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New York, U.S., State Census, 192511,117,985
New York, U.S., State Census, 19159,756,993
New York, U.S., State Census, 19057,213,631
New York, U.S., State Census, 18923,754,629
New York, U.S., State Census, 18753,393,670
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New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-201815,552,605
New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-19678,054,305
New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-19657,864,109
U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-19357,632,413
New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-19487,346,095
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U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 194214,501,913
U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-193912,889,430
U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865837,569
New York, U.S., Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900520,120
New York, U.S., Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919514,859
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New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-195795,199,909
New York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917-19679,439,423
New York, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-19439,174,219
U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free5,810,303
U.S., Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-19444,355,886
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New York, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current1,260,074,233
U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930Free833,843
The New York Times (New York, New York)58,766
New York, Jewish Holocaust Survivor Names printed in Aufbau Newspaper, 1944-1946Free33,460
New York Herald (New York, New York)14,521
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New York, U.S., Cartes-de-visite, 1860-18652,489
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U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-19357,632,413
New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920797,866
New York, U.S., State Employment Cards and Peddlers' Licenses, 1840-1966709,382
U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995465,389
New York, U.S., City Directories49,324
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New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-19995,243,643
New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920797,866
New York, New York, U.S., Tax Photos, 1940Free682,866
New York, U.S., Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804452,016
New York, U.S., Governor's Registers of Commitments to Prisons, 1842-1908294,322
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New York, U.S., Death Newspaper Extracts, 1801-1890 (Barber Collection)164,088
U.S., Select Family History and Bible Records Index14,871
The papers of Sir William Johnson13,916
The Historic annals of southwestern New York2,033
Historical miscellany2,005
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Gazetteer of the state of New York763
Long Island gazetteer144
The Bradford map : the city of New York at the time of the granting of the Montgomerie Charter, a description thereof118
Eastern Long Island almanac and guidebook66
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New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920797,866
Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free119,305
Palatine German Immigration to Ireland and U.S., Hank Z Jones collection, 1654-187876,437
New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-163562,840
New York, U.S., Hebrew Orphan Asylum Records, 1860-193438,167
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A genealogical history

New York in brief

Statehood: 22 July 1788, 11th of the original 13
Capital: Albany
Largest City: New York City
Counties: 62
State motto: Excelsior (Ever Upward)
State nickname: Empire
Neighboring states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (across water), and Vermont. Also borders with Canada.

 


Castle Garden, New York, showing Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty, c. 1887

Interesting facts

  • George Washington was sworn in as president on the balcony at Federal Hall in New York City, which was the U.S. Capital from 04 March 1789 to 05 December 1790 when it moved to Congress Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal linked the Hudson River and New York City to Lake Erie. The new canal launched waves of settlers seeking an easier way to travel to the West, and provided a means by which these settlers could in turn ship goods back East.
  • Of the 5.4 million people who arrived in the U.S. between 1820 and 1860, more than two-thirds entered at New York. By the 1850s, New York was receiving more than three-quarters of the national total of immigrants, and by the 1890s, more than four-fifths.
     

Featured New York collections

New York State, U.S., Death Index, 1957-1972
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970
New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936
New York, U.S., State Census, 1865
New York, U.S., State Census, 1875

Famous people

Help and advice

Resources

New York Census Research

Microfilms of the federal censuses for New York, 1790–1910, and corresponding book and microfilm indexes are available in several places throughout the state and country. Many libraries with genealogical collections have films of most or all the censuses for their particular county and often for surrounding counties.

Two enumerations were taken in New York City in 1870. Parts of the enumerations for the towns of Eastchester (Westchester County) and Brookhaven (Suffolk County) are among the few surviving schedules of the 1890 federal census. A Manhattan 1890 police census, available at the Municipal Archives, also fills part of the void of the destroyed federal census. Damaged and missing censuses include the following:

  • 1810: Cortland and part of Broome County—missing
  • 1860: Chenango and Columbia counties—damaged
  • 1880: Suffolk County and New York City Wards 21 and 22—damaged

Of almost greater value in New York than the federal are the state censuses, taken every ten years from 1825 to 1875, in 1892, and again in 1905, 1915, and 1925 (pre-1825 state censuses and state copies of those for 1855–1905 were destroyed in the 1911 state library fire). Most of these censuses that have survived can be found with the county clerk, although some are with the county historian or in other locations.

 

New York Vital Records

The cities of Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers maintain their own vital records collections:

 

New York Research Resources

The organizations listed below provide information about New York history and genealogy.  In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.

 

Statewide Research Resources

 

Specialty and Regional Research