New York Cemeteries

United States New York  Cemeteries



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 New York Genealogy.

Other important collections include:


 * New York State Cemetery Records, 23 Volumes. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society, 1940–69; Family History Library book ). Includes inscriptions from many cemeteries, usually alphabetical. Later volumes are indexed.
 * The graveyard shift: a family historian's guide to New York City cemeteries by Carolee Inskeep.
 * The Holland Society of New York's Cemetery and Geographical Files are transcriptions of tombstone inscriptions from Dutch Reformed Church graveyards and family plots (Family History Library films ).

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 New York Periodicals). Revolutionary War veterans' cemetery records are discussed in United States Military Records.

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, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (Family History Library films .) Films include New York.

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


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

Online Resources

 * Find a Grave can be searched by the name of a person, family or cemetery. Usually gives birth and death dates and often with a picture of the tombstone. May also give obituaries, biographical information and names of family members.
 * Interment.net cemetery-by-cemetery, alphabetical grave transcripts. Often incomplete lists.
 * The Cemetery Site mostly older published cemetery surveys. No sources cited.


 * BillionGraves can be searched by name, surname, or cemetery. It provides a photo and the GPS location of the grave marker.
 * ILGenWeb Project includes cemetery information and transcripts. Search on individual county pages.
 * USGenWeb Tombstone Project in USGenWeb Archives Digital Library. This is a county-by-county list of cemeteries and the highlighted cemeteries on the web page include tombstone abstracts.
 * Search the USGenWeb Archives Digital Library. This web site indexes cemetery abstracts and other items. Select the state of interest and the subject cemeteries. Type the name of the ancestor you seek in the "Query" field, and click Search. For best results, use the "Search Tips" and examples at the bottom of the web page. The computer will list any matches it finds and give you the option of viewing the full transcript.
 * Illinois cemetery records on www.ancestry.com ($)
 * ePodunk has a gazetteer of Illinois cemeteries.


 * http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygenweb/cem/cdiran.htm
 * http://www.daddezio.com/cemetery/junction/CJ-NY-NDX.html
 * New York Gravestone Photo Project
 * http://www.findagrave.com/
 * http://www.newyork-genealogy.com/New-York-Cemetery-Records.cfm