New York City Records Online

Images of New York City vital records are now online- for free!

The included years start in the mid 1860s or upon creation of the five boroughs in 1898. The final years for each type of record:

Births through 1909

Deaths through 1948

Marriages through 1937

The records for earlier years are available elsewhere. To obtain records for subsequent years, you need to jump through the hoops of the Department of Health.

Also not included are affidavits for marriage, usually issued between 1908-1937. If your couple of interest married during these years, obtaining copies of the affidavit from the Municipal Archives might provide additional information.

Search or browse birth, marriage, and death records for New York City
Website as of this writing: https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/search

The digitized images are in color. Compare the digitized versus paper copy of the marriage certificate of my great grandfather, Howard Lutter, and his second wife, Fiorita Lorenz, in 1928.

The affidavit for a license to marry provided details about the divorces of both parties.

Ancestry has an index of these vital records, including copies of the indexes.

I will note a caveat I uncovered when trying to find a marriage record in the new digitized records.

I was looking up a couple, George Stegman and Charlotte Taylor. They were born in the 1890s in New York. Ancestry's index of licenses has the date as December 30, 1913, which corresponds to the images of the indexes. This is not the marriage date. This is the date the license was issued.

I sought the marriage record to discover the names of the parents of the bride and groom. The record was not found in 1913. I expanded the search and found the record in 1914. The ceremony was January 4, 1914 in Manhattan.

George Stegman and Charlotte Taylor married January 4, 1914 in Manhattan, New York County, New York.
Groom's parents- Henry Stegman and Martha Tuthill.
Bride's parents- Edmund Taylor and Catherine Sweeney.

It is understandable that the marriage ceremony occurred a short time after the license was issued. When the license is obtained at the end of a year, the couple might not marry until the following year. This is an important distinction when reporting dates of events or looking for subsequent records.

Locating the Death of Anna Hyser (1860-1934)

Anna Belle Hyser (1860-1934) was one of my great, great, great grandmothers. She was widowed three times. I descend from her first marriage to William Henry Cumming (1856-1882).

Anna was from Catskill in Greene County, New York. By 1885, she had relocated to Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. She shares a headstone with her parents, Louman Hyser (1826-1895) and Catherine Eckler (1835-1889), and her siblings in the Catskill Village Cemetery. The year of death is on her headstone, but I could not find the exact date and location of her death.

Picture by Jody Lutter
November 21, 2010

This month, with the receipt of a death certificate from the State of Florida, I finally have Anna's exact date and location of passing.

Death certificate
Anna Brower (born Hyser)
February 12, 1934

Anna died February 12, 1934 in Orlando, Orange County, Florida at 440 West Minister [Westminster?] Avenue. Her address was in Greenwich, Connecticut. Informant was Mrs Edna Bullock of the same address. I don't know who this person is. Why was Anna at this place? Was she visiting friends?

The last record I could find for Anna was the 1920 census. She was living in Orangetown, Rockland County, New York with her daughter, Beulah Miller (1890-1940), and Beulah's husband, Raymond Sprague (1887-1983), and their children.

In the 1930 census, Beulah and Raymond Sprague were living in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Anna was not listed with them. My grandmother had told me that Anna married four times. It was possible that Anna had remarried, then died using her husband's surname, making her very difficult to find. I had to look at marriages and deaths in New York State, New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The indexes for all of these locations have been enhanced and expanded over the years, yet I could not find Anna.

The Connecticut death index can be accessed for free through the State Library's website. These are deaths for the years 1897-2001.

There is no good match for Anna, died 1934, in the index of deaths in Connecticut.

Anna's daughter, Beulah (for whom my grandmother was named), died in Florida in 1940 while returning home from a vacation trip. I found this information in a newspaper from Kentucky. This is why you need to search states unrelated to the geographic area in which your people of interest resided. Beulah's death was probably reported far away because of her husband's business with the New York Stock Exchange. "Beulah" was not named directly in the article.

