Big news: New York Roman Catholic Records Now Online
Excellent news for New York researchers with Catholic ancestors: New York Catholic genealogy records are finally coming online for the first time ever. This never-before-available collection includes baptism records, marriage records, and congregational records from over 400 parishes across the Archdiocese of New York.This article overviews this important collection and has a running list of all major updates. Read the article.
Using the NYG&B's Religious Records Collection
Religious records are very important for New York State research because New York vital records can be difficult to find, especially for our ancestors who lived prior to the late 1800s. Our website has collections of religious records—including birth, marriage, and death records—from over 120 congregations across New York State. This article will useful examples of these deep records, and give tips for getting the most out of our collections. Read the article.
Reformed Dutch and German churches of Manhattan and the Bronx
During the 16th century, many Christians in the Netherlands broke with Rome and affiliated with Calvinist Protestantism, forming the Nederlands Hervormde Kerkor, or the Dutch Reformed Church. The Reformed Church is important for far more researchers than just those with Dutch roots—you'll find a wide variety of different people in their records. This article contains some useful and important facts about Reformed Churches in the Bronx and Manhattan. Read the article.
New York Vital Record Substitutes: Religious Records
Vital records—records of birth, marriage, and death events—are some of the most important records to pursue when piecing together your family history. Some states in America have complete, well-preserved vital records that date back well into the 1700s or even earlier—but not New York! This article explains why religious records are the most common substitute used for Empire State research, and gives some tips on finding the congregation your ancestor attended. Read the article.