New York Genealogy: News You Can Use In Your New York Research

This page gathers news items and tips that could benefit your New York research. Items are added frequently. If you have appropriate information to share, contact webmaster@nygbs.org.

February 16, 2012: New Newspapers at Genealogybank.com

Recently, Genealogybank.com announced additions to its newspaper archive. These include supplementary material from Cazenovia, New York City, Saratoga Springs, and Albany papers. A new title was added: Auburn Journal and Advertiser (1837-1846). A blog beginning in 2011 was added for Syracuse. Genealogybank.com is a subscription site.

February 3, 2012: Fold3 Makes Nearly 3 Million African American Records Free During Black History Month

Fold3 is giving free access to their Black History Collection in honor of Black History Month. This collection includes historical records documenting African American achievements and will be available the entire month of February. Click here for more information.

January 20, 2012: New Revolutionary War Records Online

Fold3, a fee-based subscription website that is owned by Ancestry.com, recently announced the addition of "numbered record books." These documents concern Revolutionary War military operations and service, pay and settlement of accounts, and supplies, and were digitized from microfilm at NARA. There is extensive New York material in this database. The introductory material on the Fold3 website includes a very detailed finding aid prepared by NARA.

January 11, 2012: FamilySearch Datebase Update

FamilySearch.org reports additions to the New York State Census (1875), New York probate records (various locations), and Queens County probate records.

January 11, 2012: Maps at the New York Public Library

A blog post by by the New York Public Library's Matt Knutzen describes techniques for using digital maps. He reports that the NYPL has now scanned nearly all public domain New York City atlases, a collection of over 10,000 maps. Read the post to learn more about how these maps can be used in your genealogical research.
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/01/10/unbinding-atlas-working-digital-maps

January 10, 2012: New York Maps Online

HistoryGeo.com is a new, subscription-based website offering a library of maps. The New York "map-projects" on the site are 1) Atlas of Delaware County (F.W. Beers, 1869); 2) Sweets New Atlas of Onondaga County (1874); and 3) Otsego County (1903). Within each of these map-projects are many town maps.

January 9, 2012: New NY Newspapers Online

Genealogybank.com, a subscription site, recently announced new additions to their New York newspaper archive online. All of these new additions are from New York City papers.

Daily People (1901-1906)
Irish American Weekly (1873-1914)
Irish Nation (1881-1883) NEW TITLE
People (1891-1896)
Socialist Call (1944-1948)
Truth (1880-1884)
Worker (1903-1907)

January 6, 2012: Save the Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012

"Finding Your Roots" with NYG&B trustee Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a new 10-part PBS series, begins on Sunday, March 25. Featured subjects include Harry Connick, Jr.; Robert Downey, Jr.; Samuel L. Jackson; Barbara Walters; Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker; and Kevin Bacon and Kyra Segwick, among others. The NYG&B helped with the research on the Bacon/Sedwick episode, and a large part of the Samuel L. Jackson episode was taped in the NYG&B's office on West 44th Street. The series runs through May. Click here for more information.

December 27, 2011: eBooks from the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library website is now offering instruction on downloading ebooks to Kindle, Nook, and other devices from their collection online at http://www.nypl.org/ask-nypl/ebookcentral. The NYPL offers many thousands of free ebooks from all fields of inquiry, in addition to the usual bestsellers.

December 27, 2011: More additions to New York databases on FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org continues to update Orange County Probate Records (1787-1938) and has updated New York Marriages (1908-1935); this database offers images but is not searchable. The marriage database updates cover 45 counties in New York State; New York City counties are not in this group. The marriage database is searchable, with images.

December 12, 2011: New-York Historical Society Library News

The New-York Historical Society has new library policies researchers should know about. Registration and a government-issued photo ID are now required to use the library, and casual visits simply to browse the shelves are not permitted. Visit their magnificant new website (nyhistory.org) to register in advance. Currently, hours are Tuesday-Friday from 9am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

December 12, 2011: Additions to New York databases on FamilySearch.org

Two existing databases on FamilySearch.org have additions of new images: Orange and Queens County Probate Records. The images are browsable but not searchable.

