Family History and Genealogy

Introduction

The Center for Brooklyn History provides this guide for those conducting genealogical research in Brooklyn and Long Island. This research guide gives an overview of the many resources available at the Center for Brooklyn History, as well as at institutions across New York City. In addition to these materials, researchers are encouraged to search the collections and research guides for resources that may be relevant to their work. To create an appointment or ask a question, please contact cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org. 

Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com is a searchable database of billions of historical records including census, military, birth, marriage, immigration and death records. Records can be downloaded in JPEG or PDF format. This resource can only be accessed in library branches. A freely accessible alternative is FamilySearch.org. 

Archives & Manuscript Collections

In addition to genealogical materials in the library, many relevant materials are held in the archival collections. These can range from collections of family papers with information on several generations of one family to the research files of a specific genealogist. Search the archives portal for family surname.

Atlases

Our historic atlas collection serves a multitude of purposes and is particularly helpful when trying to determine the age of a building. The atlases are also helpful in determining addresses, many of which changed circa 1871–72. The bulk of the atlases are bound fire insurance maps, which show Brooklyn block by block. As the atlases advance chronologically, they also advance in technical sophistication. Depending on the level of detail, atlases can include information such as the material content of buildings, house and block numbers, content and condition of pavement, street status and usability, locations of sewers and water mains, locations of subway and rail lines, ward division lines, early 19th century farm boundaries and landowners, and locations of churches, schools, and factories. An index of the atlas collection, including years, surveyors and neighborhoods, is available.

With a Brooklyn Public Library card, you can also access FIMO—the Fire Insurance Maps Online database. You can search the maps by address, or browse by area and date. A tutorial is available.

You can also access many digitized insurance atlases from New York Public Library's Digital Collections and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps from the Library of Congress. 

Books

This booklist highlights a number of genealogical reference titles in our collection. Because this list is not comprehensive, researchers are encouraged to browse the catalog for additional titles.

We have a large collection of bound histories of specific families. To find them, search the book catalog using the surname plus “family” (e.g. “Smith family”). Be sure to use quotation marks around search terms longer than one word.

To find additional genealogical books, conduct a subject search for "genealogy" in the book catalog. Browse the results for related search terms that appear in the facets or bubbles below the title and call number (see example below, which includes facets for "registers," "registers of births, etc."). Use these to further your research. 

Because the book collection is non-circulating, titles cannot be placed on hold online. To request books, please contact us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org. Click "Add to list" under the book title to create your own booklist (sign in to your account first).

Brooklyn & Long Island Scrapbooks

The Brooklyn and Long Island scrapbooks collection consists of newspaper clippings from the 1860s to the 1960s gathered from local Brooklyn and Long Island newspapers. Articles are viewable on microfiche and are accompanied by a navigational card index, which is separated into two sections: one on Long Island, the other on Brooklyn. Within each major division, the catalog is organized alphabetically by subject, individual, or business/organization. Each card lists the volume and page numbers on which its described contents can be found.

Cemeteries & Burials

The Center for Brooklyn History holds materials on burials and cemeteries in the archives, the book collection, the former Brooklyn Historical Society’s image database, the digital collections, and map collections. Search “burial” or “cemetery”. Location of burial is often included in local newspapers, which can be accessed through the Brooklyn Newsstand (tutorial available).

Although cemeteries are thought of as “the final resting place,” bodies are sometimes relocated for various reasons. See the New York Times article “Why the Brooklyn-Queens Border is Full of Dead People” for some contextual information. To locate a cemetery, try exploring The Cemeteries of New York City’s map. Green-Wood Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in Brooklyn and provides a helpful database of burial records from 1840 to 1937 (see our research guide on Green-Wood). FindAGrave.com can be quite helpful, but keep in mind that its information is crowdsourced and can be inaccurate.

