Thursday, March 21, 2024

How Do I Find Death Records In New York

Responses To New York Death Records

Vital Records: (Where to Find Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records for Genealogy)
  • David Campbellsays:

    Ive recently seen some photos of a Great Aunt, Elizabeth Caroline Gordon Cox, nee Black, who died in Brooklyn 17th Nov 1895. I have found a certificate number 20036 on Family Search. I only want to know the cause of death at age 27 because the photos show her as a good looking young woman. Vitalchek doesnt have this record. Where else could I look online? Thank you.

  • squarryadministratorsays:
  • Michael Brian Sorensonsays:

    I am seeking information on the death of an aunt. Mary Lou Carroll was three years old when she died in 1935. She was a younger sister to my mother, Nancy Rose Carroll. I tried to fill out an application for a copy of Mary Lous death certificate but I am not a parent, sibling or child. I want the information only for family genealogy purposes. Before my mother died in August 2019 she did not know how her younger sister had died, as my mom was only six years old at the time.

  • squarryadministratorsays:

    Michael, we can show the basic death record information however some death record information is limited on older NY death records. there is something in particular you would like us to help you lookup from a New York death record?

  • Michael Sorensonsays:

    The only thing I want to know is cause of death. Thank you.

  • squarryadministratorsays:

    Michael, our records do not show a cause of death unfortunately. You will need to resources the NY death certificate for this information and its not always listed unless there was an autopsy performed

  • New York City Department Of Health And Mental Hygiene: More Recent Birth And Death Certificates

    More recent collections of birth and death certificates in New York City are maintained by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene .

    After a certain period of time, these records are transferred from DOHMH to the DORIS and stored at the Municipal Archives, where they can be accessed by any member of the public.

    Currently, records are transferred to DORIS and made fully public on the following schedule:

    • Birth Certificates: 125 years after the event
    • Death Certificates: 75 years after the event

    Researchers should note that this is a new rule that was passed relatively recently and took effect in 2019if youre interested, read more about our efforts to fight against it, and how we were able to secure an amendment to the rule.

    Vital certificates that are still at the Department of Health can be accessed, but not by everyone.

    Individuals with one of the following relationships to the subject of the certificate can obtain copies of birth records from DOHMH :

    • Spouse/domestic partner

    Deaths From 1847 Thru 1850

    In 1847, New York State passed a law requiring that doctors and midwives report births, marriages, and deaths to the trustees of local school districts. Due to the complexities of this law, it quickly fell into disfavor and few communities reported deaths after 1850 . Extant records for this time period are either held by the local village, town, or city clerk or by the county clerk.

    PART A: You know the village, town, or city of death

    Try 1st: Determine if the records from your village, town, city, or county have been microfilmed by FamilySearch. Search the Catalog for both village/town/city and county and then check to see if they are available at your local family history center.

    Try 2nd: Order a copy of the death record from the village, town, or city clerk. To locate contact information, search for the village, town, or city in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Note that in some counties the county clerk holds all death records for this time period.

    If you do not want to order the death record, you can search other records with death information.

    PART B: You do not know the village, town, or city of death

    If you do not know the village, town, or city of death, learn more about the family using census, land, probate, and church records.

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    New York State Birth Certificates

    Those seeking New York birth certificates should begin with the state’s index to all birth certificates from 1881. Birth indexes are made available after 75 years, but not all indexes are entirely up to date, and may only go up to the mid-1930s. Another limitation to keep in mind is that not all births were reported in the earlier years of the index – compliance grew over time, and before 1913 was often incomplete in many areas.

    The vital records chapter of our New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer goes into detail on when compliance started in every area of New York State, and how researchers should handle research in all areas and time periods.

    Fortunately, the New York State Birth Index from 1880 – 1942 was recently added as a searchable database on Ancestry.com. Images are also available to browse for free on Internet Archive.

    Again, these indexes do not cover several notable locations. New York City birth certificates have always been kept completely separate from vital records of other locations in New York State. See the New York City section of this guide for more information.

    Additionally, New York State does not have birth records for Albany, Buffalo, or Yonkers before 1914. Click the name of each municipality to find out about obtaining vital records for your ancestors in these cities.

    Once you have found the birth certificate number, you’re ready to request a copy.

    Ordering A Copy Of A Death Certificate

    New York Birth Certificate Template

    To order a copy of a death certificate WITHOUT the confidential medical report:

    You can order a copy of a death certificate without the confidential medical report online. The NYC Health Department uses VitalChek, a secure third-party vendor to process internet orders. You will need a personal credit/debit/checking account to order online. Online orders cost $15 for each certificate, plus an $8.30 processing fee for each order.

