Genealogy Research Topics
Related page:
The list below describes in greater detail some of the State Library's collections and resources that may be of interest to genealogists. Many of these pages were originally developed as information sheets for onsite researchers, so they focus on materials available at the New York State Library.
Getting Started
- Starting
Your Family Tree provides some background information and
basic suggestions for people who are just starting to research
their families.
- Surnames
- A Pathfinder provides information on searching for family names.
- Tracing
your Immigrant Ancestors lists some basic tools of research in the
State Library's collection that can be used to research immigrants.
- Tracing
African-American Family History lists some basic information resources
for tracing African-American family history that can be found in the
New York State Library and in other repositories.
- Adoptees is
a bibliography of genealogical materials specifically geared toward adoptees.
- Hints for Preserving
Family Collections
- Genealogy
Card Indexes describes the card indexes that are available at the
State Library. Information in the card indexes cannot be accessed electronically.s
- Databases
in Local History and Genealogy describes the databases that are
available to onsite researchers at the State Library.
- Finding
Places provides links to pages that can help you locate places in
New York Stae or in other parts of the U.S.
Official Records
- Vital
Records explains how researchers can obtain copies of vital
records such as birth and death certificates. Although the
New York State Library does not hold these records, it does
have an extensive collection of church and cemetery records
that may be of interest to some researchers.
- Census Records
- New York State lists the New York State censuses that the State
Library has available. For related pages, see:
- Questions from each New York State Census (1825 to 1925)
- Three microform collections of street indexes to New York City area State censuses.
- Census Records
- United States provides some basic information about the U.S. census
and indicates which ones are available at the State Library.
- New York
State Wills provides information on locating wills; however, the
New York State Library is not the official repository of the wills of
New York State residents.
Military Records
- Daughters
of the American Revolution (DAR) describes several record
series compiled by New York State Chapters of DAR and held
by the New York State Library.
- Loyalist
Records is a bibliography of sources that focus directly on Americans
who supported the British Government during the American Revolution.
- New York State Military Records is a list of resources for locating
the records of those who served in the military, from the Colonial Militia
and the Revolutionary War up to the Korean and Vietnamese Wars:
- Pre-Civil War
- Civil War and Following
Regional Information
- City
Directories and Selected Telephone Directories on Microfilm
and Microfiche lists the directories available at the State
Library. Information in the directories cannot be accessed
online.
- Finding
Places provides links to pages that can help you locate places in
New York Stae or in other parts of the U.S.
- Local Histories are
accounts of life and events which relate to small geographic areas such
as counties or villages.
- Databases
in Local History and Genealogy describes the databases that are
available to onsite researchers at the State Library.
- The New Netherland Project's primary
objective is to complete the transcription, translation, and publication
of all Dutch documents in New York repositories relating to the seventeenth-century
colony of New Netherland. Their web site includes links to Dutch genealogy
sites.
- New York State Newspapers lists newspapers available on microfilm in the New York State Library and in other libraries around the state. For genealogists, local newspapers may be an important source for information such as wedding announcements and obituaries. (For information on the Library's newspaper holdings, including those in paper format, see Access to Newspapers).
Last Updated:
June 12, 2009