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General
Information
Records Prior
to 1881
Vital Records
Available at the Westchester County Archives
Other Sources
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General Information
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With very few exceptions, records relating to
births, marriages, and deaths, often referred to as "vital
records", have not been filed at the county level
of government and therefore are not available at the
Westchester County Archives. Instead, these records have
been filed and maintained at the local level -- with the City
or Town Clerk where the birth or death took place or where the
marriage license was issued. In addition,
since 1881, such records have also been filed with the Vital
Records Section of the New York State Department of Health
(except for the City of Yonkers for which the state's records
begin in 1914).
According to the Vital
Records Section of the New York State Department of Health, in
New York state, birth records are considered public records
and available to genealogical researchers when they are at least
75 years old; marriage records become public records when
they are at least 50 years old and both the bride and groom are
known to be dead; and death records must be 50 years or
older to be considered public records. Exceptions are
possible for direct descendants with certain proof of relationship
/ death of individual for whom the record relates. The Vital
Records Section of the New York State Department of Health
website lists those specifications.
In terms of actually obtaining a copy of birth, marriage, and
death records, however, the quicker way is often to contact the
local municipality. Try
the Westchester County Government
website's links
to local governments for contact information for Westchester
city, town, and village governments.
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Vital Records Prior to 1881
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Prior to 1881, when vital records forms were required to be
filed with the State Department of Health, information recorded
about births, deaths, and marriages is often very hard to come
by. While such information may sometimes be found in
governmental records, it is more likely to be found in church
records, or extracted from newspapers.
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Vital Records Available at the
Westchester County Archives
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During the period 1908-1936, marriage records were filed at the
County level and these records are available at the Westchester
County Archives, along with an online
index for some of them (1908-1930). In addition, town
clerk returns for births, marriages and deaths for 1847 have
recently been discovered. They are currently being
processed and will be available to the public in early 2005.
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Other Sources
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A catalog of cemetery inscriptions is maintained by the
Westchester County Historical Society. For more information,
contact the:
Westchester
County Historical Society
2199 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
(914) 592-4323 (phone)
(914) 231-1515 (fax)
Much useful information, including
the addresses of municipal Clerks and of area churches (whose
early records may be more valuable than official records), is
available in The Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester
County, New York (2003, 3rd ed.) compiled by Marjorie C. H.
Renino. For more information or to obtain a copy, contact the Westchester
County Historical Society.
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Home
Westchester County Archives
archivesreferencedesk@westchestergov.com
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