The family was not living in Florida, so I had not thought to check there for Anna. When I checked the Florida death index, I found an entry for Anna Brower, died 1934 in Orange County.

Florida Death Index at FamilySearch.org

The Florida death index is free at FamilySearch. The index is also at Ancestry behind a paywall. The difference at Ancestry is that you can view the actual index and see a certificate number. In the transcribed indexed, Anna's certificate number was missing.

Florida Death Index at Ancestry.com

Based on the index alone, I could not ascertain if this is my Anna or not. I needed the actual record of death. Applications for copies of vital records are on the website of the Florida State Department of Health. (This is the current website as of this writing.) The cost was five dollars and the wait time was two weeks. The cause of death was not blocked and I did not have to send any proof of identity. (Compare this to the hurdles in New York and New Jersey.)

Although the information on the death certificate was scarce, this was my Anna.

---If anyone researches on location in Florida, could you let us know if you can walk into a repository and look through records yourself? Thank you.---

I also requested the death certificate for Anna's daughter, Beulah.

Beulah died April 11, 1940 in Sanford, Seminole County, Florida from head and chest wounds due to a car accident. The newspaper article stated that she died instantly; however, the death certificate states that she died at the Fernald-Laughton Hospital 25 minutes later. She was removed to Greenwich, Connecticut- her residence. No cemetery was named.

Had I relied on the 1940 census for Beulah's date of death, I would have been misguided. Although the information was supposed to reflect who was alive on April 1, 1940, Raymond was listed as a widow.

Since the couple was driving home after returning from the Virgin Islands, I checked ship records. Beulah and Raymond were on a ship sailing from Ponce, Puerto Rico to Tampa, Florida from March 30 through April 2, 1940. The enumeration date on the census is blank, but must have been after Beulah died on April 11th.

Isn't that eerie? She died soon after this record was made.

Beulah's widower, Raymond Sprague, remarried to Janet Griffith (1904-1982). I do not know where Beulah or Raymond are buried. If anyone knows, please send word.

1950 Census Debuted Today

The United States federal census of April 1, 1950 was released publicly today- 72 years after it was recorded. Various websites host images; some have indexes. I used enumeration district maps at Archives.gov to locate enumeration districts. This technique only works with specific addresses.

This is the first census to feature my father. He lived at 55 Chester Avenue in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

United States Federal Census, 1950. New Jersey, Essex County, Newark. Enumeration District 188.

Lutter at 57 Chester Avenue:

Clifford C, head; age 35; married; born in Pennsylvania; occupation special officer for bar and grill protection.

Beulah C, wife; age 28; married; born in [New Jersey].

Clifford E, son; age 4; born in NJ.

Howard W, son; age 3; born in NJ.

David R, son; age 1; born in NJ.

My mother was created around April 1, 1950; thus, I was very interested to see where her mother, Jeannette ODonnell (1920-1993)  was living for this census. I have not found her yet. Possible addresses (96 Lord Avenue and 1962 West 9th Street in Bayonne and 331 Broadway in Newark) yielded no Jeannette.

The Cantankerous Herman Lutter

Herman Lutter (1860-1924), my great great grandfather, was no stranger to lawsuits. He filed for divorce against both his wives. He sued his brother-in-law, Albert Neubauer, but his judgment was reversed on appeal. He was sued for selling a broken car; he prevailed.

I found another legal situation in a newspaper. In 1905, Herman was attacked on the water in a boat. I don't know what became of this case. His attacker was Matthias Johnson, who claimed that he thought he was in New York waters, not New Jersey, and that the motivation was that Herman borrowed and soiled Matthias' coat. 

Trial of Case Here Will Depend upon Location of Fishing Party on Water.

Matthias, known as “Tierce” Johnson, was arrested by City Marshal Peltier on a warrant shortly after 8 o’clock this morning and was at once arraigned before Recorder Piekersgill on a charge of assaulting Herman Lutter, of 70 Elm street, Newark, while in a boat out in the bay.

