UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST-L Archives

From: "John Merz" <>
Subject: [UEL] Re: Vital Records in NYS
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 13:26:32 -0400
References: <20000703.080321.-139579.9.unlimitd1@juno.com>

Dear Loyalists, dear subscribers of this list!
A very devoted subscriber of my Amrev-Hessian list has posted this
earlier today, and since we have been talking about research in the
State of New York, this may be of great interest to yourself.
Cheers, John Merz.

From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2000 7:56 AM
Subject: Vital Records in NYS


> Hello
>
> I do research full time at NYS Library and Archives and would like
> to list a few of the sources for finding vital records for NYS. The
> Handybook gives you the locations of records and time periods
> readily available which are usually the governmental or municipal
> records in courthouses in each state. They could not possibly detail
> all of the repositories or collections available in each.
>
> You may view the microfiche at the NYS Archives in Albany, NY which
> are the indexes to the NYS Health Dept Vital Records. Those available
> to the public and are as follows:
>
> Births - 1880 - 1925 - Protected 75 years. When this law was passed
> and this commenced in 1880, people were not living so long so now
> they may require that you show a death certificate for the person to
> prove they are deceased. This is to protect the privacy of the living.
>
> Marriages and Deaths - 1880 - 1950 - Protected 50 years. The law
> originally stated that you had to prove that both the bride and groom
> were deceased to protect their privacy but an opinion rendered by
> Robert Freeman of the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) a couple
> of years ago has changed that.
>
> Yonkers, Buffalo and City of Albany do not start in those index
> until 1914 although I have found a few earlier marriages for Yonkers.
>
> We do not have New York City vital records except printed volumes
> of index for 1907-1918 at NYS Library. You would still need to order
> those from New York City.
>
> When you view these microfiche, you will find the ID# for each vital
> record. Some are not readily found as they are spelled as found
> on the original certificate and there are many reasons why they
> are not spelled as you know them to be. Bennett could be Benet
> which puts it in another part of the index, so it is very necessary
> to change some vowels and take out one of the double letters and
> search surnames as many ways as you can create including by
> how it might have sounded if pronounced. Think about the same
> surname pronounced by 10 people from different countries and
> how it would sound with their native tongue. That is just for starters.
> Many surnames were changed or recorded at Ellis Island but
> was not the original name of the family. They feared deportation
> if they used their real name and used only the name given on
> that paper at entry. The family Bible's records could be quite
> different from the records they gave officials for public record.
>
> Not all of the information you have is correct, even from family records
> and first names may be totally off from the recorded record. A lady
> that died last year never told her husband and children her real age
> nor that her name was Agnes Pearl. I looked it up and found her
> 3 years older and the Agnes. Another woman went by Mae Olive
> she was Lillian Olive in her birth record.
>
> I look them up and order them at an office close to the NYS Archives
> which sends them BACK WITHIN 10 days or less. IF YOU MAIL THEM
> TO NYS HEALTH DEPT. it takes at least 6 mo. and up to a year to receive
> them and they do not always find them even if you have found the ID#.
>
> Other sources of vital records NY Library:
> The DAR records - (most people fail to look at these as they think
> they are Rev. War and that is not what they are. The members of
> the DAR went out around their county of residence and copied
> cemeteries, church records, town clerk records and anything
> else that had information about births, deaths and marriages.
>
> There are about 260+DAR - Bible - They have collected any Bible
> records they could get their hands on.
>
> About 640 DAR - Cemetery, Church and Town Clerk. Bless
> their volunteer efforts as this is one of the greatest collections
> you will find on vital records in NYS before 1880.
>
> DAR - Graves - are books with the Rev. War soldiers buried in
> NYS. These include the info from the stone and many include
> their pension and other information. NOW - these include all of the
> men who fought in the Rev. War from >>other states<< and are
> buried in NYS.
>
> We have the complete set of DAR Lineage Books and the DAR
> New Projects.
>
> That is just the DAR Collection (above). There are loads of other
> records that are in the 974 collection which is the state, county
> and town records.
>
> We have loads of other records including churches from everywhere
> and a huge section on genealogies that are compiled which are not
> limited to NYS people. I stumbled across a 6 vol works which was
> compiled for the Amsterdam, NY branch of the National Society of
> Daughters of the War of 1812. This includes loads of info for men
> who were in Saratoga and surrounding counties. Edith Becker
> obviously copied their graves, sought each in census and the local
> histories and the military records. In the introduction it states that
> anyone who descends from these men would qualify to become
> a member of that society and the information she provides would
> be your ticket to get in. These are men who served 1784-1815
> including civil duty.
>
> Now if that is not enough to get you started (and that is just
starters),
> we have a collection on the 7th floor (main genealogy library) that
> includes NYS and New England, PA & NJ. BUT they have a collection
> on other floors that must be retrieved for all other states. Most people
> do not know that. NYS is zealous about collecting everything. They
> are also a Federal and State repository which means we have loads
> of material. We have all U.S. Patents on microfilm and loads of
> books that list the inventions and the inventors.
>
> NYS Library is one of the largest libraries in USA and the NYS Archives
> is the youngest but the biggest state archives in the USA. Just on
> the Erie Canal, there are 5 million records and unbelieveable. We
> have many of the original treaties with the Indians, loads of personal
> papers, diaries, journals, business records, military records and
> more than your mind could imagine. These are not limited to NYS
> people as anything that is given is pretty much accepted. Our museum's
> collection is so immense that one could not possibly see it all in a
> life time. I don't even remember the figure quoted for that.
>
> In Manuscripts are about 150 guide books which lists collections
> they have been given. If I died and my family gave them everything
> here that I have researched, they would only list in the guide the
> surnames on the tops of the files and could not possibly index
> the surnames within each file. This is work that genealogists
> have done in the past plus other collections from researchers.
> There is much to be found here and includes family personal
> papers, pictures, Bible records, newspaper clippings, diaries
> legal papers, correspondence, miliary records, and genealogies.
>
> If you have dates of death and marriage you should check the
> huge collection of the NYS Newspaper Project for a local or
> nearby newspaper and try to find these. The newspaper collection
> just microfilmed its 2 millionth page and the papers go back
> to 1725.
>
> Well, without exagerating, this is just for starters to give you an
> idea what an enormous world of information there is to find
> vital records. Because so much has been obtained, it is far
> from being cataloged and in the computer. Discoveries are
> made by researchers and most of the regulars share that
> with each other when we find a new goody. We also request
> a staff member research their computer and if it is not in
> there in an easier-to-find way, they usually can have that done.
>
> I am astounded that the people who come to research here (and
> anywhere) are not as prepared as they could be. If you are not
> making use of the Rootsweb GenWebPages and the county
> email lists, you are missing the boat in many places. I now have
> many of the staff going to a county GenWebPage to see what is
> out there and finding specific info and then check to see if we
> have it at NYSL. They have now added quite a list to their Virtual
> Library on their home page. I am going to send the instructions
> for using the Internet and NYS Libray and Archives to search
> from your home. Will send that in a separate email as this has
> become toooo lengthy. NOW if we have this much at NYSL
> you should be checking out other collections in other states
> via the Internet. Cyndislist.com helps you to locate libraries
> and repositories everywhere. Search their collections.
>
> If you are coming to NYSL, let me know when you will be there
> and I will try to schedule myself to be there to help get you going
> and give you direction while there. Also have info where reasonable
> motels and campsites as well as bus service into Albany from malls
> which is a good idea because of parking.
>
> God Bless
> Ruth Ann
>

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• [UEL] Re: Vital Records in NYS by "John Merz" <>