New York Genealogy: News You Can Use In Your New York Research

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This page gathers news items and tips that could benefit your New York research. Items are added frequently. If you have appropriate information to share, contact webmaster@nygbs.org.

 

May 16, 2013:

New Online Resources:

  • Family Search continues to add to the databases of New York marriages, organized by county, and to the collection of Queens County Probate Records.
  • For the first time in its history, the NYPL has put an entire manuscript collection online. The Emmet Collection (at archives.nypl.org/emmetcollection) includes approximately 10,000 letters and documents.  
  • New York City’s Department of Correction has started a free online database of New York City’s Potter’s Field on Hart Island. The database currently includes 65,000 names, mostly of those buried after 1977, of the more than one million people buried there. More names will be added to the database as they become available. To see the database, visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/hart_island/hart_island.shtml  

April 3, 2013:

Recently FamilySearch added records to two existing New York databases:
  • New York Passenger and Crew Lists 1925-1942
  • New York State Census of 1875

March 9, 2013:

FamilySearch.org has added a significant quantity of probate records to two New York databases.
1. Probate records added to the existing collection of Surrogate County Court records, increasing the number of records to about fourteen million. The records are browseable and organized by county.
2. Additions to the Queens County probate records database.

February 26, 2013:

NARA and NOAA have digitized Navy ship logs from before the Civil War to WWII, and they are now freely accessible online. Digital images of the logbooks are available on both the National Archives website at www.archives.gov and at www.oldweather.org.
The website "The Growth of Newspapers Across the U.S.: 1690-2011” features an interactive timeline and map to help people track down newspapers in which their ancestors might be mentioned. http://www.stanford.edu/group/ruralwest/cgi-bin/drupal/visualizations/us_newspapers

February 21, 2013:

FamilySearch.org has added more images to two existing databases.
1. Queens County Probate Records. The database now contains over 1,750,000 browseable images.
2. 1855 Census of New York State. The number of indexed records and browseable images now stands at over 2,800,000 records.
Also, FamilySearch.org announced they have begun posting records from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York. The records include baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials and other records for the 19th and 20th centuries. Some burial records go beyond the 1950s. About 3,200 images are currently browsable.

February 19, 2013:

Genealogybank.com, a subscription site, has recently added some more New York newspaper images:
  • New York City: Courrier des Etate-Unis (1859-1885)
  • New York City: Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (1870-71)
  • New York City: New Yorker Volkszeitung (1894-1898)
  • Plattsburgh: The Burgh (2011-current)
  • Skaneateles: Skaneateles Press (2011-present)

February 14, 2013:

The National Archives at New York City has officially opened to the public on Monday, February 4th, at its new location at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at One Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. Hours will be Monday-Friday, 10am to 5pm. They will also be open the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 4pm for microfilm and computer research. Visit their website for additional information: http://www.archives.gov/nyc/.

January 14, 2013:

The Troy Irish Genealogy Society has added book four, covering the years April 1935 - November 1952, to its index of interment records at St. Mary's Cemetery, Troy, NY http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nytigs/StMarysCemeteryRecords/IntroStMarysCemeteryInterments.htm. The TIGS has transcribed numerous records – religious, vital, cemetery, court, newspaper, etc. -- relevant to the city of Troy and Rensselaer County which are by no means limited to Irish families. For more information visit: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nytigs/ProjectsPage.htm.

December 27, 2012:

Ancestry.com is making a selection of data sets available for free through December 29, 2012. These include New York naturalization records (1897-1944) and the 1892 New York State Census. See Ancestry.com for more details.