Johnson acknowledged committing the assault but claimed to be immune from punishment here on the claim that, at the time, the boat was over the line between New Jersey and New York and that he could only be punished in New York. He declared that he would not have struck Lutter but for the knowledge that the boat was in New York waters.

The recorder paroled Johnson and adjourned the case until he could ascertain exactly whether the assault had been committed in New York or New Jersey waters. Of course, were the boat on the farther side of the state line at the time, Johnson would be immune from prosecution in New Jersey.

The assault occurred several days ago, and arose from the taking of Johnson’s coat by Lutter. Johnson declares that Lutter used the coat while handling fish, and that he soiled it.

 

In this map, I have highlighted the relevant areas. Herman lived in Newark. The incident happened in the area of Perth Amboy. The boundary between New Jersey and New York is shown as a dotted line on the map. The boundary would not have been clear when they were offshore. I am not clear why Johnson thought that hitting Herman was permissible in New York waters but not New Jersey.

In 1908, a man named Matthias Johnson was mentioned in an article in the Asbury Park Press. He arrived in a small boat in Long Branch, Monmouth County, unsuited for the freezing weather. He claimed to be searching for a treasure in a sunken ship, The Pliny. (The Pliny sank in 1882.) Police found a bloody axe onboard, but allowed the unequipped man to continue his journey.

To Search Pliny Wreck for Gold

Man Sails from Long Island in Dory in Zero Weather to Probe Sunken Steamer

Belief that in the hulk of the steamer Pliny, wrecked many years ago off the Elberon shore and a part of which is still visible at low ride, there is a treasure that would make him wealthy could he but procure it, carried Matthias Johnson from Stapleton, [Long Island], to Long Branch in a dory while the thermometer hovered around the zero point. The man says he is a resident of Jersey City, from which place his apparatus has been sent.

In his little dory Johnson landed at the foot of North Broadway Thursday afternoon at 5:30 o’clock. Pulling his craft high up on the beach the man, after procuring something the eat, left for Jersey City.

The Long Branch police got wind of the man’s arrival and took an axe and coat from the dory. The axe was a little bloody. This led to an investigation.

Johnson arrived again in Long Branch shortly before 11 o’clock yesterday ready to resume his trip. He was dressed in a business suit, derby hat, and wore no overcoat.

Fractioned Census Entries

Below is an article from the Newark Evening News from 1892 about participation of my great great grandfather, Herman Lutter, in the German Singing Society. I was unaware of any musical talent he may have had. 

German Singing Society

The twenty-second anniversary of the German Singing Society Frohsinn was celebrated in Ester’s Park yesterday. The society sang several appropriate songs under the direction of A. Webner. The United Singers were present in a body, and the Tailor Harmonie Society of Brooklyn joined in the singing. The arrangements were made by Frank G. Geisler, Herman Lutter, William Erber, Oscar Guensch, Ernest E. Von Ende, Charles Schott and John Letzerig.

I looked into the other members of the singing society (FAN Method). One of the other participants was Frank G Geisler. Frank owned the house at 70 Elm Street in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Herman Lutter rented a room in this house from around 1895-1915.

Frank Geisler was born around 1848 in Austria and died in 1937 in Los Angeles, California. His wife, Anna Helf, died between the 1910-1915 (no death index for New Jersey in these years).

In the 1900 federal census, Herman was listed as a boarder at 70 Elm Street, but no landlord or owner was with him. Frank Geisler was two pages back. For some reason, this household was not enumerated together on the census. This is why you need to check the pages around your entry of interest.

1900 Federal Census: owner of 70 Elm Street, Frank Geisler

1900 Federal Census: boarders of 70 Elm Street

George Fraser of Jersey City

Mary Frazier (1835-1875) married John Calverley in the earlier 1850s. They had a son, George Frazier Calverley, around 1858 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.

In the continued search for the family of origin of Mary Frazier, I came across an article in the Jersey Journal from 1895. George Frazier or Fraser committed bigamy by marrying Lydia Dennison in 1894 while still married to his first wife, Margaret Cannon.

