Manhattan Borough, New York Genealogy

United States New York  New York (Manhattan)

Parent County
1 November 1683: One of the original counties formally created from the Colonial lands.

Neighboring Counties
Bronx | Kings (Brooklyn) | Queens | Richmond (Staten Island) | New Jersey: Bergen | Hudson

Boundary Changes
Before 1913 New York County also included a large part of what is present-day Bronx County.

Bible Records

 * 1581–1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry– ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.

Census
For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Church Records
Baptisms at the Dutch Reformed Church of New Amsterdam 1639-1730 This is the first of a series of files on the baptisms at the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam. Accent marks on names have been left out for simplicity so that the data is acceptable to all computer platforms. Unfortunately many of the records the transcriber had concerning data prior to 1639 are missing, lost, or destroyed after all these years (it is about 20 years ago that he copied most of them). So he only has six baptisms for 1639.

NYGenWeb offers a variety of resources to assist genealogists with Manhattan church records, including maps, church listings, addresses, and photos.


 * to 1899 - Records of Burials in the Dutch Church, New York. New York, USA: Reformed Dutch Church, 1899. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1639-1695 - Marriages of the Reformed Dutch Church in New York, 1639-1695. New York, USA: New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1875. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1639-1730 - New Amsterdam Dutch Reformed Church Baptisms 1639-1730, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1649-1701 - Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam (New York City) Church Members' List, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1686 - 1686 Membership List, Dutch Church, courtesy: New York State Historical Literature.
 * 1688-1802 - New York French Church Baptisms 1688-1802, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1688-1804 - Registers of the Births, Marriages, and Deaths of the "Eglise Françoise à la Nouvelle York": From 1688 to 1804. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1968. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1702-1733 - Baptismal Record of the First Reformed Dutch Church at Jamaica, Long Island, Vol. 1, 1702 to 1733. 1912. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1725-1731 - Baptisms, Lutheran Church, New York City, courtesy: Betty Fink.
 * 1731-1800 - New Amsterdam Dutch Reformed Church Baptisms 1731-1800, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1733-1800 - Baptismal Record of the First Reformed Dutch Church at Jamaica, Long Island, Vol. 2, 1733-1800. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1736-1846 - Baptismal Record of the Reformed Dutch Church at Newtown, Long Island, New York, 1736 to 1846. Marriages by Rev. Garretson at Newtown from 1835 to 1846. 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1741-1846 - Baptismal Record of the Reformed Dutch Church at Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, 1741-1846. 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1793-1855 - Gritman, Charles T. Marriage Records, Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York: Register of Marriages Performed by the Rev. Marmaduke Earle, 1793-1855: at Stamford, Connecticut, 1793-1801, at Oyster Bay Long Island, 1802-1855, at New York City, in 1811. New York, 1926. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1800-1851 - Baptismal Record of the First Reformed Dutch Church at Jamaica, Long Island, New York, Vol. III 1800 to 1851. 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1802-1831 - Baptismal Record of the First Reformed Dutch Church at Jamaica, Long Island, New York, Vol. IV 1802-1831. 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * 1834-1854 - Wolfert, Marion. Index to Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Matthew, New York City Records. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1852-1864 - Marriages of the German Evangelical Reformed Church 1852-1864, courtesy: German Genealogy Group.
 * 1862-1955 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - free, Baptisms 1862-1871, 1884-1955; Marriages 1862-1955; Deaths 1862-1955.
 * 23rd Street Presbyterian Church History, New York, New York, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. Includes membership lists.

Maps
1863 Map of New York City and Vicinity from the David Rumsey Collection

Migration
Early migration routes to and from New York (Manhattan) County for European settlers included:


 * Ellis Island, Castle Garden, etc.
 * the Atlantic Ocean
 * Long Island Sound
 * with connections to:
 * Mohawk River
 * with connections to Richelieu River, Chambly Canal &amp; St. Lawrence River
 * Lake Champlain Trail pre-historic
 * Champlain Canal 1823
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * King's Highway (or Boston Post Road, or New York-Philadelphia Post Road) 1664
 * Albany Post Road (or Queen's Road, or King's Road) 1669
 * Hudson River Path
 * Great Shamokin Path
 * Delaware and Raritan Canal 1834

Military
Civil War service men in Brooklyn, New York served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their city or county.


 * - 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry

Probate Records

 * 1665-1916 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Courthouses
For information about where the records for New York County are held, see the New York County Courthouse page

Birth
Birth Substitutes


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in New York County in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.

Marriage

 * 1664–1784 New York. Secretary of State, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued By the Secretary of the Province of New York, Previous to 1784 (Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1860). At Cornell University digital library-free; Internet Archive - free; Ancestry edition($); ; . Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.


 * Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.
 * 1800–1855 New York Marriage Notices at Ancestry– ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state. Contains name of bride and groon, marriage date, marriage location, residence, and newspaper found in.
 * 1801–1880 Barber Collection- Newspaper Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
 * 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browseable.
 * 1864-5, 1874-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.

Death
Death Substitutes


 * 1795–1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. The entries are primarily from the IGI along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as Family Records, Church Records, and Civil Registration. There may be entries that cite a specific source.


 * 1801–1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."


 * 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.


 * 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browseable.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in  in the Civil War section of Military for death information.


 * 1864-5, 1874-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.

Additional Resources

Web Sites

 * The New York (Manhattan) County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for New York County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for New York County. (Backup site)
 * New York County Genealogy