24:3-4 Spring-Summer 2003 - Jewish Genealogical Society

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“Only in New York” by Linda Cantor Based on a talk by Lucille Gudis and Linda Cantor at the 23rd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, Washington, DC, July 22, 2003 Do you have roots in New York City? Did your ancestors spend their lifetime in New York or only a few years there? Either way, their American paper trail starts in New York. You can do some genealogical research at home, on the Internet, at the local library, or at the Family History Center of LDS. But there is some research that you can do only if you come to New York City and visit some Archives with special collections. There are far too many possibilities to cover all of them. This article will just touch upon several of these collections and, hopefully, make you want to come to New York to do your genealogical research. local–are to be found “only in New York.” NARA holds the records for U.S. District Courts in New York State, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico, for civil and criminal cases, as well as an index to criminal and civil cases, 1865-1968, for the Southern District. Court records can contain much genealogically relevant information but vary from case to case. You can find the records of many New York State court cases at the County Clerk’s Office, Division of Old Records (31 Chambers Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10007, 212- 374-4376) for New York County. There are several alphabetical card indexes that cover 1765-1940 and a computerized index that covers some records group. 2 Let’s start out at the National Archives, Northeast Region (201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, 212-401-1620). NARA holds declarations of intention and naturalization petitions for several New York, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico courts including U.S. District Court New York Southern and Eastern Districts, several New York state and city courts, and U.S. District Court New Jersey and Puerto Rico. 1 Declarations and petitions can provide much valuable genealogical information, including place and date of birth, names and ages of family members, and date and method of immigration. A declaration of intention or a petition for naturalization can be viewed on microfilm in many locations but, if it was issued in New York City, you can view the original and hold it in your hand, “only in New York.” There is nothing to compare to seeing and holding an actual document that was completed and signed by your ancestor. NARA also holds the World War II draft registration cards for the 4th registration, for men born between April 28, 1877 and February 16, 1897, the so-called “old man’s registration.” While the Family History Library is in the process of microfilming these World War II draft registration cards for New York City and New Jersey, you can look at and handle the original cards “only in New York.” New Jersey cards are arranged alphabetically within each county. New York City cards are arranged alphabetically within each borough. You can check to see which of your family members are included. Cards contain name, age, address of registrant, name and address of nearest relative, and a physical description of the registrant. Has your family ever been to court in New York for name changes, business contracts and dealings, or civil and criminal actions? Records for all these cases–federal, state, and -12- Dorot • Spring-Summer 2003 Sample index card to New York State court cases at the County Clerk’s Office, Division of Old Records Other records that you can access at the County Clerk’s Office, Division of Old Records, include name changes from 1874-1934 and business names, including papers of incorporation, partnerships, registration of business names (varying years) as well as some synagogues and landsmanshaftn. There is a printout of a computerized index for registered business names for 1812-1986. Again, the information that you can obtain from these records varies greatly from record to record. Go down to the first floor at 31 Chambers Street and you come to the Municipal Archives (Room 103, 212-788- 8580). Here you will discover a treasure trove of documents including several that can be found “only in New York.” Among these are Coroner’s records for 1823- 1918 and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s records for 1918-1939. These records exist if there was an inquest into a death. Access is limited and you must provide both a death certificate and a reason for use. The Municipal Archives also holds the City Clerk’s marriage records for 1908-1929 and indexes for 1908-1951. These records are independent of the Health Department
“Only in New York” continued marriage records for 1866-1937 and contain somewhat different information. The microfilmed City Clerk’s indexes are arranged by borough, month, and the first two letters of the surname and include both a grooms and brides index. Another unique collection at the Municipal Archives is the Tax photograph collection of all buildings in New York City, photographed in 1939-1940. If you have either the address or block and lot number, you can access these blackand-white photos. You can make a copy from the microfilm or order a photographic print for $25. You might be surprised at what you find in these photos. From the Tax photograph collection at the Municipal Archives. Much to the surprise of the author, she discovered that her grandfather Samuel Cantor is in the photograph, standing in front of his grocery store. Wills can provide valuable information for the genealogist. If your ancestor lived in New York, they might have a will on file. “Only in New York” can you see those documents, which may include death certificates as well as names and addresses of family members, at Surrogate’s Court, Record Room ( 31 Chambers St, 4th floor, New York, NY 10007, 212-374-8287) for New York County. Many records that chronicle our ancestors’ European and immigration history can be found at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011). Two of the collections that are housed at the American Jewish Historical Society (212- 294-6160) are unique and found “only in New York”–the Industrial Removal Office records and 20th-century Jewish servicemen’s records. (See www.ajhs.org/research/Gene_RelevantC.cfm for more information about these and other AJHS collections.) The Industrial Removal Office records include over 40,000 records of immigrants who were relocated mostly from New York to the rest of the U.S. and Canada from 1899 to 1922. The ledgers, arranged chronologically, contain the names of the immigrants, their address, age, number of family members, occupation, and how long they have been in the U.S. You can access this collection via an on-line index at www.cjh.org/academic/findingaids/AJHS/searchtools/ search_iro_form.cfm. Once you have the reference, you can locate the actual record at the AJHS archives at the Center for Jewish History. Did you know that you can access birth records by address at the Municipal Archives? If you have an address for your family, you can check for birth records, which are indexed not only by name but also by year and then address. Listed is the birth certificate number, which will enable you to access the birth certificate for a family member. This collection covers varying years for the five boroughs for1880-1917. From the ledgers of the Industrial Removal Office (AJHS, Center for Jewish History) Sample index card for births by address (New York City Municipal Archives) AJHS also has a large collection of records that provide details about the lives and service records of Jewish servicemen who served in most of the wars of the 20th century. Among these are the records of the American Jewish Committee, Office of War Records, 1918-1921, including thousands of questionnaires completed by servicemen; National Jewish Welfare Board, Bureau of War Records, 1940-1969, including thousands of data cards on individual soldiers, and the National Jewish Welfare Board, Military Dorot • Spring-Summer 2003 -13-
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24:3-4 Spring-Summer 2003 - Jewish Genealogical Society

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