Historical New York City birth, death and marriage records
Visit Historical Vital Records of NYC to search, browse, or download over 9 million birth, death and marriage records or purchase certified copies. Learn more about our genealogy holdings.
If you cannot use the webform, use this order form to mail an order for a certified vital record. Please note turnaround is longer for mail orders.
The New York City Municipal Archives maintains the Investigation of Death Report records created by the Health Department, Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), dating from 1918, when the Office was created, through 1951.
Generally, the medical examiner only investigated homicides or deaths that took place NOT under medical supervision. To order an OCME record, you must verify that the death certificate was signed by the Medical Examiner. If the certificate does not have a signature from the medical examiner, then a death report was not created.
For assistance, email familyhistory@records.nyc.gov with your order details.
You can browse, download or purchase digital files or prints from our Digital Collections, including images from our Tax Photo collection that documents every New York City building in the 1940s and the 1980s.
High-quality printed images are produced using fade-resistant archival inkjet printers on a heavyweight luster paper. Fulfillment times are typically 3-4 weeks but may vary.
Property Cards were created in the 1930s by the Department of Finance to modernize the real property tax assessment process. They provide ownership, building classification, and assessed valuation information from the 1930s through the 1970s. Copies of the card are often necessary to obtain a “Letter of No Objection” from the Department of Buildings.
ORDER PROPERTY CARDS
For assistance, email photounit@records.nyc.gov with your order details.
A limited number of original redeemed vintage bonds and stock certificates dating from the 1920s to the 1980s, ranging in size from 8 ¾”X 12 ¼” to 17” X 20” are priced between $120.00 and $250.00. Certificates were issued by the City to fund school construction, transit projects, improvements to the water supply, and other municipal purposes. Each one is signed by a Mayor. The collection includes bonds signed by James Walker, Fiorello La Guardia, John Lindsay, and Abraham Beame.
Images of the stocks and bonds can be viewed at www.archives.nyc/support.
To place an order email specialsale@records.nyc.gov with your name and contact information.
See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page for answers to commonly asked questions. If you don’t find an answer to your question there, contact us.