Many New York cemetery records have been transcribed and published. The Daughters of the American Revolution collection of Cemetery, Church, and Town records contains transcriptions of hundreds of New York cemetery records. This collection and the name indexes to it are described in the “Genealogy” section of this outline.

Another important collection is New York State Cemetery Records, 23 vols. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1940–69; FHL book 974.7 V3n; films 844624–31; computer number 271949). Includes inscriptions from many cemeteries, usually alphabetical. Later volumes are indexed.

The Holland Society of New York's Cemetery and Geographical Files are transcriptions of tombstone inscriptions from Dutch Reformed Church graveyards and family plots (FHL films 1019527–29; computer number 193372).

Many large cemeteries also have extensive sexton's records. The sexton may have recorded additional information, such as place of birth and death. Some records, such as the card index to the Albany Rural Cemetery, are on microfilm at the Family History Library. Many inner-city cemeteries have been moved to suburban areas, sometimes making it hard to locate the actual tombstone. Paupers may have been buried in special places, such as Potter's Field on Hart Island in the Bronx.

Many cemetery records have appeared in periodicals such as Tree Talks and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (see the “Periodicals” section of this outline). Revolutionary War veterans' cemetery records are discussed in the U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118).

A county-by-county list of cemetery record transcripts available at the Family History Library is:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family History Library. Index to United States Cemeteries. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (FHL films 1206468–94; computer number 475648.) Films 1206481–82 include New York.

The Family History Library Catalog Locality Search lists more of these records under:

NEW YORK - CEMETERIESNEW YORK, [COUNTY] - CEMETERIESNEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CEMETERIES

Return to top of page

Previous Document   Next Document

©1998, 2005 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
[FamilySearch^TM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 8/9/2005]