December 8, 2011: Lefferts Family Documents at new Brooklyn Historical Society Website

The Brooklyn Historical Society has just launched a new website entitled "An American Family Grows in Brooklyn: The Lefferts Family Papers at the Brooklyn Historical Society." The website includes an image gallery and information about related collections there. These collections include Brevoort Family (1760-1879), Lott Family(1702-1954), Charles A. Ditmas (1687-1935), DeWitt Clinton, Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt (1737-1818), Gabriel Furman, Nehemiah Denton (1785-1844), and the Brooklyn Civil War Relief Association, among others. The Lefferts family, a Dutch family, was important in the development of Kings County.

December 5, 2011: New data on FamilySearch

Recent announcement of new data online at FamilySearch.org included New Jersey county marriage records (1682-1956), both browsable and searchable. Large amounts of data from other states and countries was also included.

November 18, 2011: New website launching about New Amsterdam

The New Amsterdam History Center will launch a preview version of its new website: www.newamsterdamhistorycenter.org on Saturday, November 19 (tomorrow). The preview version includes some useful links, a sample of useful information, and a virtual 3-D "tour" of New Amsterdam. Persons interested in this topic will want to bookmark the site and check it from time to time as it expands.

November 11, 2011: Tips for locating obituaries from the New York Public Library's Milstein Division

Recently, Carmen Nigro, from the Milstein Division at the New York Public Library, posted a helpful article on finding obituaries. The posting is not a database of obituaries but rather some very useful information about locating them. To read this article go to: nypl.org/blog/2011/11/09/great-obituary-hunt-genealogy-research-guide

November 8, 2011: Catalogs of Knoedler & Co. (1869-1946)

The website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art now has a searchable collection of exhibition catalogs of Knoedler & Company, the important New York art gallery. The collection contains nearly 900 catalogs and unpublished materials created between 1869 and 1946. Lists of collectors and lendors might be of interest as well as rare images of places, people, and historical subjects. The digital collections of the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum are at libmma.org These materials are also available online at Arcade (arcade.nyarc.org) and WorldCat.

November 7, 2011: Expansive New New York State Data on Ancestry.com

The New York State Archives website just announced a link to special New York State data on Ancestry.com. The New York State Archives requires that data from state government collections be free for New York State residents even if posted to a subscription site or a non-governmental site. Ancestry.com subscribers also have access to these databases. For details visit www.archives.nysed.gov. The current databases on Ancestry.com that are part of this agreement are:

Albany, New York State Census, 1915
New York Marriages, 1600-1784
New York Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812
New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920 Updated
New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900
New York, Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865
Salina (Onondaga County), New York, Records, 1805-1969
U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
U.S. Census Non-Population Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
U.S. Federal Census - 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes

November 2, 2011: New-York Historical Society Reopening on Nov. 11.

Welcome back! The New-York Historical Society reopens on 11/11/11. After that date, the research library will be open on its regular hours (after a period of construction during which it was open by appointment). Their new website has been up for several weeks, and we think it's spectacular. Visit the website (www.nyhistory.org) for information on programs that provide historical context for New York family history researchers and for information about accessing the astounding resources in the research library.

October 31, 2011: Ancestry.com Database Additions

Recently Ancestry.com announced postings of 53 new databases containing 120 million new names. There were no New York databases in the roster, but there were items from New Jersey (births and christenings; deaths and burials) and Connecticut (deaths and burials.) However, see note above dated Nov. 7, 2011 reporting new New York data on Ancestry.com.

October 17, 2011: "The History of Brooklyn Jewry" online

"Nu? What's New," the weekly e-News of Avotaynu, Inc. reports that The History of Brooklyn Jewry by Samuel F. Abelow (Scheba Publishing Company, Brooklyn, NY, 1937) has been added to Google Books. See the title online at http://tinyurl.com/3vy36xb. The book's index is not adequate to search the contents, so the online search function will make the book much more accessible.

October 14, 2011: New NYPL Catalog

The New York Public Library has unveiled a new catalog with a number of new features. Among them is an improved ability to limit searches, making your catalog search more efficient. To see the new catalog, go to the homepage of the NYPL website (www.nypl.org), and click on the Research tab. Then click on "Classic Catalog." When you are on that catalog page, click on "Catalog FAQs" to learn more. Or experiment with a catalog search.