How to Get Your Ancestor's Pre-1910 New York City Birth Certificate in Person

When researching your family tree, original birth certificates can provide vital information on your ancestor such as date & place of birth, names, place of birth, addresses & occupation of parents, and previous births. While birth certificate information is not infallible, it often more accurate than information found in death records. The New York City Municipal Archives has records of births reported in the five Boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island), prior to 1910.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ancestor's name
• Ancestor's year of birth
• Ancestor's place of birth
• Photo ID to enter building
• Cash to pay for searches or certificates

1. Visit the New York City Municipal Archives at 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY. At the security desk, tell them you are visiting the Archives and they will point you in the right direction (it's just around the corner to the right on the first floor in room 103).

2. If you don't want to take the time to search yourself, you can fill-out an application form available at the counter and one of the clerks will search for the record and supply a certified copy of it, if the record is found. The fee for this service is $15 per certificate. This service can usually be performed while you wait.

3. You may search for birth, death and marriage records yourself. All birth, death, and marriage records, and the indexes that pertain to them, are available on microfilm. The fee to use the microfilm reader machines is $5 per day which you pay to the clerk who can show you what films are where and give you a list of their complete holdings. You may consult as many microfilms as you wish for this fee.

4. If you find a record on microfilm that you would like a copy of bring the film to the clerk and complete the request form. The clerk will print the certificate for you. The fee is $10 each for each certificate printed.

Tips & Warnings

• Before visiting the New York City Municipal Archives be sure to read the First Time Visitor's Page (see link below in Research section).
• The NYC Department of Records also offers "presentation quality" copies of certificates. Computer-scanned from the actual original records, these copies are of the highest quality, printed on high-grade paper stock for that extra-special event, for framing purposes, or just for the family scrapbook.
• Approximately 25% of all births prior to 1910 were not reported to the city. Births often took place at home and the doctor or midwife sometimes failed to report the event to the appropriate civil office.
• The Bronx did not exist as a separate Borough until 1898. New York City (Manhattan) annexed the area west of the Bronx River in 1874 and annexed the area east of the Bronx River in 1895. For birth records in those areas after the date of annexation, through 1897, search Manhattan records.
• Birth records prior to 1857 are not indexed. You will need to search by month, day and year of birth.
• Records of births from 1910 to the present are held by the New York City Department of Health. These records can only be requested by the person named on the certificate or their parents.

Resources

• New York City Vital Records at the Municipal Archives
• New York City Vital Records Municipal Archives First Time Visitors Page