November 8, 2012:

Mocavo has just announced a free online database of yearbooks available to researchers.  It promises to be the largest freely accessible yearbook database online, with over 17,000 yearbooks from the United States and Canada, totaling nearly 3.5 million pages of genealogical information.  Currently, there are 288 yearbooks from 45 cities and towns in New York, from Alfred to Yorktown Heights.  To search the database, visit the Mocavo website here: www.mocavo.com/yearbooks
 

October 17, 2012:

The National Archives at New York City is moving to their new office at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at One Bowling Green in New York City.  Some of their services will be curtailed during this transition as they move the records and staff offices.  Appointments to view records from offsite storage will be suspended until further notice, although researchers may request copies (up to 75 pages) if their request is for specific documents.  In cases where records are needed to prove rights or benefits (SSDI, USCIS hearing, Medicare) please call 347.931.8031 and leave a message explaining your situation.  An archivist will return your call by the end of the business day.  Reference requests (whether by email, fax, or telephone) will not be accepted until the Archives have completed the move to the Alexander Hamilton Custom House and are once again open to the public.  For more information and updates on the relocation check their website at www.archives.gov/northeast/nyc. 

September 28, 2012:

A new collection of New York Naturalization Records, 1897-1944 has been released at Ancestry.com, http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2499.  The index is free for all to search as it was created by contributors to the World Archives Project.  This collection contains over 600,000 names of individuals and their family members who were naturalized in New York.  Naturalization original records are packets, generally 3-5 pages, that contain the Oath of Allegiance, Petition for Naturalization, and other related documents.  For more information about these records and how they were indexed you can read more here.

August 15, 2012: New York Newspaper Content Online

The subscription site www.genealogybank.com has recently added new New York newspaper content. Check the website to learn which issues and dates are now online. The new content comes from these newspapers:
Albany: Daily Albany Argus
Auburn: Auburn Daily Bulletin, Wisconsin Chief
New York City: Courier des Etats Unis, Daily Graphic, Evening Post, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, National Advocate, Spectator.
Poughkeepsie: Poughkeepsie Journal.
Schenectady: Cabinet.

August 6, 2012: Two News Items

1. The Steve Morse one-step function at www.stevemorse.org now includes the 1915 and 1925 New York State censuses.  2. Now that the 1940 Federal Census has been indexed, FamilySearch has announced a project to index the New York passenger lists (1875-1891); they have issued a call for volunteers. Other projects are also part of this effort.

July 17, 2012: Boston University Certificate in Genealogy Coming to NYC This Fall

Boston University's acclaimed certificate program in genealogical research will be offered this fall at the offices of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Classes begin September 8.  The weekend program consists of 14 all-day sessions with instruction provided by some of the best known and most capable teachers in the country, including Thomas W. Jones, Melinde Lutz Byrne, Elissa Scalise Powell, Allison Ryall, Pamela Sayre, and Mary Ann Boyle. Complete information on the program is at www.bu.edu/professional/G142 Or call 1-866-633-9370.  Enrollment is limited and interest in the program has been strong, so prospective students should contact BU as soon as possible.

July 17, 2012: New York Data on Ancestry.com - Free to New York Residents.

The summer issue of New York Archives, the magazine of the Archives Partnership Trust (www.nysarchivestrust.org) includes an excellent summary of New York State data on www.ancestry.com .  Even though Ancestry.com is a subscription site, these data are free to residents of New York State. Access the data by going to www.archives.nysed.gov . From there, click on "research" and then the link to Ancestry.com  Databases listed in the article are provided below. For the complete list, visit the site.  And presumably the list of databases will grow in the future. 
  • New York State Census for 1915 and 1925
  • New York Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses,1830-1920
  • New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts 1861-1900
  • New York Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War 1861-1865
  • New York Marriages 1600-1784
  • New York Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812
  • Salina, New York Records 1805-1969
  • US Census Mortality Schedules for New York 1850-1880
  • US Census Non-Population Schedules, New York 1850-1880
  • US Federal Census: 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes, New York
A subscription to this very appealing magazine is a benefit of membership in the New York Archives Partnership Trust.

July 10, 2012: New Data on FamilySearch

Family Search has formally announced some new data online at www.familysearch.org.  Some of this material has been previously noticed. New Jersey and New York data included: New Jersey State Census of 1905 (name index, no images); New York State Census of 1915 (name index, click through to images at Ancestry.com); New York State Census of 1925 (name index, click through to images at Ancestry.com); New York Naturalization Records 1791-1980 (browsable images); and New York Probate Records (browsable images).

