Beyond the Basics

This is the second in our series of ‘how to conduct research’ blogs in On the Record. It provides essential information about several lesser-known resources at the Municipal Archives that are relevant to the family historian or genealogist. This blog is adapted from a program “beyond the basics” Marcia Kirk recently recorded for a genealogy conference.

Most of the records discussed in this guide are available on microfilm at the Municipal Archives; a few have been digitized and are noted as such. The digitized records are available in our online gallery.

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Coroners’ Records

Coroners’ Inquest Records (also known as coroner’s reports) were created when a death was deemed suspicious. For example, if someone fell from a building, a Coroners’ inquest would be noted on the death certificate. The coroner record usually supplies more detailed information about the circumstances of a death than the death certificate filed by the Health Department.

They are available for all five boroughs from 1898 to 1917. For the period prior to consolidation in 1898, there are coroner records for Manhattan from 1853 to 1897; Kings County, from 1863 to 1896; and Queens from 1884 to 1897.

The ledger format coroner records for Manhattan are only available on microfilm. The Municipal Archives did not produce the microfilm and does not have the original ledgers. Some of the microfilm is a little difficult to read.

Coroner’s Inquest, January 13, 1909. The accidental death of a 36-year-old man, born in Ireland and struck by a rock “following blast” on December 30, 1908. Coroner’s Record Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

The Coroners’ Office was abolished by New York State law in 1915 and replaced with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), effective January 1, 1918. This office still exists. The OCME records include three series: indexes, ‘Accession’ docket books, and documents. The records date from 1918 to 1950 and are extant for all five Boroughs.

The first step in locating an OCME record is to search the microfilmed index to the Accession dockets. The index provides the case file number. In step two, using the case file number, the entry can be researched in the Accession docket book, also on microfilm. The Accession docket lists the name of the deceased, date of death, place of last residence, age, where the body was found and/or place of death, who reported the death, and the cause of death.

The Municipal Archives collection also includes the documents filed by the OCME pertaining to the death. These include police reports and autopsies. Copies of the documents can be requested (contact familyhistory@records.nyc.gov for ordering and fee information).

OCME ‘Accession’ Docket, Manhattan, 1940. NYC Municipal Archives.

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Bodies in Transit Registers

The Bodies in Transit Registers were created by the New York City (Manhattan) Department of Health. They date from 1859 to 1894.

This collection is digitized and available in the online gallery. Each body or corpse that came into, out of, or through Manhattan was recorded in the register. The entry includes the date the body transited through the city, the name of the deceased, age, cause of death, nativity, the name of the person accompanying the body, and the place of burial. For more information on this collection see our blog.

The registers list the body of John Brown on route to his burial in upstate New York, and Abraham Lincoln whose body lay in state at City Hall after his assassination. There are also many Civil War soldiers from both the north and the south listed in the registers. They had been killed in battle, or died from disease, and their bodies passed through Manhattan for burial in cemeteries outside the city.

Bodies in Transit Register, 1865. NYC Municipal Archives.

Bodies in Transit Register, 1865, see entry - Lincoln, Abraham, age: 56 years 2 months, birthplace: Kentucky; place of death: Washington, D.C., cause of death: pistol shot. NYC Municipal Archives.

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Estate Inventories

The Municipal Archives maintains a collection of Estate Inventories that provide lists of all the possessions of the deceased as tallied by a court-appointed appraiser. The collection comprises two series: 1784 to 1836, and 1830 to 1859, and include persons who were residents of Manhattan only (New York County). These microfilmed records are indexed, searchable by the name of the decedent or the appraiser. Researchers should also consult with the New York County Surrogates’ Court, and the New York County Clerk’s Division of Old Records for other series pertaining to estates. See the table below for more information.

Estate Inventory, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Letters of Guardianship

Another series that originated in the New York County Surrogate’s Court are the Letters of Guardianship. They date from 1811 to 1913. These are also Manhattan records and only available on microfilm. Each volume contains an index in the front of the volume.

Guardianship record, 1811. NYC Municipal Archives.

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 Almshouse Ledger Collection

History of Inmates, 1919. NYC Municipal Archives.

The Almshouse Ledgers are another fascinating collection which span 1758 to 1952. There are more than 400 volumes pertaining to the many city-run institutions on Blackwell Island, now named Roosevelt Island. They include the Almshouses, Lunatic Asylum, Workhouses, the Penitentiary, and various hospitals.