    All Medical Examiner death certificates have the cause of death. If the cause is or manner is Undetermined or Pending further study, contact the Medical Examiners office directly at 447-2030.

    You can also order a copy of a death certificate by completing the death certificate application and leaving box #20 blank.

    Certificate in other languages:

    To order a copy of a death certificate WITH the confidential medical report:

    You can order a copy of a death certificate with a confidential medical report by completing the death certificate application and checking box #20.

    What information is found on a death certificate?

    The following information is found on a NYC death certificate:

    How long will it take to process my order?

    Below are the average processing times to complete your order.

    Allow an additional two weeks for death certificates from years 1949 to 1970, or for any other record that requires searching.

    If you have not received your order after the estimated processing times noted above, call:

    Coronavirus Outbreak

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    Introduction To New York Birth Marriage And Death Records

    Official birth, marriage, and death recordsalso called vital recordsare crucial family history sources that every researcher should seek.

    These deep and rich sources can provide names, relationships, locations, dates of events, and other essential details about your family.

    Many states in the U.S. have well-organized and complete collections of vital recordsbut not New York!

    For many reasons, finding vital records in New York State can be confusing and challenging. The purpose of this guide is to help clarify:

    • Where to look for vital records, which depends on the time and place of the event
    • How to find the vital record certificate number
    • How to locate or request a copy of the vital record

    What People Want To Know About Obituary From New York

    Where can I find the most recent obituaries of New York?

    Simply browse the New Yorks obituaries listing you can find on this page or conduct a search on the web site with your loved ones name.

    How much does it cost to publish an obituary in New York ?

    Creating an obituary on Echovita is free. You can click this link to create an obituary.

    Can flowers be sent directly to a visitation or funeral service in New York?

    Yes, flower arrangements are fulfilled and delivered by local florists from New York.

    How can I create an obituary in New York?

    Visit this link to create a free obituary then read the advantages of creating an obituary on Echovita and either click Start now or Create an obituary for your loved to begin.

    Can I follow recent obituaries from New York on facebook?

    Yes, simply like this page on or search Obituary in New York on facebook.

    Can I add photos and videos to an obituary?

    Yes, simply click Add a photo located underneath the main photo of the obituary then upload the photos/videos you wish to share.

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    Find Westchester County Death Records

    Westchester County Death Records are documents relating to an individual’s death in Westchester County, New York. These can include Westchester County death certificates, local and New York State death registries, and the National Death Index. Death Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or Westchester County Clerk’s Offices, which may be run by the state or at the local level.

    Learn about Death Records, including:

    • How to search online for Death Records
    • Where to get certified death certificates in Westchester County, NY
    • How to get copies of Death Records
    • What information is part of the death index
    • What genealogists use Westchester County vital records for

    New York State Death Certificates

    How To Find Death Records On ANYONE

    To find a death certificate, researchers should begin by searching New York State’s index to all deaths beginning in 1880. Death indexes are made available after 50 years.

    The NYG& B eLibrary contains images of the New York State Death Index, and images can also be found at Internet Archive.

    The images in these collections are not searchable, but they are easy to browse by year, though the image quality of some years makes it difficult to read certain images.

    Ancestry.com has a searchable database that also contains the same images as the collections above.

    For more recent deaths, researchers should use New York State’s Interactive Ancestry/Genealogical Research Death Index, which begins with 1957 and contains deaths up to the current legal limit .

    Again, these indexes do not cover several notable locations. New York City death records have always been kept completely separate from vital records of other locations in New York State. See the New York City section of this guide for more information.

    Additionally, New York State does not have death records for Albany, Buffalo, or Yonkers before 1914. Click the name of each municipality to find out about obtaining vital records for your ancestors in these cities.

    Once you have found the death certificate number, you’re ready to request a copy.

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    Certified Vital Records For Legal Purposes

    Regular handling takes 8-10 weeks. The certified copy fee is $30 for a birth, death, divorce or marriage record. You may speed up requests for certified copies of genealogical records for legal purposes by sending the request, with your check or money order , to the address below via an overnight delivery service and including a prepaid overnight express return envelope. Priority handling takes up to two weeks and there is an extra $15 fee per certificate. Proper documentation and proper identification is required.

    For priority handling , send overnight to:

    New York State Department of HealthVital Records Section/2nd Floor

    For regular handling , send to:

    New York State Department of HealthVital Records Section, Certification UnitP.O. Box 2602Albany, NY 12220-2602

    If you require rush service for a certificate for legal purposes , your order should be submitted via Internet , by phone or by fax . A major credit card is required. Current processing fee is $69.95 for express service or $56.95 for regular mail delivery .

    Many city, town or village registrars/clerks can offer more expeditious service.