July 9, 2012: NARA Records Now at Jersey City Public Library

The Jersey City Free Public Library, Jersey City, NJ (www.jclibrary.org )has recently acquired 1,800 rolls of microfilm from NARA, covering census, military, and immigration records from Hudson County, New Jersey. Included: passenger lists of immigrants arriving in New York Harbor, naturalization petitions (19th and 20th centuries), War of 1812 prisoner of war records, and World War II draft cards.

June 25, 2012: Black Gotham Online

In 2011, Professor Carla Peterson published a landmark book: Black Gotham - A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York (Yale University Press).  Recently, she launched a website/blog addressing much of the subject matter covered in the book. The new online material is at www.blackgothamarchive.org.  This is a new resource for people researching this subject and time period.

June 25, 2012: More New York data on FamilySearch.

Recently FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) added additional browsable images for two existing databases: Orange County Probate Records and Queens County Probate Records.

June 6, 2012: New York State Censuses

Ancestry.com has made available the New York state censuses for 1892, 1915 and 1925 online for the first time, indexed by name.  If you are not an Ancestry.com subscriber and are a New York resident, these searchable databases are accessible for free. New York residents may sign in at this internet address: http://tinyurl.com/89cf6az

June 6, 2012: 1940 Census for New York State is Now Searchable

Ancestry.com has completed its index for New York State names in the 1940 census and made it available to everyone for free.  However, the census pages themselves are available only to Ancestry.com subscribers and to patrons of libraries with Ancestry.com subscriptions. Some people have commented on the high error rate. So search creatively (using wild cards, for example). And please post corrections. Each time you access a record, there is an opportunity to post a correction, usually on the left side of the screen.

June 5, 2012: War of 1812 Records

Fold3.com, a subscription site, has made its War of 1812 records available for free during June, 2012. Records include War of 1812 pension files; War of 1812 Prize Cases from the Southern District Court of New York, and War of 1812 Service Records.
 

June 4, 2012: 1940 New York Census Indexing

Some New York localities, including a portion of the Bronx, have been indexed and are searchable online at www.myheritage.com.  This information is free.

May 16, 2012: Two Exhibitions

Two exhibitions of interest have recently opened. The Rensselaer County Historical Society has a new exhibition on the Great Fire of Troy, New York (1862); the New York State Historical Association Research Library in Cooperstown has a new exhibition on the photographs of Cooperstown (1965-1992) made by Milo Stewart.

May 14, 2012: New York Newspapers Online

Genealogybank.com, a subscription website, has added more New Jersey and New York material to its vast newspaper archive. (The database is searchable by non-subscribers but the full articles cannot be accessed without a subscription.) The following communities and newspaper titles are affected by this announcement:
 
Newark, NJ: New Jersey Deutsche Zeitung
Trenton, NJ: Sentinel
Trenton, NJ: Trenton Evening Times
Albany, NY: Albany Argus    
Auburn, NY: Auburn Journal and Advertiser
Auburn, NY: Cayuga Republican
New York City: Commercial Advertiser
New York City: Evening Post
New York City: New York Age
New York City: New York Freeman
Schenectady, NY: Cabinet
Utica, NY: Columbian Gazette
 

April 25, 2012: Large NYC Photo Archive Officially Online

The NYC Department of records announced that 870,000 photographs are officially added to the Municipal Archives Online Gallery. This was previously noted here on March 26. Heavy traffic has temporarily disabled the site but they are inviting patrons to check back at a later date.

April 20, 2012: News For Those Researching Eastern European Jewish Families

The Center for Jewish History in Manhattan (cjh.org) has announced a partnership with the Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation to make archives and images from Eastern Europe available online. The details are on the Center for Jewish History website.

April 11, 2012: New Data on FamilySearch for New York and New Jersey

FamilySearch has announced new data: 1) New York Naturalizations (1792-1976) from eleven upstate counties plus New York County and Queens County. The collection contains 951,000 browsable images searchable by county. 2) New Jersey Marriages (1682-1956). This collection contains about 60,000 searchable images and is complete.
 

