Queens Borough, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Queens County    Officially Borough of Queens, one of five boroughs of greater New York City since 1898. The county is coterminous with the Borough of Queens (meaning the identical borders.)

Parent County
Queens was one of the original New York counties created in 1683.

Neighboring Counties
Bronx | Kings (Brooklyn) | Nassau | New York (Manhattan) | Westchester County, New York

Boundary Changes
From 1683 until 1784, Queens County consisted of five towns: Flushing, Hempstead, Jamaica, Newtown, and Oyster Bay. On April 6, 1784, a sixth town, the Town of North Hempstead, was formed through secession by the northern portions of the Town of Hempstead.

The seat of the county government was located first in Jamaica, but the courthouse was torn down by the British during the American Revolution to use the materials to build barracks. After the war, various buildings in Jamaica temporarily served as courthouse and jail until a new building was erected about 1787 (and later completed) in an area near Mineola (now in Nassau County) known then as Clowesville. The 1850 census was the first in which the population of the three western towns exceeded that of the three eastern towns that are now part of Nassau County. Concerns were raised about the condition and distance of the old courthouse, and several sites were in contention for the construction of a new one.


 * 1870: Long Island City split from the Town of Newtown, incorporating itself as a city, consisting of what had been the Village of Astoria and some unincorporated areas within the Town of Newtown.
 * Around 1874: the seat of county government was moved to Long Island City from Mineola.

On March 1, 1860, the eastern border between Queens County (later Nassau County) and Suffolk County was redefined with no discernible change.[33] *8 June 1881: North Brother Island was transferred to New York County.


 * 8 May 1884: Rikers Island was transferred to New York County.
 * 1885: Lloyd Neck, which was part of the Town of Oyster Bay and was earlier known as Queens Village, seceded from Queens and became part of the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County.
 * 16 April 1964: South Brother Island was transferred to 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.

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.


 * The Mount Carmel Cemetery (Jewish Cemetery) has placed an Interment Seachfor their cemetery on-line. The first interment took place on December 28, 1906. To date they have more than 85,000 interments in Sections 1 through 4 of the cemetery. The Index provides, the First and Last Name, date of death, The Society, and the location of the grave.


 * Mount Hebron Cemetery a Jewish cemetery.

The Mount Hebron Cemetery (Jewish Cemetery) has placed an Interment Searchfor their cemetery on-line. The first interment took place on April 14, 1909. Since then, over 217,000 burials have taken place. The Index provides, the First and Last Name, date of death, The Society, and the location of the grave.


 * Mount Lebanon Cemetery


 * Glendale

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

Church Records

 * to 1899 - Records of Burials in the Dutch Church, New York. New York, USA: Reformed Dutch Church, 1899. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * to 1846 - Old Inscriptions on Tombstones in Grace Church Yard 1846, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1710-1731 - Baptisms Grace Church, Jamaica, New York 1710-1731, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1710-1731 - Marriages Grace Church, Jamaica, New York 1710-1731, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1710-1731 - Burials Grace Church, Jamaica, New York 1710-1731, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1769-1810 - Marriages Grace Church, Jamaica, New York 1769-1810, courtesy:OIive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1780-1810 - Baptisms Miscellaneous Churches in Jamaica, Flushing, Newtown, New York 1780-1810, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1786-1884 - Jamaica Dutch Reformed Church Memership Lists, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1790-1802 - Baptisms in Churches of Jamaica, New Town and Flushing, New York 1790-1802, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1791-1794 - Communicants in Churches of Jamaica, New Town and Flushing, New York 1791-1794, courtesy: Olive Tree Genealogy.
 * 1817, 1919 - Pewholders and Communicants, Grace Church, Jamaica, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1901 - First Reformed Dutch Church, Jamaica, N.Y. Membership List, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1904 - First Reformed Dutch Church, Jamaica, N.Y. Membership List, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1916-1917 - Marriages, Deaths, Events at First Reformed Dutch Church, Jamaica, N.Y., courtesy: Ancestral Things.

Land and Property

 * Van Wyck, Frederick. Select Patents of New York Towns. Digital version at World Vital Records ($).

Military

 * Civil War service men in Queens County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Queens County:


 * - 139th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 158th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 163rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 165th Regiment, New York Infantry

Probate Records

 * 1683-1744 - Long Island Source Records, courtesy: Ancestry ($)
 * 1787-1825 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1899-1921 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free.

Courthouses
The Queens County Clerk has divorce and naturalization records as well as the state census. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Queens County are held, see the Queens County Courthouses 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 the Civil War section of Military for birth information.


 * 1871-1897 Early Brooklyn & Queens Birth Database at German Genealogy Group - free; includes the towns and villages of Newton, College Point, Long Island City, Town of Jamaica, Village of Jamaica, Rockaway Beach, Village of Far Rockaway, Town of Flushing, Village of Flushing, Whitestone.

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.


 * 1899-1937 New York City Brides Record Index at German Genealogy Group - free.


 * 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 groom, 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.

Death

 * 1871-1897 Early Brooklyn &amp; Queens Death Database at German Genealogy Group - free; includes Newtown, College Point, Long Island City, Town of Jamaica, Village of Jamaica, Rockaway Beach, Village of Far Rockaway, Town of Far Rockaway, Village of Flushing, Village of Whitestone, Town of Flushing, and Richmond Hill.


 * 1892-1902 Deaths Reported in the City of New York. New York, USA: Department of Health. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1898-1948 New York City Death Index at German Genealogy Group - free.

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 the Civil War section of Military for death information.

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Queens County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.