Answer a single question and help us improve our web site!

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building > Collections & Reading Rooms > The Irma and Paul Milstein Division

Genealogical Research at The New York Public Library

tree

Decorative genealogical chart, origin unknown

The New York Public Library's Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy is one of the largest genealogical and local history collections open to the public in this country, and, as such, it is one of the most heavily used divisions in the Library. What follows is a selective list of resources available to family historians at The New York Public Library. Unless noted otherwise, all sources cited are located in the Milstein Division (Room 121). Most of the microform titles are self-service in the Milstein Division Microform Room (Room 119).

 

Library Catalogs

Because most Library materials are held in "closed stacks," and must be retrieved for researchers by Library staff, access is provided through New York Public Library catalogs:

  • CATNYP, the Library's online computer catalog includes all of the books and periodicals in the Milstein Division. CATNYP includes both current and retrospective holdings.
  • The Dictionary Catalog of the Local History & Genealogy Division, 18 volume book catalog, is arranged by author, subject and sometimes title, and includes materials acquired and cataloged from the founding of The Library through 1971 only.

 

Handbooks and Guides

The Division acquires a wide variety of "how-to" manuals. Some of the most useful are:

  • Crandall, Ralph J. Shaking Your Family Tree; A Basic Guide to Tracing Your Family's Genealogy. Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001.
  • The Handybook for Genealogists. Logan, Utah, Everton Publishers, 2006.
  • Genealogical Resources in New York, ed. by Estelle M. Guzik. New York, Jewish Genealogical Society, 2003.
  • Red book: American state, county, and town sources. Ed. by Alice Eichholz. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004.
  • Schaefer, Christina K. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States. Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing, c1997.
  • The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Provo, Utah, Ancestry, 2006.

 

Selected Electronic Resources

All the public reading rooms in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building offer access to computers featuring a Selected Electronic Resources menu.  Library licensed subscription databases and notable free Internet sites are listed under the topics GENEALOGY and HISTORY. Among the databases we subscribe to for on-site use by the public are:  Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest Online, ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times (1851-2003), Chicago Defender (1905-1975), Chicago Tribune (1849-1985), Los Angeles Times (1881-1985), Washington Post (1877-1990), and the New York Tribune (1900-1910), Early American Newspapers, 1690-1876, Times of London, 1785-1985, 19th Century Masterfile, New England Ancestors, New York County Histories Online, and Burke’s Peerage and Gentry Online, Origins Network (British and Irish Genealogy).

 

New York City Vital Records Indexes

These indexes enable researchers to obtain copies of vital records from the New York City Municipal Archives and Department of Health.

  • Index to NYC Births, 1888-1982 (Manhattan/Bronx 1888-1982; all boroughs, 1898-1982) (microfiche and books)
  • Manhattan Alphabetical Death Index Cards, 1868-1890 (microfilm)
  • Brooklyn, Kings County Index to Deaths, 1848-1898 (microfilm)
  • Richmond County Index to Deaths, 1847-1897 (microfilm)
  • Index to NYC Deaths, 1888-1982 (all boroughs, 1898-  ) (microfilm and books)
  • Index to NYC Marriages (Grooms), 1888-1937 (all boroughs, 1898-  ) (microfilm)
  • Index to Marriages (Brides), 1869-1937 (Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Richmond) (microfilm)

Online databases:

 

Census Records

Online databases:

  • Ancestry Library Edition has digitized the historic population schedules and provides name indexes (many of them every name indexes) to all of the U.S. Federal censuses and many for the UK.  Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available on-site at all NYPL locations.
  • HeritageQuest Online has digitized the historic population schedules and provides head of household indexes to U.S. Federal censuses: 1790-1820, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment), 1900-1920. Access to HeritageQuest Online is available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Also available on microfilm are the following U.S. Federal Census Records and available soundex indexes in the Milstein Division Microform Room (Room 119):

  • New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, 1790-1880
  • New York, New Jersey, Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
  • New York 1900
  • New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Puerto Rico, 1910
  • New York, Puerto Rico, 1920, 1930

Book indexes to federal census 1790-1880, and 1910 are available in Room 121.

The microfilm version of Federal census records for all states, 1790-1900, may be consulted at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of The New York Public Library.