April 3, 2012: New York Data free on Ancestry.com if you are a New Yorker

The New York Archives Partnership Trust has reminded researchers that New York State databases are online at Ancestry.com and are accessible for free by New Yorkers. If you are a New Yorker but NOT an Ancestry.com subscriber, you can get a special account to search these New York State records.
The data can be accessed through the New York State Archives webpage www.archives.nysed.gov.  From this page, click on "research" and then you will see the link to Ancestry.com.

(By the way, The New York Archives Partnership Trust is a member supported organization that is very much worth exploring if you have not already done so. This organization does exceptional work and offers sophisticated public programs, many of which are genealogically relevant.)

New York State data in the Ancestry.com New York section includes this list which we have copied from the Ancestry.com New York page.
Albany, New York State Census, 1915
New York Marriages, 1600-1784
New York Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812
New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920
New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900
New York, Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865
New York, World War I Veterans' Service Data, 1913-1919
Salina, New York, Records, 1805-1969
U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
U.S. Census Non-Population Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
U.S. Federal Census - 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes

 

April 2, 2012: A Handy 1940 Census Application if you are searching in New York City.

Today is the long-awaited release date for the 1940 census. If you are searching for people living in New York City in 1940, and need to identify their enumeration districts, the New York Public Library has an effective online search tool developed by the NYPL's brainy and creative digital labs group. 
 
You begin by searching for your people in the online 1940s phone directory for New York City.  At the moment, the directory is accessible from the homepage of the NYPL's site at www.nypl.org.  The application then instantly maps your people's locations and uses the map information combined with the Stephen Morse One-Step tool to identify the relevant enumeration districts. Once you have the enumeration districts, you can go to the NARA website (or another site posting the digital images of the 1940 census) and find your people.
 
The NYPL application also gives you an opportunity to post information about your people on the NYPL website which will be tagged to the name and the map location. Potentially this could add enormous value to the 1940 phone book and the 1940 census tracking that will take place on the NYPL's website.
 
You might also look at the other projects that the digital labs group is working on at the NYPL. They are not all genealogically related, but they all demonstrate the kind of advanced digital work that the NYPL is spearheading.
 

April 1, 2012: World War I Registration Forms

FamilySearch has recently added 25 million World War I registration forms to its website. Many originate in New York State. The browsable images are arranged by state, and then by counties and cities. For counties and smaller cities, browsing the alphabetized forms will not be a problem. For larger cities, especially New York City, searching will be more tedious because images are arranged by draft board number.

March 26, 2012: Digital Photos online at the New York City Municipal Archives

The New York City Municipal Archives has recently placed online almost 872,000 digital photographs from several collections. http://mtprawvwdorlna1.nyc.gov/luna/servlet.  Part of the online offering is the 1980s tax photographs collection that includes a photo of every building in New York City. Other collections are Maps and Atlases; Public Charities and Hospitals; and the WPA Federal Writers Project. The Municipal Archives website catalogs the full offering.

March 20, 2012: Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s new series "Finding Your Roots" begins this Sunday, March 25th, at 8pm on your local PBS station. The first episode features Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis. The second features Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. We have seen the second episode, and it is inspiring and powerful.  The producers shot scenes from three episodes in the series in our offices on West 44th Street. Professor Gates is a trustee of the NYG&B.

March 10, 2012: New York newspapers now online

Genealogybank.com, a subscription site, has announced the addition of new newspaper data. Included are papers from New York: Albany, Canandaigua, Geneva, Glen Cove, New York City, Plattsburgh, Schenectady, and Waterford. Checking the titles and dates does not require a subscription.

March 9, 2012: New New York Probate Records online.

FamilySearch announced a significant addition of new data, including more probate records from Orange (1787-1938) and Queens (1899-1921) Counties, New York. The collection includes browsable images which are not yet indexed.

February 27, 2012: Civil War service records on Fold3.com

Fold3 (formerly Footnote) has started adding compiled service records for Union troops from New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Fold3 requires a subscription to access; some libraries, including the New York Public Library, have subscriptions.

February 16, 2012: New Newspapers at Genealogybank.com

Recently, Genealogybank.com announced additions to its newspaper archive. These include supplementary material from Cazenovia, New York City, Saratoga Springs, and Albany papers. A new title was added: Auburn Journal and Advertiser (1837-1846). A blog beginning in 2011 was added for Syracuse. Genealogybank.com is a subscription site.