Census Materials

Search the book catalog and archives portal to find the types of census materials we have. Below are some suggested search terms:

• "Census"
• "Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) – Census"
• "Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) – Genealogy"

Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are also excellent resources for census information.

Court Cases

Some court cases are documented in our archival collections and publications, accessible via the finding aid portal and book catalog, respectively. Search “court records” or “court case” or the name of the person(s) involved (“surname, first name”). Always use quotation marks around search terms longer than one word.  Images relating to court cases may be found in the Brooklyn Public Library’s digital collections (use the right menu pane to filter to “photographs”) or the former Brooklyn Historical Society’s image database. Use such search terms as “criminal courts” “evidence, criminal” “detectives” “fingerprints” “court building” and other related subjects.

The Brooklyn Newsstand, our database of digitized local newspapers, contains news reports of many legal matters. Often, a long running court case will drop out of the press as it becomes old news.

Outside of the Center for Brooklyn History’s collections, search the New York State Archives website or contact them at archref@nysed.gov. For criminal cases, the Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term can be reached at (347) 296-1100 (ask for the Archives/Records Room). The New York City Police Department and / or the District Attorney’s Office that prosecuted the case holds files relating to specific police or prosecution records in connection with criminal matters in New York City. The Kings County Clerk’s Office houses most supreme court civil cases and can be contacted at KCCOInfo@nycourts.gov.

Directories

The collections include several types of city directories spanning the years 1822 to 1967, with one 1796 Brooklyn directory and one 1786 New York directory. The bulk of the directories are devoted to the city and borough of Brooklyn. A smaller portion of the collection covers or includes Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and Newark, New Jersey. Many of our directories have been digitized and are available through the Internet Archive. A tutorial and a finding aid are available. Please note that directories covering 1796-1949 are held at the Center for Brooklyn History at 128 Pierrepont Street. Please email cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org to schedule an appointment. 1950-2017 directories are held at the Central branch at 10 Grand Army Plaza. Please submit the Book a Librarian form to schedule an appointment. 

City Directories—Residential. Organized alphabetically by last name, similar to a phone book, these directories list the name and address of an individual, often a resident’s occupation and work address, and sometimes race.

Business Directories. Most are organized alphabetically by trade, then alphabetically by last name, and list business address. Finding the relevant trade listing can sometimes be tricky. For example, when searching the address of an ancestor’s drinking establishment, no trade listing might be found under “Bars,” “Public Houses,” “Taverns,” “Liquors,” “Saloons,” or any other alternative term for a business premises where alcohol is served. But the address may be found under the antiquated “Wine and Liquors.”

By Address—Elite Directories (1873–1913).  These directories, issued by the Elite Publishing Company, are organized by address instead of by last name. By providing information on former residents, these are often helpful when tracking the social history of a particular building, and are often comprehensively cross-referenced with the “by name” directories.

Blue Books (1904–1962).  As the name suggests, these directories are a collection of society listings. They have a “by address” search in the back of the book, which is helpful when trying to discover who might have lived at a particular address.

Directories on Microfilm. The following directories are available on microfilm. Please note that some years may be stored off-site and require two weeks for delivery.

• Brooklyn and New York City Directories
  • Brooklyn: 1796-1910, 1912-1914, 1933-34
• Brooklyn Elite Directories
  • 1878-1882, 1885-1890, 1897-1899, 1901, 1905-1908, 1913, 1914
• Brooklyn Classified Telephone Directory (Yellow Pages)
  • 1944-1977
• Brooklyn Address Books ("criss-cross” directories)
  • 1929-1931, 1933-1961, 1963-1970, 1972-1980, 1986

If limited information provided by directories or genealogy indexes is stalling your research, it may be helpful to search the census by address. The 1950 census can be easily searched by enumeration district on Ancestry.com. For all other years, follow the steps outlined in this NYPL blog post.