    New York City Municipal Archives: The Largest Collection Of Nyc Vital Records

    In general, researchers can find vital records from the following time periods at the Municipal Archives:

    • Birth certificates: 18471909
    • Death certificates: 18471948

    A more detailed listing of availability can be found in the Municipal Archives List of Holdings on the DORIS website.

    Coverage dates don’t necessarily apply to all pre-consolidation municipalities . For significantly greater detail by town and village pre-consolidation, see the New York City Municipal Archives: An Authorized Guide for Family Historians.

    To retrieve a copy of a certificate, the most important piece of information a researcher should have is the certificate number. Certificate numbers can be found by locating the name of the individual in a vital records index.

    Most indexes contain little more than basic details about the event and the certificate number, with the notable exception of Ancestry’s new indexes, which debuted in February 2020.

    Records in these new collections are really far more than just indexesa lot of valuable information has been extracted from each certificate and is available to view online. Read our blog about Ancestry’s new New York City vital records for more information.

    See the list below for some of the most useful online indexes to New York City birth, marriage, and death records.

    Ancestry

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    Reclaim The Records Seeks First

    Asks court to overturn recently-enacted restrictions on access

    Non-profit organization Reclaim The Records files ninth Freedom of Information lawsuit, asking New York State Supreme Court to overturn burdensome and irrational restrictions placed on historical records in New York City group seeks to acquire and provide free online access to 1.6 million death records

    Hello again from Reclaim The Records! Were that scrappy little activist group of genealogists, historians, journalists, and open government advocates, fighting for better public access to government-held genealogical and historical documents. And today, we have some very exciting news.

    We just filed a new lawsuit, the biggest, baddest Freedom of Information lawsuit that weve ever filed. Its a milestone case, not only for our organization, but also for how genealogists, historians, and researchers as a community deal with government agencies who routinely withhold historical records from the public, and who pass capricious and irrational restrictions on public access.

    Yesterday afternoon, in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County, we filed an Article 78 Petition against the following agencies and people:

    This is also the first time, to our knowledge, that a Registrar of vital records has specifically been named in a lawsuit based on the policies that he or she actually promoted to restrict access to records.

    Certified Copies Of Birth And Death Records

    Matt

    For important information about what records are available and who is eligible to receive copies of records, visit the following:

    Genealogy copies are not available for same day pick up at the Vital Records Office. However, we can accept your payment and application at the counter. Your record will be mailed to you when the research has been completed.

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    Wow Show Us The Documents

    With pleasure!

    Article 78 Petition

    And so we at Reclaim The Records sued them, and filed the case in the Supreme Court of New York on April 17, 2019.

    Affidavit #1 – Roger Joslyn, on the effect of records being withheld in probate, kinship, and other legal matters

    Roger Joslyn is a past president of the Association for Professional Genealogists and an expert witness who has been working with New York City vital records for decades. He compares and contrasts the difficulty in getting records in New York City to other areas of the country, where it is far easier.

    Affidavit #2 – Megan Smolenyak, on the repatriation of United States servicemembers

    Megan Smolenyak’s genealogical work has been on the front page of the New York Times twice. She is a consultant to the U.S. Army who assists them in identifying and locating genetic matches and also the legal next of kin of soldiers killed overseas during WWII and the Korean War, so that they can be brought back to the US for burial.

    Affidavit #3 – David Bushman, on the need for records access for family health reasons
    Affidavit #4 – Kelly Bodami, on the NYC DOH blocking people from their lawfully entitled citizenship
    The City’s Motion to Dismiss

    The city is trying to get the case dismissed. They didn’t make a single argument against the production of the records under FOIL but did try to argue that we couldn’t overturn the rules because the date of our lawsuit was too many months after the rule change was passed.

    Tips About Searching United States Death Records

    • Most states began recording deaths between 1900 and 1930, but each started a different year. For example,
    • New England states started recording deaths on the town level starting as early as the first residents of the town. New England states consist of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
    • Some states began recording deaths on the county level as early as the 1860s.
    • Restrictions: some states have restrictions on who can see them. Each state has its own laws. One state may have deaths for some years available to everyone while other states may limit access to relatives.

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    Who Is Eligible To Get A Copy Of A Birth Certificate

    • The person named on the birth certificate.
    • A parent of the person named on the birth certificate. The requesting parent’s name must be on the birth certificate.
    • A spouse, child or others, but only by order of a New York State court.

    What identification needs to be submitted by the applicant?

    Application must be submitted with copies of either A or B:

  • One of the following forms of valid photo-ID:
  • Driver’s license
  • Two of the following showing the applicant’s name and address:
  • Utility or telephone bill
  • Letter from a government agency dated within the last six months
  • Please submit a copy of your U.S. passport in addition to the above ID if you are applying from a foreign country that requires a passport for travel.

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