State Level Archives and Libraries
Records relating to your New York ancestors can be found at many archives, libraries, historical societies, and government offices located throughout the state. It is important to know where your New York ancestors lived in the past so that you can narrow your search parameters. Records for the 5 boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island) are often housed separately from other parts of the state.
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National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House One Bowling Green New York, NY 10004 Telephone: toll-free 866-840-1752 or 212-401-1620 Fax: 212-401-1638 Email: reference form Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am-5:00pm; 1st Saturday of each month 10:00am-4:00pm |
The National Archives at New York City is a regional archive of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA. It houses many types of federal records that are helpful to family history research including naturalization records, military records, federal censuses, court records, and immigration records from Ellis Island and Castle Garden, New York. Records are available from 1685 up to the present day.
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New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West New York, NY 10024 Telephone: 212-873-3400 Fax: 212-875-1591 Email: reference@nyhistory.org Hours: Mon closed; Tues-Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm; Fri 10:00am-8:00pm; Sat 10:00am-6:00pm; Sun 11:00am-5:00pm |
The library of the New York Historical Society houses a huge collection of more than 350,000 books and pamphlets, 10,000 newspaper titles, and more than 2 million items in their manuscript collection. The holdings also include a variety of maps, photographs, atlases, and other material.
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New York Public Library
Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History & Genealogy Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Room 315S New York, NY 10018-2788 Telephone: 212-930-0829 Fax: not available Email: reference form Hours: Mon 10:00am-5:45pm; Tues-Weds 10:00am-7:45pm; Thurs-Sat 10:00am-5:45pm; Sun closed |
The New York Public Library houses one of the largest collections of genealogical material in the world. Its holdings include New York City vital records indexes, newspapers, New York state censuses, D.A.R. records, city and telephone directories, passenger lists, and naturalization records.
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New York State Archives
Cultural Education Center 222 Madison Ave Albany, NY 12230 Telephone: 518-474-5161 Fax: not available Email: archref@nysed.gov Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm, Sun closed |
The New York State Archives is the official government archive for the state of New York. Many important collections can be found here including vital records, military service records, property deeds, tax lists, naturalization records, family wills, censuses, and court records.
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New York State Historical Association
Research Library 5798 State Route 80 Cooperstown, NY 13326 Telephone: 607-547-1470 Fax: 607-547-1405 Email: library@nysha.org Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am-5:00pm; Sat-Sun closed |
The research library of the New York State Historical Association includes many types of records which are of value to genealogists. Their holdings include American art history, folk art, genealogy, agriculture, material culture, museum studies, New York state history, and Native American art and culture.
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New York State Library
Cultural Education Center 222 Madison Ave Albany, NY 12230 Telephone: 518-474-5355 Fax: 518-474-5786 Email: reference form Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-5:00pm, Sun closed |
The New York State Library in Albany has a vast collection of material relating to history and genealogy in New York. Their holdings include family genealogies, local histories, D.A.R. records, church records, census records, newspapers, and city directories.
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Genealogical and Historical Society Libraries
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Holland Society of New York
20 West 44th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10036 Telephone: 212-758-1675 Fax: 212-758-2232 E-mail: info@hollandsociety.org Hours: |
The library of the Holland Society of New York consists of vertical files on notable New York surnames, Andrew W. Brink Papers, and the Blauvelt – Blanch Collection.
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Huguenot Society of America Library
20 West 44th Street, Suite 510 New York, NY 10036 Telephone: 212-755-0592 Fax: not available Email: hugsoc@verizon.net Hours: not available |
The Huguenot Society of America Library has an extensive collection of records relating to Huguenot history in North America and elsewhere. Topics include: Huguenot history, church history, French history, American history, biographies, genealogy, manuscripts, periodicals, theology, literature, and many other types of records.
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New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
Bar Building, 36 W 44th Street New York, NY 10036 Telephone: 212-755-8532 Fax: 212-754-4218 Email: webmaster@nygbs.org Hours: by appointment |
The library holdings of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society were donated to the New York Public Library (Main Branch) in Manhattan in 2008. Members of the Society can visit their offices by appointment only, but all archival records would be held by the New York Public Library.
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Local Level Archives and Libraries
In addition to the libraries and archives listed above, records can also be found at many local historical and genealogical societies, public libraries, county courthouses, town clerk's offices, churches, and other repositories located throughout New York state. To find documentation on your ancestors at the local level, please click on the county links listed below.
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County
Albany County Allegany County Bronx County Broome County Cattaraugus County Cayuga County Chautauqua County Chemung County Chenango County Clinton County Columbia County Cortland County Delaware County Dutchess County Erie County Essex County Franklin County Fulton County Genesee County Greene County Hamilton County Herkimer County Jefferson County Kings County Lewis County Livingston County Madison County Monroe County Montgomery County Nassau County New York County Niagara County Oneida County Onondaga County Ontario County Orange County Orleans County Oswego County Otsego County Putnam County Queens County Rensselaer County Richmond County Rockland County St. Lawrence County Schenectady County Schoharie County Schuyler County Seneca County Steuben County Suffolk County Sullivan County Tioga County Tompkins County Ulster County Warren County Washington County Wayne County Westchester County Wyoming County Yates County |
Formation Date
1683 1806 1914 1806 1808 1799 1808 1836 1798 1788 1786 1808 1797 1683 1821 1799 1808 1838 1802 1800 1816 1791 1805 1683 1805 1821 1806 1821 1772 1899 1683 1808 1798 1794 1789 1683 1824 1816 1791 1812 1683 1791 1683 1798 1802 1809 1795 1854 1804 1796 1683 1809 1791 1817 1683 1813 1772 1823 1683 1841 1823 |
County Seat
Albany Belmont Bronx Binghamton Little Valley Auburn Mayville Elmira Norwich Plattsburgh Hudson Cortland Delhi Poughkeepsie Buffalo Elizabethtown Malone Johnstown Batavia Catskill Lake Pleasant Herkimer Watertown Brooklyn Lowville Geneseo Wampsville Rochester Fonda Mineola New York Lockport Utica Syracuse Canandaigua Goshen Albion Oswego, Pulaski Cooperstown Carmel Jamaica Troy St. George New City Canton Schenectady Schoharie Watkins Glen Ovid, Waterloo Bath Riverhead Monticello Owego Ithaca Kingston Lake George Hudson Falls Lyons White Plains Warsaw Penn Yan |
Parent County
Original county Genesee County New York County Tioga County Genesee County Onondaga County Genesee County Tioga County Herkimer, Tioga Washington County Albany County Onondaga County Ulster, Otsego Original county Niagara County Clinton County Clinton County Montgomery County Ontario County Ulster, Albany Montgomery County Montgomery County Oneida County Original county Oneida County Genesee, Ontario Chenango County Genesee, Ontario Albany County Queens County Original county Genesee County Herkimer County Herkimer County Montgomery County Original county Genesee County Oneida, Onondaga Montgomery County Dutchess County Original county Albany County Original county Orange County Clinton, Herkimer, Montgomery Albany County Albany, Otsego Tompkins, Steuben, Chemung Cayuga County Ontario County Original county Ulster County Montgomery County Cayuga, Seneca Original county Washington County Albany, Charlotte Ontario, Seneca Original county Genesee County Ontario, Steuben |