Eardeley NYS Wills Names Index & Eardeley Manuscripts on Microfilm

William Applebie Daniel Eardeley (1870–1935) was a prolific genealogist hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Over the course of his career he amassed an extensive collection of genealogical information concerning families from all parts of the state of New York. The Center for Brooklyn History has made Eardeley’s collection available to researchers on microfilm.

The Eardeley Collection consists of two components, the Manuscript Collection and the New York State Abstracts of Wills. The Manuscript Collection contains 14 reels of Eardeley’s handwritten notes, which he copied from original documentation in institutions across the state. The reels are arranged alphabetically by family last name. Each family file may contain any number of pages; some files consist of only 1 page while others number over 200 pages. Consequently, the scope of information included in each family file varies, but generally ranges from a family member’s date of birth/death, town of residence, and names and dates of birth/death of the deceased’s spouse and children, to titles of inheritance and copies of wills and deeds. The date range covered by the collection is quite extensive, reaching as far back as the time of New York’s founding up to the early twentieth century. The Manuscript Collection is accompanied by a printed index listing each family last name in alphabetical order and the corresponding reel on which the family file can be found. An alphabetical listing of family names included in the collection is available here. Copies of this collection are also available at other repositories, such as NYPL and the FamilySearch Family History library.

The New York State Abstracts of Wills is comprised of 11 reels organized alphabetically by county name. The reels consist of abstracts of wills, administrations and guardianships compiled by Eardeley during the period 1929–1933, which he copied from original estate proceedings in the counties of New York.  The abstracts generally cover the years 1787–1835, and each county file can range from several hundred pages to over a thousand pages.  In addition, Eardeley indexed on 3×5 cards all the names in his abstracts, i.e., those of the descendants, executors, administrators, petitioners, guardians, witnesses, named beneficiaries and minor children.  This index is available on a collection of 7 microfilm reels and is arranged alphabetically by last name.  Each 3×5 card contains an individual’s name, date of death (if applicable), town of residence, and page number on which the indexed person can be found within the corresponding county file.

The Eardeley Genealogy Collection is a valuable resource for researchers seeking genealogical information on individuals across the state of New York from the time of its founding up to the early twentieth century.

Letterhead

The Brooklyn Letterhead Collection spans 200 years of business in Brooklyn. Several thousand different businesses, institutions, and organizations are represented, including carpenters, plumbers, painters, city agencies, religious institutions, and more. This complete listing of the names, addresses, and dates from the letterhead collection should prove useful to genealogical researchers, those interested in the history of various industries in Brooklyn, neighborhood historians and many others. Many of the letterheads are visually interesting as well, with elaborate typefaces, intricate imagery, and archaic handwriting.

Newspapers

The Brooklyn Newsstand contains 44 local newspapers digitized in a partnership with Newspapers.com. Dates range from 1809–1964 and include Brooklyn-wide titles such as The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Long Island Star, as well as small neighborhood papers such as Greenpoint Weekly Star and the Bay Ridge Home Reporter. Researchers can use the newsstand to keyword search articles by name, address, organization, and event. A tutorial can be found here. Additionally, a card index of marriage and death notices abstracted from the Long-Island Star and Brooklyn Evening Star for the years 1809–45 is available at the Center for Brooklyn History. 

Local Newspapers on Microfilm Collection holds numerous neighborhood newspapers covering the years 1835-1999. These newspapers contain local news in specific neighborhoods as well as borough, city, and national news. This collection includes additional years from titles that have been digitized as well as non-digitized newspaper titles.

Brooklyn High School Newspapers contains digitized news publications from Brooklyn high schools. School news receives the most attention in the papers, but community events, as well as matters of national and international interest, are reported on as well. The bulk of the papers in the collection span the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Many famous Brooklynites appear in the pages of these publications, such as Bobby Fischer (Erasmus Hall High School), Janet Yellen (Fort Hamilton High School), and Bernie Sanders (James Madison High School). For more details, see the finding aid.

