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Home > Vital Records > Visitors
FIRST TIME VISITORS
Before you visit the Municpal Archives to conduct geneology research we suggest your read the following information:
All birth, death, marriage, census, and city directory records
in the Municipal Archives are on microfilm. Please do not remove
microfilms from cabinets until you have been assigned a machine.
Be courteous to other researchers and take only a few microfilms
at a time and always re-file them in their proper location. Do not
leave them at the counter or on the cabinets. Credit cards are now
accepted for all services and fees at the Municipal Archives.
Essentials:
All birth, death, marriage, census, and city directory records
in the Municipal Archives are on microfilm. Please do not remove
microfilms from cabinets until you have been assigned a machine.
Be courteous to other researchers and take only a few microfilms
at a time and always re-file them in their proper location. Do not
leave them at the counter or on the cabinets. The Reference Room
closes at 4:30 p.m. Certificate copy requests are accepted until
4 p.m. Please re-file microfilms and other materials before closing
time. Restrooms are located on the second floor.
Getting Started: Most birth, death and marriage records are in certificate
form. The certificates are filed by number. Unless you
already know the certificate number, you must use the indexes
to
determine the certificate number. The indexes are broken
down by type (birth, death, marriage), Borough (Manhattan,
Brooklyn, etc.) and year.
Indexes:
Through the efforts of dozens of volunteer genealogists in the metropolitan region,
many of the indexes to the vital records in the Municipal Archives have been
converted to searchable databases. They are available for free on-line, and on
computers in the Municipal Archives. The Genealogy Federation of Long Island
coordinated this massive undertaking. Two area genealogy organizations host the
databases on their websites, the Italian
Genealogical Group
and the German
Genealogy Group. Prior to visiting
to the Municipal Archives we suggest that patrons explore the searchable databases.
Births:
Birth record indexes from 1901 through 1907 have been automated.
They are searchable via the computers in the Municipal
Archives reference room, or on-line, as indicated
above. To search births reported from 1898 through 1900, and 1908 and 1909,
the birth index microfilms for all Boroughs (Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and
Staten Island), are located in the third drawer of cabinet #5 (immediately
to the left of the entrance door). The names are indexed
according to the Soundex
system. Ask for an information sheet at the desk if you are not familiar with
the Soundex system. The indexes to births reported prior to 1898 are in microfilm
format. The microfilms are located in the carousel.
Deaths:
The index to deaths reported in Manhattan from 1890 through
1948; Brooklyn, 1862 through 1892 and 1895 through 1948;
and all other boroughs from 1898 through
1948 have been automated. They are searchable via the computers in the Municipal
Archives reference room, or on-line, as indicated above. All other death
indexes are in microfilm format. The microfilms are located
in the carousel.
Marriages:
The index to marriages reported in Manhattan from 1866
through 1937; Brooklyn 1866 through 1937; and all other
Boroughs from 1908 through 1937 have been
automated. They are searchable via the computers in the Municipal Archives
reference room,
or on-line, as indicated above. Indexes to all other marriages reported
in New York City are on microfilms located in the carousel.
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Certificates:
Births:
Brooklyn birth certificate microfilms,
1866 to 1904 are located in the carousel; later years are
in the lowest
drawer of cabinet #1. Birth certificate microfilms
for all other Boroughs are located in cabinet #1 (beneath the clock.).
Deaths:
All death certificate microfilms are located in cabinets
#1, 2, and 3 (beneath the clock).
Marriages:
Brooklyn marriages certificate microfilms, 1866 to 1879
are located in the carousel; 1880-1907 are in cabinet #3
(beneath the clock); later years for
Brooklyn and
marriage certificate microfilms for the other Boroughs are in cabinets
#4, and 5 (left of the entrance door).
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Search Tips:
Births:
-Approximately 25% of all births prior to 1910 were not
reported to the city. Births often took place at home
and the doctor or midwife sometimes failed to
report the event to the city.
-Manhattan births prior to 1866 were recorded in ledger book format. The ledgers
are on microfilm in the fifth drawer of cabinet #5 (left of the entrance door).
Deaths:
-Death certificates are filed according to place of death;
not usual place of residence, or place of burial.
-Manhattan death records prior to 1866 are not indexed.
-Manhattan and Brooklyn deaths prior to 1866 were recorded in ledger book format;
the ledgers are on microfilm in the fifth drawer of cabinet #5 (left of the
entrance door).
Marriages:
-Not all marriages were reported to the city. This is most
frequently the case with marriages performed in Roman Catholic
churches. If you do not find the
name in the indexes, and the marriage took place between 1908 and 1929, you
can search
for a marriage license. License index microfilms are located in cabinet #13
(left of the photocopy machine). Please note that the collection includes
license indexes
up through 1951 for all five Boroughs; however, the license record documents
are available only through 1929, only. Marriage license records from 1930
to the present are available from the City
Clerk.
-Manhattan marriage records prior to 1866 are
not indexed.
-Manhattan marriage records prior to 1866 were recorded in ledger book format;
the ledgers are on microfilm in the fifth drawer of cabinet #5 (left of the
entrance door).
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Bronx Vital Records:
The Bronx did not exist as a separate Borough until 1898.
New York City (Manhattan) annexed the area west of the
Bronx River in 1874 and annexed the area east of the
Bronx River in 1895. For vital records in those areas
after the
date of annexation, through 1897, search Manhattan records.
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Census Records:
There are geographic (by Street name) indexes for the 1892
Kings County Census and the 1890 New York City (Police) Census
(see booklets at front desk). The other census records are
not indexed . To locate a family or individual in a census,
first determine the home address in the census year. Then
locate the address in the appropriate ward or assembly district
map (there are ward and assembly district maps available
for some census years; they are located on the table near
the photocopy machine). The census microfilm is located in
cabinet #5 (left of the entrance door). Archives staff are
generally not able to provide assistance with census searches. Location and hours of operations available here
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