A sampling of the volumes from several different series have been digitized and are available in the online gallery. There is also a detailed finding aid for this collection with links to the digitized volumes. The finding aid explains the different series of records and the types of records available.  

Inmate History, 1895. NYC Municipal Archives.

The “Record of Inmates” lists residents of the Almshouse institution, not persons who were imprisoned. One of the important things about the Record of Inmates, especially for those of Irish or German ancestry, is that it includes the county in which the person was born as well as the town/city. The series provides a wealth of information including the name, date of admission to the institution, when discharged, nativity, naturalization information, occupation, and often the name and address of a family member. It also provides the “Habits of the father,” e.g. “temp” (temperate) meaning the person did not drink. (Alcoholism was a big problem.) The record will also note if the person was self-supporting, or in the poorhouse. If they were in the poorhouse, the question was asked “for how long?”

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New York County Jury Census

The Jury censuses were taken in 1816, 1819, and 1821. There is one volume for each Ward of the city; some volumes are missing. The purpose of the census was to determine eligibility to serve on a jury. The jury censuses have been digitized and are available online. There is also a finding aid for this collection.

The census records are arranged by ward and then by street. If the street address is not known, city directories can be consulted (available on the New York Public Library’s digital collections website).

The census includes both male and female heads of household. The census recorded the name of the head of the household, the house number and street, occupation, age, reason for exemption from serving on a jury (old age, etc.), and the total number of jurors in the particular household. The census designates white inhabitants, aliens, coloured (sic) inhabitants (not slaves), and Slaves and provides the total number of inhabitants in the household. (Slavery was not ended in New York State until 1827.)

1816 Jury Census, 1st Ward. Broadway numbers 1-58 containing 274 Inhabitants. NYC Municipal Archives.

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Police Census

Most family historians are probably aware that the 1890 U.S. Federal census was almost completely destroyed in a fire. Thankfully, New York City took its own census that year. City officials believed the federal census undercounted the population. The Police census is often used as a substitute for the 1890 Federal Census.

The street address of the person or family must be known to search the census at the Archives; it is not indexed by name. The census lists everyone in the household, their gender, and age. There is a street address index available at the Archives that provides the census volume number.

1890 Census. NYC Municipal Archives.

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Property Cards

One of the Archives’ more popular collections is the Property Cards. With federal funding from the Works Progress Administration, the cards were created by the Department of Finance to modernize the tax assessment process. The cards date from 1939 and were continuously updated through 1990. All five boroughs are included.

There is a small photographic print of the property taken in the 1940s attached to the card. The assessed valuation, conveyances, and mortgages are also recorded. A diagram of the building and the plot, and other information about the building including the zoning, classification, and the block and lot number can also be found.

The creators of these records probably did not anticipate that people would be using them for genealogical research. Some people even give them as gifts. The cards have not been microfilmed or digitized; copies can be requested (contact familyhistory@records.nyc.gov for ordering and fee information).   

Property Card, 7 Middagh Street, Brooklyn. NYC Municipal Archives.

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Tax Photos

The photographs that appear on the property card also exist as a separate collection known as the “tax photographs.”  The photographs have been digitized and can be viewed on the online gallery. There are two series of photographs: 1939 to 1941 (these images were affixed to the property card), and a second series dating from the mid-1980s.

The 1940s collection includes every building in all five boroughs except for empty lots and tax-exempt properties. The photos from the 1980s include empty lots and tax-exempt properties. There is a Guide to the 1940s Tax Department photographs available that provides additional information.  

1940 ‘Tax’ Photograph, Queens Block 3176, Lot 45. NYC Municipal Archives.

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How to Research the Vital Records Collection

This is the first ‘how to conduct research’ blog in On the Record. It provides essential information about the vital records collections at the Municipal Archives. This blog is adapted from a program Marcia. Kirk recently recorded for a genealogy seminar. A subsequent blog will take us “beyond the basics.” Future blogs by subject-matter experts will provide instructions on how to research other Municipal Archives collections. 

What are vital records, and why are they important? Vital records document major events in a person’s life: people are born, sometimes they get married, and unfortunately, they die.

