PO Box 2175  ESP Station  Albany  NY 12220  contactcdgs@cdgsny.org

CAPITAL   DISTRICT  GENEALOGICAL   SOCIETY
501(c)(3) Charity


Did you know there are almost 1,600 official historians in the state of New York?  That's because back in 1919, the New York state legislature mandated that every "city, town, or village" must have an official historian. It's a regulation that's unique among the 50 states, and basically unenforceable. Towns are not required to pay these record-keepers, who are appointed by a town mayor or manager. Municipalities that fail to find a volunteer are sent a strongly worded letter, but little else can be done. Most historians work part-time, but can be very helpful. 

You can search for the Historian for a particular place or browse through the list for the entire state. 


Links to View Records Online

Vital Records Indexes (courtesy of Reclaim the Records)

Birth records, 1847-1849, 1853-1917, bulk: 1866-1909
Marriage records, 1829-1949, bulk: 1866-1949
Death records, 1795, 1802-1804, 1812-1948, bulk: 1866-1948


Coming Soon

  • Albany County Book of Manumissions & Registrations
  • NYS related Maritime births, deaths, marriages 1901 - 1948  These are images from a scrapbook documenting births, deaths, and marriages at sea. Letters and documents are included. 
  • Vital records documenting enslaved people and children born to enslaved mothers, 1760-1828, bulk: 1799-1828
  • Other vital records, 1898 - 1948
  • Other vital records, 1898-1948


  • NYS delayed birth certificate list (with parent's names). Delayed BC's were issued in the 1930's for people who were born 1870's 1880's usually because they were applying for Social Security and needed this documentation. The list is alphabetical and women are listed by their birth surname, not a married name.


Research Tips

Alien Deposition


Almshouse and Poorhouse Censu

Civil Service Employee Records

Civil War Service Abstracts

Deeds

Executive Clemency Records

GAR Records

Land Patents

Marriage Bonds

Military Patents

Mix's Catalog of Maps and Surveys

Prison Inmate Records

Sing Sing Admission Registers

Tax Assessment Rolls

War of 1812 Claims

War Service Records and Searches

World War I Service Records 


How to Research the History of a House - 
(courtesy of Austin Real Estate)



NYS Military Museum and Veteran's Research Center

New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs

 61 Lake Avenue . Saratoga Springs . NY . 12866

Dedicated to New York's deep military history you can research their catalog and collections online or in person (call ahead).  They have lots of data including  pictures (searchable by name), videos, etc.  518 5100 is the main number and 518 581-5109 is the research number.


Soldiers and Sailors Database - National Park Service

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time. The CWSS is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and several public and private partners whose goal is to increase Americans' understanding of this decisive era in American history by making information about it widely accessible


Genealogical/Historical Societies of the area:

(also selected resources)


Albany County:


Columbia County:


Fulton County:


Franklin County:


Greene County:

Montgomery County:


Rensselaer County:


Saratoga County:


Schenectady County:


Schoharie County


Washington County:

Newspapers


Free, Searchable Newspaper Databases making available millions of newspaper pages.

The NYS Cultural Education Center

222 Madison Avenue . Albany, NY 12220


The New York State Library, along with the New York State Archives and the New York State Museum, is housed in the Cultural Education Center (CEC) in Albany, New York.    Visiting the Cultural Education Center


NYS Library

Part of the Cultural Education Center and repository for a multitude of genealogy sources. From church records to military records to surname files. There is an online catalog shared with the NYS Archives.


Newspapers on microfilm (available for inter-library loan)
Excelsior, the library's online catalog
Military History and Records




NYS Archives

Part of the Cultural Education Center and repository for many records that contain information about individuals, such as:


Topics

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
Military Service Records
Census Records
Real Property Transfer Records
Real Property Tax Records
Court Records
Naturalization and Related Records
Wills and Probate Records
Prison and Reformatory Records
Poorhouse Census Records
Cartographic Records


Tools

Naturalization Pathfinder
Probate Pathfinder
Real Property Pathfinder
Name Indexes
State Archives Finding Aids
Inter-Library Loan of Microfilm
Local Government Records on Microfilm


NYS Museum

Part of the Cultural Education Center and repository of New York History, Archaeology, early Census records of Albany (1600's +), Family Pages and Family Biographies.