by Andrew Koch
“Excelsior!,” declares New York’s coat of arms. That motto, Latin for “ever upward,” could easily refer to many aspects of the state’s history: the pattern of gradual settlement from the Hudson River north, the state’s burgeoning population size, or the daring heights of New York City’s skyscrapers. Read on for how to research your ancestors in New York State, whether they were life-long residents or just briefly passed through its bustling ports.
"New Netherland," 1620
1788
1825–1875 (every 10 years); 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
1790
State
1880
1880
New York State
Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237
(855) 322-1022
Indigenous groups have lived in modern New York for thousands of years. Five tribes—the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca—formed the powerful Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) in Upstate New York by the time of European contact in the 1600s. (A sixth, the Tuscarora, joined later.) Other notable groups include the Munsee Lenape, Schaghticoke and Mohicans. Englishman Henry Hudson sailed up what’s now the Hudson River on behalf of the Dutch in 1609, claiming it for the Netherlands. The Dutch settled Fort Orange (near modern Albany) in 1624, then “New Amsterdam” on the coast in 1625.
The Dutch colony of New Netherland butted up against the English colonies of New England to the northeast and Virginia to the southwest. The English seized New Netherland in 1664 and renamed it “New York” for their king’s brother, the Duke of York. Likewise, the capital of “New Amsterdam” became “New York City.”
The colony, even under English control, remained sparsely populated, developing slower than its neighbors. Tensions with indigenous groups and nearby French settlements hindered growth in the northern part of the colony. The Iroquois Confederacy, which reached its peak in the late 1600s, controlled vast amounts of territory and allied itself with the English. Though making peace with the French in 1701, the Iroquois remained a prominent force in the region.
New York was the site of many important battles of the American Revolution. The British occupied New York City beginning in 1776, after they routed Colonial forces from Long Island and Manhattan. And the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga galvanized Colonial troops and helped assure pivotal support from France.
The state’s population grew dramatically after independence, bolstered by industrialization, transportation innovations, and immigration through New York City. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 spurred migration to the northern and western parts of the state, a boon for cities such as Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. And in 1855, the state opened Castle Garden as an immigration station in Manhattan to process the thousands who arrived on US shores.
New York fervently supported the Civil War. But resentment over conscription erupted in the 1863 New York City draft riots. The week-long unrest led to mobs attacking African Americans, as well as the deaths of more than 100 people. Nearly two-thirds of New York’s population lives in the New York City metropolitan area today, and the City has had a broad impact on the history of the state as a whole.
New York City has long been the center of the United States’ economy and (arguably) culture, and a destination for immigrants (especially those arriving from Ireland, Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe and the
Caribbean).
In 1898, the City formally consolidated, effectively annexing Brooklyn (once an independent city), Staten Island, and parts of Queens County. The City has a five-borough structure, in which each borough corresponds to a county that is largely administered by the City: Manhattan (New York County), Brooklyn (Kings), the Bronx (Bronx), Queens (Queens) and Staten Island (Richmond).
Today, New York State remains one of the most populous, diverse and influential states in the Union. Tourist attractions such as Niagara Falls and New York City’s Times Square bring millions of visitors each year.
1609
Henry Hudson sails
up the Hudson River
1624
Fort Orange (Albany)
is founded, with New
Amsterdam (New
York City) following
a year later
1664
The English seize New
Netherland from the
Dutch, renaming it
“New York”
1788
New York is the 11th
state to adopt the
Constitution
1825
The Erie Canal is completed,
connecting New
York City and Albany
with Buffalo
1855
New York opens an
immigration station
at Castle Garden
1892
Ellis Island processes
its first new arrival
1898
New York City adopts its
modern structure, absorbing neighboring Brooklyn and Staten Island as well as parts of Queens County
1914
Bronx County is created
from Manhattan, the last major change to New York’s county borders
2001
New York City’s World
Trade Center towers
are destroyed in the
September 11 attacks
Early efforts to mandate vital records in New York failed. A 1664 law for their keeping was fulfilled by church authorities, rather than civil ones; the state did away with it after independence. And an 1847 law required school districts to compile records, but was abandoned shortly after. Vital record-keeping in New York State was thus spotty until 1881. The state mandated that local municipalities keep records of births, marriages and deaths, and send notice to the state government. But it took as many as 30 years for the program to reach full compliance.
The state archives don’t have original vital records, but instead maintain indexes of vital events: 1881 to 1937 for births, and 1880 to 50 years ago for marriages and deaths. You can obtain records themselves from the state department of health.
Privacy laws restrict access to more-recent records. Researchers who aren’t immediate family members (parent, spouse or child) or direct-line descendants can only access birth records older than 75 years if the named person is deceased, marriage certificates older than 50 years if both spouses a re deceased, and death certificates older than 50 years.
Note that the state’s larger cities often started keeping vital records earlier than 1881, and maintained them separately even after statewide registration. The bureaus of New York City likewise began keeping vital records as early as 1795 (deaths) and 1847 (births and marriages), and has kept them separate from state records ever since. (The only exceptions are divorce records, which the state maintains.)
The municipal archives have pre-1909 births and pre-1948 deaths and marriages. The NYC department of health has more-recent birth and death records, which are restricted by privacy laws. The city clerk’s office holds post-1949 marriage records. New York City was somewhat infamous for its difficult-to-acquire vital records. But that’s changing thanks to a new project from the municipal archives that will digitize the 13 million-plus vital records in its care. As of this writing, the project is 76% complete.
New York has appeared in every federal census, dating back to 1790. Records are widely available on FamilySearch, Ancestry.com and MyHeritage, though most schedules from the 1890 census were destroyed. Fortunately, the state also conducted its own censuses every 10 years from 1855 to 1875 and 1905 to 1925. A special 1892 census proves a useful substitute for the missing 1890 federal census. FamilySearch and Ancestry.com each have imaged collections of state censuses. Earlier counts were taken in 1825, 1835 and 1845, but these named only the head of household, and records of them were largely destroyed in a fire. You may be able to find surviving records at the county level.
Wightman’s Map Of New York. Published By Wightman. New York. 1835. (David Rumsey Map Collection)
The colonial or state government (not the US government) was tasked with selling land in New York. Early grants, however, may have been made by the Dutch government. The state archives hold original patents and deeds for land distributed by the state, including bounty land warrants granted to French and Indian War and Revolutionary War veterans. County clerk offices have documents that cover subsequent land transactions, and the FamilySearch Library holds copies of various county- and state-level records.
Immigration stations at Castle Garden (1855–1890) and Ellis Island (1892– 1954) processed a combined 20 million immigrants. Until 1900, states (not the federal government) administered immigration. Search arrivals from the Port of New York from both stations (and as early as 1820) at heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger.
Early titles include the New-York Gazette (1725) and New-York Weekly Journal (1733), the latter of which was crucial in securing freedom of the press in the Colonies. (Both were published in New York City, long a center for US journalism.) The free NYS Historic Newspapers and Fulton History each contain millions of pages published in the Empire State, and you can find titles on megawebsites Newspapers.com, GenealogyBank and NewspaperArchive. The “TimesMachine” allows you to read reproductions of The New York Times back to 1851; you’ll need a Times subscription to use it.
New York Heritage Digital Collections
NYC Historical Vital Records Project
City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler Anbinder (Mariner Books)
The Empire State: A History of New York edited by Milton M. Klein (Cornell University Press)
The Historical Atlas of New York City, third edition by Eric Homberger (St. Martin’s Griffin)
New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)
New York History Journal (Cornell University Press)
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