Historical records of births, deaths and marriages that occurred in New York City are maintained in the Municipal Archives. If the event occurred outside the five boroughs, the record would be on file at the New York State Department of Health in Albany, or in some instances, with the clerk of the local town. Births reported after 1910, and deaths reported after 1948 are available from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and marriages reported after 1949 are available from the Office of the City Clerk.

The holdings of the Municipal Archives include all extant vital records for the five boroughs as well as the towns and villages that were consolidated into the Greater City of New York in 1898. Municipal Archives Genealogy Collections

Researching the records

The birth, death and marriage records are filed and indexed according to the Borough where the event took place.

Most of the vital records are in a certificate format. The certificates are numbered consecutively beginning with certificate number one on January 1 of each year. The records of each Borough are filed separately.

To find a certificate, it is necessary to search an index to identify the Borough, year filed, and the certificate number.

Where are the indexes? 

Most of the indexes are available online. They are available on the local Italian and German genealogy organization website; at www.Ancestry.com; and at www.Familysearch.org. Most online indexes were created by people transcribing and/or machines reading the original hard-copy indexes which means there are mistakes in the online versions.

At the Municipal Archives researchers can view the online indexes as well as the original indexes. Sometimes it is necessary to go to the original indexes when a mistake is found in the on-line version.

Locating a certificate requires the researcher to use an index to search for the Borough, year filed and the certificate number.

Births records:

It is important to note that about 25% of births during the time correlated with the Municipal Archives holdings (prior to 1910) were not reported to City government. Children were born at home and sometimes the family or persons assisting at the birth did not know the requirement or perhaps were not literate in English. More consistent birth registrations began when new legislation was enacted in 1913. (The Municipal Archives birth holdings date prior to 1910.)

When conducting a search in the indexes it is really important to keep the search terms as broad as possible. Sometimes a person’s first name is not what it is thought to be.

I came across an unfamiliar name when researching my own family. I asked my Aunt who said, “oh, that’s cousin Dolly!” Another problem is one I encountered when researching my McCabe ancestors. McCabe is a common name and there are hundreds of people with the same name.

The Municipal Archives collection of birth records totals more than 2 million certificates.  All of them have been digitized. 

This is an unusual example.  The birth certificate documents twins; most of the time there would be two separate certificates numbered consecutively, but in this case, there is one certificate, with two numbers. 

Birth certificates contain lots of good information: the name of the person making the report – usually a doctor, but sometimes a midwife or perhaps a neighbor. There are the basics – name, race, date of birth, father’s name, age, occupation and birthplace. And most important, the mother’s name and her name before marriage, the number of children were born to her previously and the number still living.

Here is another example.

This is the actor Humphrey Bogart’s birth certificate. He was born at the Sloane Maternity Hospital on December 25, 1899. His original name was Bogart de Forest. But his mother’s name was Maude Humphrey. 

Special and Delayed birth certificates. 

They are not what you think. Sometimes, when searching in the birth index there is an “S” or a “D” after the certificate number. “S” means “Special,” and “D” means “Delayed.”

The “Special” and “Delayed” births were called that because the birth was reported to the Health Department long after the child was born, or in some instances, the record was amended (father’s name added, etc.) at a later date.

By the way, the Archives does not correct information on vital records – even if there is an obvious misspelling of a name. If a certificate must be amended for some legal purpose, the Archives staff will not make the change, but will instead provide an official letter stating that any vital record in the Municipal Archives cannot be amended.

In this example, Rosa was born April 2, 1900; however, the record was not filed until 1906. 

This is an example of a birth ledger.  Records for Manhattan and Brooklyn prior to 1866 and the other Boroughs prior to 1898 exist in this format.  The information recorded is essentially the same as would appear on a certificate.   

Geographic Birth Indexes

The standard birth index is arranged by last name. However, we also have another type of index for births – the ‘geographic’ index.  In this index the births are listed by place of birth.

In this example, these card lists all the births that took place at 410 and 411 West 54th Street, in Manhattan between 1880 and 1883.

There are geographic indexes for births from 1880 through 1909 for Manhattan, and from 1898 through 1909 for the other four Boroughs. 

Marriage Records

Marriage records are more complicated because there are two completely separate series:  The Health Department marriage certificates (1866-1937), and the City Clerk “licenses,” (1908-1949). When researching a marriage index, it is important to notice whether the index is for the Health Department certificates, or the City Clerk licenses.

