Obtaining Vital Records In The New York City Area

Obtaining Vital Records In The New York City Area

During the 19th century thousands of European immigrants arrived annually and settled in the New York Metropolitan area. This immigration caused New York to acquire the nickname of the "Great Melting Pot".

New York city is comprised of 5 counties - Manhattan, Bronx (since 1898), Kings (Brooklyn), Queens and Staten Island (Richmond). These boroughs are treated differently in terms of requirements on how to and who may obtain records, and in where they are obtained from.

Obtaining Records
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New York City Department of Records and Information Services (Municipal Archives)
31 Chambers Street
Room 103
New York, NY 10007
212-788-8560
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doris/html/archives.html

Go to this page and print out the applicable request form. Be sure to enclose the check for the appropriate amount (see various prices on form) and a SASE. Response time is approximately one month.

Records held are:

MANHATTAN
Births July 1847-1848 and July 1853-1909
Deaths 1795, 1802-1804, 1808, 1812-1948
Marriages June 1847-1848, July 1853-1937

BROOKLYN (KINGS)
Births 1866-1909
Deaths 1847-1853, 1857-1948
Marriages 1866-1937

BRONX
Births 1898-1909
Deaths 1898-1948
Marriages 1898-1937

QUEENS
Births 1898-1909
Deaths 1898-1948
Marriages 1898-1937
town and village vital records 1847-1849, 1871-1898

RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)
Births 1898-1909
Deaths 1898-1948
Marriages 1898-1937
town and village vital records 1847-1849, 1881-1898

*indexes to many of these years are also available on film through your local Mormon Family History Center Library. The local Family History Center Library for the Lee County area is at 3105 Broadway, Fort Myers, FL 33901. Telephone (941) 275-0001. Some actual certificates are also filmed.

For certificates in later years
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New York City Department of Health
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/vr/vr.html

Print out a form for the appropriate event and send it in with a $15 check. Response time takes approximately one moth. As long as you are a relative you may obtain a certificate (even if you are only a cousin or niece etc). This is very different from the rest of New York state (including the nearby counties of Nassau and Suffolk) where you must be a -direct- descendant and sometimes must prove the relationship.

Other helpful sites
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Genealogical Research at the New York Public Library
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/lhg/research.html

NY GenWeb Page
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygenweb/

NYC GenWeb Page
http://web.tnp.com/nycgenweb/

NYC Cemetery Research and Photography
NYC Municipal Archives Genealogical Research Service
http://idt.net/~jgarr1

The Lee County Genealogical Society has a large New York study/research group. For more information, please contact the society or you are welcome to attend their monthly meeting. Brochures describing their services and membership information are located along the information handout area in the genealogy department.

Compiled by Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librarian, Fort Myers-Lee County Library, 2/9/00.