BuffaloResearch.com: Vital Records

What researchers need to know about getting copies of birth, marriage, or death records for genealogical purposes. This facility houses records for birth, marriages, or deaths that occurred within the city limits of Buffalo, NY. If the person was born, married, or died elsewhere, you must contact the appropriate town or village clerk.

Shows when each town and village in Erie County, NY began keeping birth (B), marriage (M), and death (D) records

This volume is not digitized or online and can be found in area libraries. The contents are: Records of soldiers and officers in the military service, Brant, N.Y. -- Cemetery records of the Town of Brant, Erie County, New York -- Cemetery record of Farnham Holy Cross Lutheran Cemetery, Farnham, New York, Town of Brant, Erie County -- Huson Cemetery, Brant, Erie County, N.Y. -- Shaw Cemetery, Milestrip Road, Brant, N.Y. -- Record of inscriptions, Main St. and Eggert Road Cemetery, June 20, 1952 -- Abandoned cemetery, Route #5, Farnham, New York -- List of marriages performed in Amherst by Timothy A. Hopkins, 1841-18[84].

This book is not digitized or online. It can be found in several library collections.

While you cannot read the book online, you can use the Search box to see if a name is found within.

This database is a collection of marriage records from the state prior to 1784. Each record contains the names of both bride and groom and marriage date, with the earliest marriage dating to 1660. Reference information is also provided to aid the researcher in obtaining the original record.

How to request a copy of a marriage certificate from the Buffalo vital records office.

About 300 couples from Buffalo, Amherst, and Lockport

Almost 800 couples

About 600 names

About 500 couples who married prior to 1901

The earliest known history of the Swedish community in our area was published in 1877.

NARA Record Group 85, M1480, courtesy of FamilySearch.org. Has searchable indexes.

Card index includes a card for each individual arranged alphabetically with name of applicant, address, volume and page number, title and location of court, country of birth, when born or age, date and port of arrival in U.S., date of naturalization, witnesses, and other information such as spouse and children and certificate number as available. Scroll down & click on the tiny camera icons.

Records for passengers who arrived at the Port of New York during the Irish Famine 1846-1851. Created by the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Center for Immigration Research. Searchable by name.

Data files relating to the immigration of Germans to the United States for arrivals 1850-1897. Created by the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Center for Immigration Research. Searchable by name.

These are the only known lists of Erie Canal passengers. Canal boat operators were not required to record or report passenger names. When passengers' names appear they are usually only last names, and sometimes just the term "passengers" with numbers and distances traveled. This is not an indexed reference to passengers on canal boats, and as such the records are of only limited value to genealogical research. The lists are not online and must be viewed in person at the New York State Archives.

Name index to lists of 25 million people (not just immigrants) who arrived at Ellis Island, Port of New York, 1892-1924. In addition, includes a link to images of arrival lists at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Web site. Brought to you be FamilySearch.org.

These are people who entered Black Rock from Canada, scanned from microfilm in the National Archives. Date range is possibly 1895-1956.

Names of some Germans who arrived 1834-1854. Text is in German.

The National Archives explains what the St. Albans Lists are and why there probably isn't a record of your ancestor entering Buffalo from Canada before 1895.

Millions of searchable names, specifically Russians, Irish, Germans, and Italians.

A state-by-state guide to border crossing and other kinds of immigrations records..

Names of those who died in 1850, as reported to federal census enumerators

A guide to the best online sources. Courtesy of BuffaloResearch.com

Brought to you by Buffalo State College

Deaths that occurred in Buffalo, Yonkers, and Albany are not included until around 1914. Towns & villages outside of the City of Buffalo should be included here. Courtesy of Reclaim the Records.

Index of Cholera Deaths, 1854, kept by Dr. James W. Newman, Buffalo, NY. The original ledger is in the collection of The Buffalo History Museum. Indexed by Roseanne Higgins, PhD, September 2016

This book is not online and can be found in several libraries

This index is provided by the NY State Department of Health and is also available on their website at https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Genealogical-Research-Death-Index-Beginning-1957/vafa-pf2s. It contains information on decedents, date of death, gender, age at death and NYS file number that will allow the public to search for individuals if on file for at least 50 years.