February 3, 2012: Fold3 Makes Nearly 3 Million African American Records Free During Black History Month

Fold3 is giving free access to their Black History Collection in honor of Black History Month. This collection includes historical records documenting African American achievements and will be available the entire month of February. Click here for more information.
 

January 20, 2012: New Revolutionary War Records Online

Fold3, a fee-based subscription website that is owned by Ancestry.com, recently announced the addition of "numbered record books." These documents concern Revolutionary War military operations and service, pay and settlement of accounts, and supplies, and were digitized from microfilm at NARA. There is extensive New York material in this database. The introductory material on the Fold3 website includes a very detailed finding aid prepared by NARA.

January 11, 2012: FamilySearch Datebase Update

FamilySearch.org reports additions to the New York State Census (1875), New York probate records (various locations), and Queens County probate records.

January 11, 2012: Maps at the New York Public Library

A blog post by by the New York Public Library's Matt Knutzen describes techniques for using digital maps. He reports that the NYPL has now scanned nearly all public domain New York City atlases, a collection of over 10,000 maps.  Read the post to learn more about how these maps can be used in your genealogical research. 
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/01/10/unbinding-atlas-working-digital-maps

January 10, 2012: New York Maps Online

HistoryGeo.com is a new, subscription-based website offering a library of maps. The New York "map-projects" on the site are 1) Atlas of Delaware County (F.W. Beers, 1869); 2) Sweets New Atlas of Onondaga County (1874); and 3) Otsego County (1903).  Within each of these map-projects are many town maps.

January 9, 2012: New NY Newspapers Online

Genealogybank.com, a subscription site, recently announced new additions to their New York newspaper archive online. All of these new additions are from New York City papers. 

Daily People (1901-1906)
Irish American Weekly (1873-1914)
Irish Nation (1881-1883) NEW TITLE
People (1891-1896)
Socialist Call (1944-1948)
Truth (1880-1884)
Worker (1903-1907)

January 6, 2012: Save the Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012

"Finding Your Roots" with NYG&B trustee Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a new 10-part PBS series, begins on Sunday, March 25. Featured subjects include Harry Connick, Jr.; Robert Downey, Jr.; Samuel L. Jackson; Barbara Walters; Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker; and Kevin Bacon and Kyra Segwick, among others. The NYG&B helped with the research on the Bacon/Sedwick episode, and a large part of the Samuel L. Jackson episode was taped in the NYG&B's office on West 44th Street. The series runs through May.  Click here for more information. 

December 27, 2011: eBooks from the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library website is now offering instruction on downloading ebooks to Kindle, Nook, and other devices from their collection online at http://www.nypl.org/ask-nypl/ebookcentral. The NYPL offers many thousands of free ebooks from all fields of inquiry, in addition to the usual bestsellers.

December 27, 2011: More additions to New York databases on FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org continues to update Orange County Probate Records (1787-1938) and has updated New York Marriages (1908-1935); this database offers images but is not searchable. The marriage database updates cover 45 counties in New York State; New York City counties are not in this group. The marriage database is searchable, with images.

December 12, 2011: New-York Historical Society Library News

The New-York Historical Society has new library policies researchers should know about. Registration and a government-issued photo ID are now required to use the library, and casual visits simply to browse the shelves are not permitted. Visit their magnificant new website (nyhistory.org) to register in advance.  Currently, hours are Tuesday-Friday from 9am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

December 12, 2011: Additions to New York databases on FamilySearch.org

Two existing databases on FamilySearch.org have additions of new images: Orange and Queens County Probate Records. The images are browsable but not searchable.

December 8, 2011: Lefferts Family Documents at new Brooklyn Historical Society Website

The Brooklyn Historical Society has just launched a new website entitled "An American Family Grows in Brooklyn: The Lefferts Family Papers at the Brooklyn Historical Society." The website includes an image gallery and information about related collections there. These collections include Brevoort Family (1760-1879), Lott Family(1702-1954), Charles A. Ditmas (1687-1935), DeWitt Clinton, Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt (1737-1818), Gabriel Furman, Nehemiah Denton (1785-1844), and the Brooklyn Civil War Relief Association, among others. The Lefferts family, a Dutch family, was important in the development of Kings County.

