Finding the correct source for information about your ancestor can require time-consuming research. Once you’ve found a record, book, person, website, artifact, or any source, make sure you document where you found it. You may need to return to that same record at some point and finding it a second time may be just as difficult as it was the first time. It can be frustrating to determine exactly what information needs to be included for a specific citation and what order the elements of the citation should follow

As one of the nation's most populated states, there is overwhelming demand for genealogical resources in New York. Also, New York has historically been the central place for immigration thanks to Ellis Island, which has created a genealogical web that connects with citizens in every other state in the US. Use these resources to find death, birth and marriage certificates. Locate your ancestor's military records or census data, in addition to copies of historic newspapers and family histories.

If you’re interested in genealogy or family history, you’re in the right place. Libraries and archives are often the only source for unique, local information about cemetery, burial, and military records; family Bibles, church, and town histories; indexes of births, marriages, and deaths; photographs, newspapers, microfilm, and so much more.

Wills are a confidential document until someone dies. Once the Will is admitted to probate or a small estate, it becomes a public document that anyone can see and read. If someone has filed a probate or small estate proceeding and the court has processed the filing, you can see all the filings, including the will, using WebSurrogates.

An excellent starting place for African American genealogy. It features a “Beginners Guide” video; details on best sites for African American records, resources, and research; good direction on finding slave data, vital records, history of slavery; plus a website search function, forums and chats.

One of the largest research collections available, incorporating records from around the world.

Special collections include African American and a Native American Gateway; military records; and a surname database contributed by researchers. One of the largest genealogical library collections in the U.S.

ABMC maintains 26 permanent American military cemeteries, 31 federal memorials, monuments, and markers, in 17 foreign countries.

Inside you will find information related to the US Civil War including Union and Confederate Regimental Histories, Union Corps Histories and Soldiers letters.

Our Mission To promote interest in and study of American history through genealogical research; to preserve the heritage of the North American Pomeroys and their allied families by conducting research, collaborating with other researchers, and providing access to the results.

A free online catalog of millions of archival materials from more than 1,400 repositories around the world.

The Association of Public Historians of New York State is a 501(c)3 non-profit professional organization that represents the 1,600+ government-appointed historians in the state. Under state law, every county and municipality in New York is required to have an appointed historian to document, preserve, interpret, and share the history of their communities. It is part of the state’s commitment to ensuring that New Yorkers have access to quality educational experiences enriched by cultural heritage resources. Our state’s local historians are here to serve you!

Select a state from the map to view all of the Atlas' content related to that state, including shapefiles, chronologies, and metadata.

It’s not complicated or expensive to protect your research against disaster. And you can customize your plan based on your own needs and preferences. You’ll have to invest some time, effort and money, but it’s probably a fraction of what you’ve already invested in your family history assets. Follow these five principles to craft a solid “insurance policy” against catastrophic genealogical loss that will help preserve your family history.

American Ancestrors, Ancestry, Findmypast, Fold3, Genealogical.com, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, National Genealogical Society, Newspaper Archive, Newspapers.com, OldNews

Bible Records Online is a site dedicated to transcribing and digitizing the contents of family records that were written inside family Bibles and in other important documents from as early as the 1500s through today.

Search their free database by people or by cemetery. Many entries have photos of gravesites. Free app helps to direct you to the GPS location in a cemetery, which is a great help as many cemeteries are poorly marked.

Search their free database by people or by cemetery. Many entries have photos of gravesites. Free app helps to direct you to the GPS location in a cemetery, which is a great help as many cemeteries are poorly marked.

The NYC Health Department issues birth certificates for all people who are born in New York City (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island). They do not issue certificates for Nassau, Suffolk or other counties in New York State.

Available for individuals who applied for federal land beginning in 1820.

You can search for federal land survey plats. A plat map shows the exact location of your ancestor's property. In deed searches, use plat maps to find the subdivision and lot number.

