Explore and Learn with the NYG&B

The NYG&B's mission is to preserve, document, and share family history and stories from across New York State. The efforts driving that mission come in many forms. If you are new to our work and want to get a sense of everything we do—as well as an idea of what an NYG&B membership provides—we have assembled all of our free-to-use resources in one convenient place.

Uncover Digital Records

The NYG&B's online records collections are a core offering. Spanning five centuries and covering every area of New York State, users have unparalleled access to the New York historical materials most rooted in family history, including a wide array of religious records, indexes for New York State and city vital records, and the complete digital archives of The NYG&B Record, the premier genealogy periodical, in print since 1870.

While members and non-members alike can freely search our collections, easily locating indexed names and places, scans of original documents are typically limited to members. However, we have fully unlocked a select list of our collections to help those new to the NYG&B better understand the kind of information we have available. Use the carousel below to access these unlocked collections, search them, and view the historical records.

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Watch Our Webinars

The NYG&B is proud to host regular workshops, lectures, and panels with the leading minds in genealogical and biographical study. Nearly all such events, whether hosted in person or online, are recorded and made available as part of our webinar archive. In the archive, any webinar displaying an unlock icon is free to watch.

Read the New York Researcher

The New York Researcher is a colorful quarterly magazine available to NYG&B members; it features informative articles on New York genealogy, book reviews, announcements, and NYG&B programs. Our online records collections also maintains a complete digital archive of the publication, dating back to 1990 when it was known as The NYG&B Newsletter.

As a welcome to non-members, we have released a free issue of the New York Researcher, originally made for the RootsTech 2023 conference and highlighting popular articles from recent issues.

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Brush Up with the Knowledge Archive

The NYG&B has produced an impressive collection of articles and guides on the many aspects of family history research and education. For the first time, this extensive collection is now free to all! Search through this trove of scholarship to learn more.

Article Index >

Ready for More?

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B) is a nonprofit organization that preserves, documents, and shares family history and stories from across New York State. As the second-oldest genealogical society in the United States, NYG&B serves members both nationally and internationally through its extensive records and resources; educational programming; and landmark publications, including its scholarly journal The NYG&B Record, quarterly issues of the New York Researcher, and the award-winning New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. Its comprehensive records and collections encompass genealogical and historical materials from all 62 counties in New York State.

Member support is what makes our work possible.

Membership Levels

  • Six-Month Introductory Membership: $58
  • Annual Individual Membership: $89
  • Two-year Individual Membership: $175
  • Family Membership: $150

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