     "Fraser's first wife charges him with bigamy. She was Margaret Cannon, of Yonkers, before her marriage. She produces a certificate showing that she was married to George Frazier June 14, 1882. He left her December, 1892, and came to Jersey City about two years ago. One child, the result of the union, died several years ago.

     "Frazier spelled his name Fraser in this city. He was for some time in the employ of the Griffin Iron Works. The county records show that he was married June 12, 1894, to Lydia Dennison, of this city, by Rev. D. R. Lowrie.

I did not see a pertinent entry in the index for marriages in New York and New York City for Margaret Cannon and George Fraser or Frazier. I did find the record for the marriage in 1894 of George Fraser, Jr and Lida Denison in Jersey City.

George's address was 612-58th Street in New York City. He was 35 years old (year of birth circa 1859). His parents were George Fraser and Margret Stewart of Scotland.

Lida's address was 98 Jackson Avenue in Jersey City. She was 25 years old (year of birth circa 1869). Her parents were Stephen Denison and Martha Bouker.

This was the first marriage for both of them.

A few years after the newspaper article about George's first wife, this couple was enumerated in the 1900 federal census in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With them was a daughter, Edith M Fraser, born in March of 1888. On this record, Edith's birth predates the marriage of George and Lyda by six years. As such, Lyda's age was modified from 30 to 39 on the census form and the years of marriage were listed as 12.

In the 1910 census, George, Lydia, and Edith were back in Jersey City, living with Lydia's mother, Martha Dennison. Lydia's age, 40 years, was more consistent with prior records. Even though Edith was 18 years old, the length of marriage for her mother and George was correctly given as 15 years.

Martha died in 1911.

Mrs Martha J Denison

     The death of Mrs Martha Jane Denison, a lifelong resident of Jersey City, which occurred on Sunday at her home, 34 Jewett Avenue, is mourned by a large number of relatives and friends. She was born Oct 31, 1830. Before her marriage she was Martha Bourker, a member of one of the oldest families in this city.

     Mrs Denison is survived by three children, Mrs Lydia Fraser, Charles Denison, and Mrs Lillie Watson, and four grandchildren. Her death leaves but one of Obadiah Bourker's family of five boys and two girls, Andrew Bourker.

In the 1930 census in Jersey City, Lydia Fraser was living with her sister and family. George was not with Lydia, even though her marital status was married and not widowed or divorced.

Who was the father of Lydia's daughter, Edith? On her birth certificate, she was named Edith May Denison. She was born on March 2, 1889 at 111 Union Street in Jersey City. Her father was "O.W." or out of wedlock. Her mother was Lida Denison, age 20.

In 1912, Edith May Fraser married Henry Christopher Heilshorn at 30 Tonnele Avenue, Jersey City. Her parents were listed as George Fraser and Elida Denison.

Edith died in 1967. She had children and grandchildren. If her descendants tested their DNA, it may be possible to ascertain if her biological father was George Fraser; if so, this may yield clues as to the origin of Mary Fraser/Frazier.

HEILSHORN

     Mrs Edith M, 78, of 1618 66th Ave S. Died Thursday Nov 2, 1967. Born in Philadelphia, Pa, here 14 years from Newark, N.J. she is survived by her husband Henery C; 2 sons Howard S, St Petersburg, and Henery C Jr, Kearny, N.Y., and 2 grandchildren. Friends may call from 7-9PM today at c. James Mathews Funeral Home 2025 9th St S where funeral services will be held at 10:30AM Monday Nov 6 with the Rev Jimmy S Jones officiating. Interment in Memorial Park.

Amanuensis Monday: Seventh Avenue Chapel, New York City

66 West 46^th St N.Y.

Oct 6, 1882

Ulyses S Stitt Clerk

My Dear Sir

On Friday Evening Sept 29^th there were received into the membership of the Church through the Seventh Avenue Chapel the following persons who made a satisfactory profession of their Faith.

Christian Hager and Kunigunda Gebhardt his wife.

