The newly revised edition of this reference work answers the need for historians, genealogists, students, and others to have a clear, rational description of the New York City Municipal Archives’ relevant public records—where they are located, what they contain, and how they can be accessed. Coverage includes the City of New York and its predecessor cities, towns, and villages.
All chapters are now enhanced with updated access information, including the extensive digitization efforts of the Municipal Archives.
New material includes information on additional birth, death, and marriage records now accessible, voter registrations, and police and fire department records.
Extensive attention is given to vital records of births, marriages, and deaths; court records; almshouse records; real estate records; and photographs. Less well-known collections are also covered, including early records of the Dutch and English colonial eras; extensive Farm Histories that trace deed chains for former Manhattan farms to their earliest days; records of the Civil War Volunteer Soldiers' Family Aid Fund; and voter records.
Additional highlights include:
- New material in the "Vital Records," "City Employee Records," and "Digging Deeper into the Archives" chapters.
- Updated information on accessing collections that are digitized and online, as well as using the Municipal Archives’ collection guides to facilitate research.
- A detailed 26-page index with names, departments and organizations, and locations.
- A larger format for easier reading and color images that bring out details in many record examples.
Each chapter/record set contains the following sections:
- Introduction [background information including, where applicable, the laws that created the record set]
- Description [detailed description of the records available]
- Sample Records
- Suggested Citations
- Analyzing and Using the Records
- Accessing the Records
- Selected References
An appendix features a table of the Wards of the old City of New York, which has been expanded and updated since it was first published in the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer in 2015.
An extensive index (26 pages) allows readers to locate subject and individuals—it is new to this edition.
Pricing
We are offering a pre-order discount from March 3 to March 11, 2025. NYG&B Members: you will receive this discount in addition to your special member price. This special, limited-time pre-order offer is as follows:
- Print edition: General Public, $47.95 (regularly retails for $52.95); NYG&B Members, $35.95 (regular member price is $40.95)
- Print and Digital bundle: General Public, $64.95 (regularly retails for $69.95); NYG&B Members, $51.95 (regular member price is $55.95)
Meet the Author
Aaron Goodwin is a genealogist specializing in New York City research across all time periods, from the Dutch colonial era to the 21st century. He is a former editor of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine and the National Genealogical Society's NGS Monthly, and a former contributing editor to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. In 2011 he received the American Society of Genealogists' Scholar Award and in 2017 received the National Genealogical Society’s Award for Excellence: Genealogical Methods and Sources. Some of his most recent work includes the genealogical research for the New York Times article “The Lost Story of New York’s Most Powerful Black Woman” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Brent Staples.