1888-97 Village of
Port Richmond (before 1888 see Northfield) [1.015]
- 1890-97 Village of
Tottenville (before 1890 see Westfield) [1.015]
Staten Island Marriages
- 1847-50, 1881-97 Town
of Northfield [1.025]
- 1848-50, 1881-97 Town
of Castleton (=Village of New Brighton 1872-97) [1.025]
- 1882-97 groom, 1892-97
bride, County-wide indexes [1.0251]
- 1848-53, 1881-97 Town
of Southfield [1.025]
- 1849, 1882-97 Town
of Westfield [1.025]
- 1864, 1890-97 Village
of Tottenville [1.025]
- 1882-97 Town of Middletown
(for 1848-50 see Castleton) [1.025]
- 1885-97 Village of
Edgewater (before 1885 see Middletown and Southfield) [1.025]
- 1888-97 Village of
Port Richmond (before 1888 see Northfield) [1.025]
Staten Island
Deaths
- 1847-97 County-wide
indexes [1.0351]
- 1847-50, 1872, 1881-97
Town of Northfield [1.035]
- 1848-50, 1881-97 Town
of Castleton (=Village of New Brighton 1872-97) [1.035]
- 1848-53, 1881-97 Town
of Southfield [1.035]
- 1849, 1882-97 Town
of Westfield [1.035]
- 1882-97 Town of Middletown
(for 1848-50 see Castleton) [1.035]
- 1885-97 Village of
Edgewater (before 1885 see Middletown and Southfield) [1.035]
- 1888-97 Village of
Port Richmond (before 1888 see Northfield) [1.035]
- 1890-97 Village of
Tottenville (before 1890 see Westfield) [1.035]
The
Five-Borough City Since 1898
(Unless otherwise indicated, these records cover Manhattan, Brooklyn, The
Bronx, Queens, and Richmond/Staten Island)
New York City
Births
- 1898-1915 printed index
["Birth Record Indexes, N.Y.C. Dept. of Health," reels 4-13, filmed at NYPL]
- 1898-1909 printed soundex
["N.Y.C. Birth Index 1881-1965," reels 2-5]
- 1910-1965 printed index
["N.Y.C. Birth Index 1881-1965," reels 5-30]
New York City
Marriages
[Dept. of Health
records only; see comments on pages 31-32 of the Summer 1998 Newsletter
regarding City Clerk's marriage records beginning 1908]
- 1898-1937 printed index
- groom ["N.Y.C. Marriage Index," reels 2-12]
- 1898-1937 card index
- bride, Manhattan ["Manhattan Bride Card Index," reels 8-58, by year]
- 1898-1937 card index
- bride, Bronx ["Bronx Bride Index," 3 reels, by year]
- 1898-1937 card index
- bride, Staten Island ["Richmond County Bride Card Index," 4 reels,
by year]
- 1905-1937 card index
- bride, Queens ["Queens County Bride Card Index," 6 reels, by year.
For 1905, A to Babcock, Harriet is missing; Babcock, Harriet to Beevers,
Ada is on reel with Queens groom index 1881-1897 (see above).]
New York City
Deaths
- 1898-1899 printed index [in
"Manhattan and Brooklyn Death Indexes 1888-1899," reel 2]
- 1900-1965 printed index ["Index
to Deaths, New York City, 1898-1965," 18 reels]
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