December 5, 2011: New data on FamilySearch

Recent announcement of new data online at FamilySearch.org included New Jersey county marriage records (1682-1956), both browsable and searchable. Large amounts of data from other states and countries was also included.

November 18, 2011: New website launching about New Amsterdam

The New Amsterdam History Center will launch a preview version of its new website: www.newamsterdamhistorycenter.org on Saturday, November 19 (tomorrow).  The preview version includes some useful links, a sample of useful information, and a virtual 3-D "tour" of New Amsterdam. Persons interested in this topic will want to bookmark the site and check it from time to time as it expands.

November 11, 2011: Tips for locating obituaries from the New York Public Library's Milstein Division

Recently, Carmen Nigro, from the Milstein Division at the New York Public Library, posted a helpful article on finding obituaries. The posting is not a database of obituaries but rather some very useful information about locating them. To read this article go to:  nypl.org/blog/2011/11/09/great-obituary-hunt-genealogy-research-guide

November 8, 2011: Catalogs of Knoedler & Co. (1869-1946)

The website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art now has a searchable collection of exhibition catalogs of Knoedler & Company, the important New York art gallery. The collection contains nearly 900 catalogs and unpublished materials created between 1869 and 1946. Lists of collectors and lendors might be of interest as well as rare images of places, people, and historical subjects. The digital collections of the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum are at libmma.org  These materials are also available online at Arcade (arcade.nyarc.org) and WorldCat.

November 7, 2011: Expansive New New York State Data on Ancestry.com

The New York State Archives website just announced a link to special New York State data on Ancestry.com. The New York State Archives requires that data from state government collections be free for New York State residents even if posted to a subscription site or a non-governmental site.  Ancestry.com subscribers also have access to these databases. For details visit www.archives.nysed.gov. The current databases on Ancestry.com that are part of this agreement are:

  • Albany, New York State Census, 1915
  • New York Marriages, 1600-1784
  • New York Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812
  • New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920 Updated
  • New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900
  • New York, Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865
  • Salina (Onondaga County), New York, Records, 1805-1969
  • U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
  • U.S. Census Non-Population Schedules, New York, 1850-1880
  • U.S. Federal Census - 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes

November 2, 2011: New-York Historical Society Reopening on Nov. 11.

Welcome back!  The New-York Historical Society reopens on 11/11/11.  After that date, the research library will be open on its regular hours (after a period of construction during which it was open by appointment). Their new website has been up for several weeks, and we think it's spectacular. Visit the website (www.nyhistory.org) for information on programs that provide historical context for New York family history researchers and for information about accessing the astounding resources in the research library.  

October 31, 2011: Ancestry.com Database Additions

Recently Ancestry.com announced postings of 53 new databases containing 120 million new names. There were no New York databases in the roster, but there were items from New Jersey (births and christenings; deaths and burials) and Connecticut (deaths and burials.) However, see note above dated Nov. 7, 2011 reporting new New York data on Ancestry.com.

October 17, 2011: "The History of Brooklyn Jewry" online

"Nu? What's New," the weekly e-News of Avotaynu, Inc. reports that The History of Brooklyn Jewry by Samuel F. Abelow (Scheba Publishing Company, Brooklyn, NY, 1937) has been added to Google Books. See the title online at  http://tinyurl.com/3vy36xb.  The book's index is not adequate to search the contents, so the online search function will make the book much more accessible.

October 14, 2011: New NYPL Catalog

The New York Public Library has unveiled a new catalog with a number of new features. Among them is an improved ability to limit searches, making your catalog search more efficient. To see the new catalog, go to the homepage of the NYPL website (www.nypl.org), and click on the Research tab. Then click on "Classic Catalog." When you are on that catalog page, click on "Catalog FAQs" to learn more. Or experiment with a catalog search.

October 11, 2011: New Kinship website