For marriages prior to 1908, the only record is the Health Department certificate. In 1908, New York State passed a law that required any couple wishing to get married to first obtain a license. In New York City, the City Clerk issues these licenses.

The license record consists of three documents: 1) “affidavit,” filled out by the couple; 2) “license” issued by the Clerk; and 3) “certificate” filled out by person who performed the wedding ceremony.

The Health Department certificate series continued through 1937 which means that from 1908 to 1937, there are potentially two marriage records: the Health Department certificate and the City Clerk affidavit, license, and certificate. The basic information on each is the same except the City Clerk license series lists the country of birth of the parents of the bride and groom, and the bride’s occupation.

This is the Health Department record of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1905 marriage (Eleanor was a distant cousin of Franklin). The marriage was witnessed by Eleanor’s Uncle (and sitting President) Theodore Roosevelt and his wife Edith.

All of the Health Department marriage records have been digitized.

Marriage licenses

The index to the license series is available at www.Ancestry.com and on microfilm at the Municipal Archives. There are more than three million records in this series; digitization is underway. The list below shows the records currently available in digital format.

This is the affidavit F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre filled out for the license to marry at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1920.

As noted in the above affidavit from F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre, there are three documents. The first is the affidavit filled out by the couple. It shows where they were living – in this case, both F. Scott and Zelda were residing at the same hotel in Manhattan. F. Scott was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. and was 23 years old. His parents’ names and their birthplaces are also recorded, along with his mother’s maiden name. It was his first marriage. Zelda was 19. She did not list an occupation; she was born in Montgomery Alabama.

The next document is the license, which is confusing as the document is titled: “New York State Department of Health.” The license contains essentially the same information as the affidavit.

The third document is the “certificate.  It was filled-out by the officiant and signed by the officiant and witnesses. It’s always a good idea to pay attention to the witnesses; you might find out about other family members and close friends.

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre’s marriage license.

The next document is the license, and this is where it gets confusing as the document is titled: “New York State Department of Health.”  The license contains essentially the same information as the affidavit. 

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre’s marriage certificate.

The third document is the “certificate. It was filled-out by the officiant and signed by the officiant and witnesses. It’s always a good idea to pay attention to the witnesses; you might find out about other family members and close friends.

Death records.

Information on the death certificate was not provided by the person in question, for obvious reasons. The information was supplied by someone other than the deceased, usually a family member. But because the information is supplied by someone other than the deceased, there can be mistakes. It’s best to keep that in mind when using information on death certificates. Another important point is that death certificates were filed according to the place of death, not the place of usual residence, or the burial place. 

Death certificates always indicate the place of burial. If the place is listed as “City Cemetery,” that means the “Potter’s Field” on Hart Island. The Archives has the burial records for the City Cemetery, in ledger format, on microfilm, dating from 1872 to the 1980s, but there are big gaps from the late 1950s through the 1970s due to loss of records from water damage from flooding on the Island. Also, note that the City Cemetery burial records are not indexed; names are listed by date of burial.  We suggest using the death certificate indexes to identify the date.

There are more than five million death certificates in the Municipal Archives collection. All death certificates filed in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island have been digitized. The Manhattan certificates are partially digitized. The list below provides the description of what is currently available in digital format.

George Herman Ruth’s death certificate.

In this example, the deceased had been living at 110 Riverside Drive in Manhattan for 26 years. He was married. George Herman Ruth is of course the famous baseball player, Babe Ruth. He died in 1948 of natural causes and is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery which is in Westchester County.

Going back to the City Cemetery for a minute, we do have the burial records, in ledger format, on microfilm, dating from 1872 to the 1980s, but there are big gaps from the late 1950s through the 1970s due to loss of records from water damage due to floods on the Island. Also, note that the City Cemetery burial records are not indexed; names are listed by date of burial. We suggest using the death certificate indexes to identify the date.   

How to Access Vital Records

Although the Municipal Archives facilities remain closed to the public, copies of records may be ordered online or via regular mail. If the record has been digitized and you would like a PDF copy, we can email the record within about five days. PDF copies are not certified, however. If you request a record that has not been digitized, or if you need a certified hard copy, the current processing time can be eight weeks or longer.

Here are the certificates that are available in digital format:

We look forward to helping our patrons research their New York City roots and providing more in-depth ‘how-to’ guides to our rich collections.