The National Archives, Northeast Branch, located at 201 Varick St. in Manhattan also has the complete census through 1930

New York State Census

Microfilm:

  • 1855            Majority of state counties, but among those lacking:  Queens, Suffolk, Westchester
  • 1865/1875   Kings and Richmond Counties
  • 1892            Kings County
  • 1905            New York (Bronx), Kings, Westchester
  • 1915/1925   New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester

Ancestry Library Edition is digitizing & indexing the New York State Censuses!

1890 “Police” Census

  • New York City (Manhattan and West Bronx only), in the Milstein Division Microfilm Room (Room 119)

New Jersey State Census

  • New Jersey State Census, 1855, 1865/75, 1885, 1895, 1905 in the Milstein Division Microfilm Room (Room 119)

 

Passenger Lists and Indexes

Online databases:

  • Ancestry Library Edition’s Immigration Collection features digitized Port of New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 indexed by personal name. Includes indexes to several other ports such as Boston (1891-1943), Philadelphia (1883-1945) and Baltimore (1820-1948). Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available on-site at all NYPL locations.

Printed indexes available in the Milstein Reading Room (Room 121):

  • Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit, Gale, 1981. (3 vols.) and Supplements, 1982- (in progress)
  • The Famine Immigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-1851. Baltimore, Genealogical Pub., 1983- 7 vols.
  • Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, 1850- (in progress) Wilmington, Scholarly Resources, c1988-
  • Italians to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, 1880-1899. Wilmington, Scholarly Resources, 1992-
  • Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, 1875-1891. Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co., c1995-

Microfilms in the Milstein Microform Room (Room 119):

  • Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY 1820-1846
  • Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY 1897-June 30, 1902.
  • Index (Soundex) to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY July 1902-1943.
  • Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY 1820-1910.
  • Registers of Vessels Arriving at the Port of New York from Foreign Ports, 1789-1919.
  • Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, Sept. 20, 1820-March 30, 1837.
  • Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Mass., 1902-June 30, 1906.
  • Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Mass., July 1, 1906-1920.
  • Copies of Lists of Passengers Arriving at Miscellaneous Ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Ports and at Ports on the Great Lakes, 1820-1873.
  • St. Albans District Manifest Records of Aliens Arriving from Foreign Contiguous Territory: Arrivals at Canadian Border Ports, Jan. 1895-June 30, 1924. Soundex index (M1461) series covering 1895-1924.
  • Registers and Indexes for Passport Applications, 1810-1906.
  • Index to Passport Applications, 1850-1852, 1860-1880, 1881, 1906-1923.
  • Passenger lists & index of the Holland-America Line, 1900-1940.

Back to Top

Naturalization Petitions Indexes

Online databases:

  • Ancestry Library Edition’s Immigration Collection has New York County Supreme Court Naturalization Petition Index, 1907-1924
  • Ancestry Library Edition’s Immigration Collection has New York Petitions for Naturalization, 1792-1906, 1920-1934 (incomplete). Contains an index to the petitions for naturalization filed in various federal, state and local courts in New York City.

Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available on-site at all NYPL locations.

Also available on microfilm in the Milstein Division Microform Room (Room 119):

  • Index (Soundex) to Naturalization Petitions, 1792-1906 (New York, Kings, Queens, and Richmond Counties).  Searchable online in Ancestry Library Edition!
  • Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalization of the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1957 (Kings, Queens)
  • Naturalization Certificates, 1794-1906 (Queens)
  • Index to Naturalizations, 1906-1941 (Queens)
  • Record of Declarations of Intention, 1906-1926 (Queens)
  • Declarations Index 1914-1952 & Petitions Index, 1914-1932 (Bronx)

 

U.S. Military Sources

Online databases:

  • HeritageQuest Online has digitized selected genealogical records from an estimated 80,000 Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files.
  • Ancestry Library Edition gives access to a variety of military and pension records including Civil War Service Records & Pension Indexes, WW I Draft Registrations, WW II Enlistments and “Old Men’s” draft registrations..

Also available on microfilm in the Milstein Division Microform Room (Room 119) are indexes to military service and pension records in the National Archives:

  • Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files
  • Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files
  • Index to Mexican War Pension Application Files
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Indian Wars
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Spanish-American War
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Philippine Insurrection
  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont
  • General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [Civil War]
  • World War I Selective Service Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918:  New York City

 

D.A.R. and Loyalist Sources

The Library is a depository for New York State D.A.R. Genealogical Records Committee publications of New York Bible, cemetery, and vital records. We hold one of the most extensive collections of American Loyalist Claims.

