Did you know New York State residents have free access to 49 New York State genealogy collections on Ancestry.com?
Thanks to a partnership with several repositories around the state including the New York State Archives and New York State Library, researchers can search and view records from these collections by verifying their zip code and registering for a free account on Ancestry.com.
If you already have an Ancestry.com subscription, you do not need to follow the steps below - you already have access to these collections. If you do not have an active Ancestry.com subscription, read on for detailed instructions.
How to create a free Ancestry.com New York Account
Accessing these special New York collections on Ancestry.com is easy.
your zip code on the NYSA page before searching!
Simply enter your New York State zip code on the NYSA Ancestry.com New York page - you will then be taken to a special Ancestry.com search page that will allow you to query all of these free collections at once, or search each collection individually.
Scroll to the bottom of the Ancestry.com New York page to see a full list of all collections included.
To create your account, enter a search on the main page or one of the specific collections listed at the bottom.
When you attempt to view the image of a search result, you will be prompted to create a free account.
Enter your name and email, and you're all set! If you wish to opt-out of Ancestry.com emails, you can do so on the account creation page.
You will then be able to access all of these free records, as well as any other Ancestry.com records that are free to access.
Important Note: We recommend bookmarking the NYSA Ancestry.com New York page - the free access to these records works best when you begin my verifying your New York State zip code before searching. If you bookmark other pages on Ancestry.com (even if they're from this collection of free records), you may not be able to use them for free if you go there directly. Always begin by entering your zip code on the page linked above.
Additional information is included on the NYSA Ancestry.com New York page. You may also watch this tutorial video, produced by the New York State Archives:
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Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records in New York State
About the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
a registered 501(c)(3) organization devoted to
preserving, documenting, and sharing the history of
New York State families. Read more about our mission.
Since 1869, our mission has been to help our thousands of worldwide members discover their family's New York story, and there has never been a better time to join.
The cost of an Individual Annual Membership is less than six dollars a month, and includes the following benefits:
- Access to over 50 exclusive digital record sets covering the entire state of New York, including the fully searchable archives of The Record.
- A complimentary subscription to all of Findmypast's North American records, as well as U.K. and Irish Census records.
- Access to hundreds of expert-authored Knowledge Base articles and webinars to help you navigate the tricky New York research landscape.
- Exclusive discounts and advanced access to conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures to learn more about researching people and places across New York State.
To learn more or join us, please visit our member benefits page.