Free collections of family histories, local histories, city directories, etc. in partnership with ACPL, BYU Library and FamilySearch's Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

The Capital District Genealogical Society was organized in 1981 with the following purpose: To teach members and other interested persons how to trace their family roots, lineage, or heritage. To provide help to those seeking information via queries on relatives and/or family who in the past had connections to the Capital District and adjacent counties. To educate the general public and membership by conducting special programs relevant to the purpose of the Society To coordinate the interests and concerns of persons and/or organizations throughout the Capital District area, New York State and the country in the development of information and resources to better serve the purpose of the Society, the membership and the public at large

Name and location.

The Local History & Genealogy Division is located on the 2nd floor of the Rundel Library Building. This Division holds the largest collection of primary and secondary source materials about the history of Rochester and the Genesee Valley in the region, as well as a vast assemblage of resources to help you research your family history. Materials do not circulate; they must be used in the division.

The Central New York Genealogical Society (CNYGS) was formed in 1961 for the purpose of preserving, publishing and sharing genealogical information and resources.

The Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers collection provides access to select digitized newspaper pages produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress.

To conserve space for each listing, city directories often use abbreviations. This link list the most common abbreviations found in city directories.

Civil War Maps contains items from the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, the Library of Virginia, and the Virginia Historical Society.

The New York State Library holds an extensive collection of material on the American Civil War in print, microform, and online formats. Civil War materials available at the State Library include regimental and military histories, personal narratives, military records, general references, bibliographies, annual reports of the New York State Adjutant-General (which include registers of New York regiments), rosters of Confederate and Union soldiers, the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, documents and reports of federal agencies, lists of pensioners and numerous primary documents, such as letters, diaries, citations, personal and family papers, broadsides, prints, music, maps and atlases.

The first emigrants to America had occupations concerned primarily with simple, basic survival in the New World. They were, for the most part, skilled laborers, who could make things most of us now only dabble in as hobbies.

NYPL provides access to a variety of databases which feature historical newspapers. This list of historical newspaper databases includes publications spanning throughout New York, the United States, and internationally. Frequently searched newspaper databases include: Proquest Historical Newspapers: Major newspapers throughout the U.S. including the New York Times, New York Tribune, New York Amsterdam News, Wall Street Journal,and Newsday (1764-2009). America’s Historical Newspapers: Early newspapers throughout the U.S. including New York City (1690-1998).

Cornell University Library provides extensive genealogy resources, including databases like Ancestry.com and ProQuest historical newspapers, specific collections on American and Jewish history and New York vital records, and research guides at guides.library.cornell.edu/egenealogy. Key resources include historical newspapers (such as the New York Times), land and census records, and collections focusing on immigrant and African American family histories.

The Cornell University Library Making of America Collection is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology

The cousin chart helps you calculate and figure out what to call your more distant cousins through a visual guide.

Cyndi Ingle has spent more than 25 years curating some 300,000 links to genealogy websites, helpfully organized into categories.

Under the general category of religions, specific religions, specific states, and types of records.

The DAR Library collection includes a large number of family Bible records—whether copies of original pages or transcriptions in published or unpublished works.

The historical map collection has over 142,000 maps and related images online. The online map collection is a searchable database that allows you to make your own journeys into spatial representations of the past. Here you can see the history of cartography through primary sources from 1500 into the 21st century.

The DPLA makes millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country available to all in a one-stop discovery experience.

Delivering the genealogy-related news for more than 25 years!

A free resource for finding about 65 million immigrants and other passengers who arrived in the port of New York between 1820 and 1957 (including Castle Garden, Ellis Island, and even airborne arrivals). Records include passenger manifests, customs lists, and even detention records.

Evidence Explained guides us through a maze of sources not covered by other citation manuals—all kinds of original records, accessed through various media. More than a thousand examples for U.S. and international documents demonstrate how to handle the quirks that stump us when we use those materials. Evidence Explained is the go-to guide for everyone who explores the past.

This collection is available to American Ancestors Research and Contributing Members only. Bible records, a significant primary source for genealogists, typically contain birth, marriage, and death dates for family members often for multiple generations and sometimes include notes on military service, occupations, and other interesting life details.

A completely free genealogy database website. You can use an Advanced Search tool by surname, record type, and/or place to access millions of records. The FamilySearch Wiki is a “go to” resource to find what exists for a wide range of family history topics, even beyond FamilySearch’s extensive databases.