 

Irish Sources

  • Origins Network - Irish, British and Scottish genealogy information online, featuring the Griffith's Valuation of Ireland.  Access to Origins Network is available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
  • Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-1832 (microfiche)
  • Griffith's Valuation, 1848-1864 (microfiche)  – Searchable online in Origins Network.
  • Family Tree Maker Index toTithe Applotment Books on CD-ROM
  • All-Ireland Heritage Microfiche Indexes to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland
  • Emigrant Savings Bank Records 1841-1945 - Searchable online in Ancestry Library Edition’s Immigration Collection.  Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available on-site at all NYPL locations.

 

African American Sources

  • Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 in HeritageQuest Online You can search for information about ancestors in the Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, 1865 - 1874. Access to HeritageQuest Online is available on-site at the Humanities & Social Sciences Library.
  • African American Newspapers: The 19th Century available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
  • Chicago Defender (1905-1975) Online available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
  • U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865 searchable online in Ancestry Library Edition at all NYPL locations.

Back to Top

Regional Records

  • Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records to 1850
  • Charles R. Hale Collection, 1750-1865 [CT marriage & death notices & tombstone inscriptions]
  • Massachusetts Vital Records Microfiche Series
  • New England Ancestors Database available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Includes many of the Massachusetts Vital Records.

Back to Top

Newspapers and Indexes

Full-text historical backfiles searchable online.  Except for Brooklyn Eagle and Chronicling America, all are available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Print and online indexes:

  • The New York Times Obituaries Index: 1858-1978. New York, New York Times, 1970-80.
  • Personal Name Index to "The New York Times Index," 1851-1989. 34 v.
  • New York Tribune Index, 1875-1906 in 19th Century Masterfile Database

    The following are searchable online through Ancestry Library Edition and New England Ancestors available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
    • Deaths Taken from the Brooklyn Eagle, 1841-1880
    • Marriages taken from the Brooklyn Eagle, 1841-1880
    • New York Evening Post: Deaths, 1801-1890
    • New York Evening Post: Marriages, 1801-1890

Guide to New York City Newspapers available at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

 

City and Telephone Directories

New York City directories of residents through 1933/34, when they ceased publication. Extensive collection of directories of other U.S. cities as well as backfiles of telephone directories are available in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Microform Room (Room 100).

 

Family Histories

The Library's large collection of family histories, acquired by purchase and gifts, are accessed in CATNYP under the standard form of the family's surname (e.g. Roosevelt family). 

Online databases:

  • HeritageQuest Online gives full-text access to 25,000 genealogies & local histories, and includes PERSI, an index to genealogical and local history periodicals.
  • New York County Histories Online includes full-text histories of Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond, Westchester, Suffolk, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, & Sullivan Counties
  • Family History Archive
  • GoogleBooks

Back to Top

Periodicals

The Library subscribes to hundreds of genealogical journals, including New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Genealogical Helper, Genealogist's Magazine as well as certain family newsletters. Periodical title holdings can be found in CATNYP.  However, citations to articles within periodicals are rarely in CATNYP.  Instead, try the printed Dictionary Catalog of the Local History & Genealogy Division which does include periodical indexing for the pre-1972 period.  Online access to genealogy and local history periodical index (PERSI) available through the HeritageQuest database, which is available on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Back to Top

Photographic Collections

  • Photographic Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s. 54,000 photographs indexed by address, subject and building name.  Available online through the NYPL Digital Gallery.
  • Eugene Armbruster Collection of Long Island Photographs, 1890s-1930s. Indexed by village name, family name and subject.
  • Lloyd Acker Collection of New York City Photographs, 1935-1975. Indexed by address.
  • William Williams Collection. Views of Ellis Island.
  • Lewis W. Hine Collection. Immigration photographs.
  • Milstein Division Postcard Collection.

 

Summary

This has been a very selective list of materials available to family historians in The New York Public Library. Additional sources will be encountered by visitors to the The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy. Other divisions of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building which contain resources useful to those engaged in genealogical research are the Manuscripts and Archives Division, the Dorot Jewish Division, the Map Division, and the Microforms Division.

For a listing of Free Internet Resources for Genealogy, click here.