QUEENS GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES - Record Types
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Bolded links are off-site. Unbolded links stay within this group of homepages.
NEWSPAPERS
CENTALIZED MICROFILM
The New York State Library in Albany, NY posts two catalogs of archival newspaper microfilm on their Web site:
  1. holdings at various libraries around the state
  2. holdings at The NY State Library itself
    If you'd like to borrow films from the State Library, read the document on Inter Library Loan policies at www.nysl.nysed.gov/ill.htm
ONLINE
Brooklyn Eagle (to 1902) at the Brooklyn Library (Donations)

fultonhistory.com Scanned and OCR-indexed archival NY State newspapers including Long Island Star (1881-1889), L.I.C. Star Journal (1938-1967), Jamaica Farmer (1826-1864), Brooklyn Eagle (to 1955), Brooklyn Star (1898-1933), Queens County Sentinel (Hempstead, 1858-1898), Hempsted Sentinel (1900-1949.) This is a privately run site. Please donate.

Genealogybank.com Subscription site.
MICROFILM in local New York Libraries
Queens Central Library is the major repository for Queens films.

Second to Queens Library is the Long Island Studies division at Hofstra University, West Campus which has little Queens material, but extensive newspaper holdings relating to suburban Long Island.

Many Nassau and Suffolk Co, public libraries carry a portion of the old newspaper titles held at Hofstra. Usually the titles pertaining to their own locality.

Queens residents were also reported on in Brooklyn papers, the most prominent of which was the Brooklyn Eagle. The Brooklyn Public Library carries that and many other old titles.

CENSUS
You can find films of all existing FEDERAL CENSUS from 1790 to 1940 at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington D.C., and at any of NARA's regional centers. See www.nara.gov/nara/regional.html for regional locations. Visit the NARA Home Page (www.nara.gov) for instructions and a full listings of reels.
You can also rent federal census reels through a Family History Center (LDS) and you can rent or purchase from the AGLL's Heritage Quest
ONLINE
All federal census records have been digitized and indexed. Records are available on subscription services such as Ancestry and Fold3. Familysearch.com provides many years of census records for free.
The NEW YORK STATE CENSUS for Queens is extant for the years 1892, 1915 and 1925, all three of which are available through LDS film rental and at the Queens County Courthouse along with indexes for same. For 1892, only Long Island City is indexed.

Years 1915 and 1925 alone can be found at Queens Central Library, NYG&BS, NYPL, Manhattan and NYSL, Albany.
ONLINE
Familysearch.org has 1892, 1915 and 1925 New York State census records and indexes available for free. Ancestry.com has 1915 and 1925. For further information see table of census details
VITAL RECORDS
Summary:
Prior to its 1898 annexation by New York City, Queens vital records (and indexes) were kept by the individual Queens towns as well as New York State. Records and indexes for these years can be found at two primary repositories in Albany and in two in Manhattan.

The LDS has filmed certain portions of the old Queens town material but none of Albany's certificates.
From 1898 forward, the former Queens towns filed records with New York City rather than the state. For a period, two sets of marriages records were filed: one set with the city and one with the borough. Records for this period can be found within two Manhattan repositories and one Queens repository.

The LDS has filmed some, but not all, of the post-1897 records and indexes.

Further, some of the indexes are held at various libraries in Manhattan.

See table of Queens Vital Record detail by years and repositories
IMMIGRATION / NATURALIZATION   (This section incomplete!)
NARA Northeast Regional Center in Manhattan has naturalization indexes and papers for all New York City (including Queens) until 1906. Write to them, enclosing SASE, and detailing dates, addresses and name variants for each individual.
They will send you a xerox copy of the cards for possible candidates. (There can be several pages for a common name)
If you find a match, send $10 for a copy of the records on file.
Warning: the earlier the naturalization, the less information that was recorded. NARA description of Immigration and Naturalization Service RG 85
Naturalization for the Supreme Court of Queens County from 1794-1941 are also held at the County Clerk's Office at Queens County Courthouse in Jamaica. However, because many immigrants filed in boroughs other than the one in which they resided, NARA could be your best bet when looking for naturalizations earlier than 1906.

Hints: the 1870 federal census logged citizenship status of adult males.
The 1892 N.Y. State censuses asked for naturalization status. (So do the 1855 and 1875 state censuses, but they do not survive for Queens County.)
The 1900, 1910 and 1930 federal census asked for year of immigration and naturalization status.
The 1920 federal census asked for year of immigration and naturalization
The 1915 N.Y. State census asked for number of years in U.S. and whether citizen or alien.
The 1925 N.Y. State census asked for number of years in U.S. and (importantly) when and where naturalized.
LAND RECORDS
PROBATE
Original card file index to the Wills of Queens County, New York, 1787 - 1906 is in a file cabinet in Surrogate's court (7th floor) at Queens County Courthouse in Jamaica.
A 33 page transcript can be found on film at Heritage Quest and the LDS

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May 2005