Vital Statistics

While the library does not hold birth, marriage, or death certificates, we do have a variety of transcriptions compiled by genealogists. Search the catalog to find the titles in the library. Below are some suggested search terms. Search tip: use quotation marks around your searches (e.g. "Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital").

• "Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Kings County (N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Long Island (N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Flatlands (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Flatbush (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Gravesend (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.) – Statistics, vital"
• "Register of births, etc.—New York (State) – Long Island"
• "Marriage records – New York (State) – Long Island"
• "Wills – New York (State) – Indexes"
• "Wills – New York (State) – Kings County"
• "Probate records – New York (State) – Indexes"

The New York City Municipal Archives holds Brooklyn's birth (1866-1909), death (1847-1853, 1857-1948), and marriage (1866-1949) records. They are undertaking a mass digitization project to provide online access to their 13.3 million historical vital records. Browse the records by certificate number or by name (in beta). Records that are not digitized are available by appointment or can be ordered for a fee of $18.00.  The NYC Department of Records and Information Services holds vital records from 1760-1949 (with gaps). A large portion of their collection is digitally accessible through the NYC Historical Vital Records Project.

More recent vital records are maintained by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Birth certificates are made publicly available 125 years after the event, while death certificates are available 75 years after the event. Those with familial connections may obtain access earlier through an application process. 

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are an excellent resource for finding photographs of family members. The Brooklyn yearbook collection spans over 100 years of Brooklyn educational history. In addition to the class listings and photographs that are useful in genealogical research, the yearbooks provide a wealth of information about academics, clubs, athletic groups, and student activities in Brooklyn in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of the publications included in this collection are compendiums of student artwork and writing, with visually striking design and content. The Brooklyn schools collection is another helpful resource, as is searching the archives portal for school names (tip: use quotation marks around search terms longer than one word, e.g. "Erasmus Hall High School"). The yearbook collections are consistently growing due to active acquisitions and donations. Outside of CBH, Classmates.com holds a great collection of digitized yearbooks for view or purchase (a free account may be required). For transcripts from closed schools, try Requesting Student Records and Transcripts through the city.

Outside Resources

While the Center for Brooklyn History holds many genealogy resources, additional and supplemental research can be done outside of the library.  This list was compiled to help those interested in genealogy relating to Brooklyn, Long Island, and New York.

Libraries

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History and Genealogy
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Room 121
New York, NY 10018-2788
212-930-0828
history@nypl.org

Library catalogs, handbooks and guides, New York City vital records, indexes, passenger lists, census records, naturalization petitions indexes, U.S. military sources, Daughters of the American Revolution and Loyalist sources, Irish sources, regional records, newspapers and indexes, city and telephone directories, family histories, periodicals, selected electronic resources for genealogy in the library, photographic collections.

The Archives at Queens Library 
89-11 Merrick Boulevard
Jamaica, NY 11432
718-990-0770

Local history and genealogy with a focus on Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Brooklyn College Local History Research Collection

For a subject outline of this collection, which includes Brooklyn library and archives materials dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, go here.

Record Repositories

Department of Records and Information Services
31 Chambers Street, Room 103
New York, NY 10007
Information and online application forms for obtaining birth, marriage, and death records for the five boroughs.  Collections also include tax photographs, naturalization papers, business files, court records, mayors’ papers, City Council records, Board of Education records, etc.

Kings County Surrogate’s Court
2 Johnson Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
347-404-9700
If an ancestor had a will probated in Kings County, you can find it on the bottom floor of the Surrogate’s Court, Room 109.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The New York office at One Bowling Green in Manhattan has closed. Visit the National Archives website to determine which office is closest to you.
inquire@nara.gov. NARA is a repository of federal records, including military, citizenship, criminal court, and bankruptcy petitions. NARA also provides a useful online guide to genealogical research.

Kings County Civil Court
141 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Archives – Basement 007
347-404-9015
Repository for civil court filings, such as name change petitions.