Edwin Hide Moore. The last named was baptized by me prior to the Communion.

Yours Very Truly

Joseph R Duryee

Minister in Charge

Seventh Avenue Chapel

 

Elder Bolby were present

 

Report from

7^th Av Chapel 29 Sept ‘82

Read Nov 3 1882

 

George S Stitt Esqr

113 Fulton Street

N.Y. City

The Remarriage of Frank ODonnell in 1940

Francis "Frank" Patrick ODonnell (1888-1959) was one of my great grandfathers. In the prior article, I wrote about the death of his first wife, my great grandmother, Anna Preston, in 1921.

On August 7, 1940, Frank remarried to Gertrude Farman, the widow of James Paradine, in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. This marriage certificate is below.

The prior week, Frank had arrived in New York City from Bombat, India.

I did not know what Frank may have been doing so far away from Bayonne until I saw this story published at Ancestry:

Eddie O’Donnell told Kelly on 5/4/09

Posted 04 May 2009 by Joy Peck

Frances O’donnell (Frank) first wife died when the kids were young. The kids were raised by Aunt “Kate” Catherine.
Then Frances re married Getrude Last name unsure but thinks Paradine
Frances worked in the oil fields in Saudi Arabia when they first discovered oil there.

[Links to tree: ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/11067954/

Frank died October 31, 1959 in Bayonne. He was 69 years old. Gertrude was listed as his wife. 

Frank was buried at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City. Nobody is in this plot with him.

Gertrude was the daughter of Miles Farman and Mary Doyle. Her first marriage was to James Paradine in Bayonne on July 19, 1925. She was 21 years old; he was 27. Their marriage certificate is below.

Four and a half months after marrying, James died. An article appeared in the Jersey Journal about an accident at James' job with the Petroleum Terminal Corporation in Bayonne on December 2, 1925.

Gasoline Fumes From Tank Car Kill Workman

Overcome by gasoline fumes in a tank car which he was cleaning at the plant of the Petroleum Terminal Corporation, First Street and Avenue A, Bayonne, at 9 a.m. today [December 2, 1925]. James Paradine, 26, of 11 Cottage Street, Bayonne, died an hour later in Bayonne Hospital, despite the efforts of two physicians, who had labored over him constantly.

Two men working near Paradine saw him topple over. They summoned the company physician, Dr Duffy, and a Bayonne Hospital ambulance. Dr A E Solomon came from the hospital. Paradine died shortly afterwards, at 10 o’clock. His body was taken to Nugent’s morgue.

---The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Wednesday, December 2, 1925, page 1.

James' death certificate gives the cause of death as "accidental inhalation of gasoline fumes while cleaning tank car." He was 27 years old. Burial was at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City in the Farman plot.

The following month, Gertrude was awarded money for James' death, with a provision to increase the award pending birth of their child.

$3,675 Award for Widow of Gas Victim

Compensation Given Widow of Oil Company Worker  - Other Awards

James Paradine of 11 Cottage Street, Bayonne, employed as a pipe fitter by the Petroleum Terminal Corporation of Bayonne was asphyxiated by gas fumes while repairing a car on December 2, 1925. Referee John J Stahl of the Compensation Bureau, State Department of Labor, in his court at 571 Jersey Avenue yesterday afternoon handed down a decision awarding $3,675 and an allowance for funeral expenses of $150. The compensation may be increased for the benefit of a dependent child yet unborn.

---The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Friday, January 22, 1926, page 2.

As of this writing, birth records are not publicly available in New Jersey past 1923, but an index of births was recently made public. James Paradine was born January 29, 1926 in Bayonne.

archive.org/details/njgeographicbirthindex

In the 1930 census, Gertrude, age 26, was living with her son, James, age 4, and her mother and brother at 297 Avenue C in Bayonne.

James, the son of James and Gertrude, died in 1982. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, Bergen County, New Jersey. His mother was buried with him, though she is not on the stone and her obituary lists her place of burial as Holy Name.

Gertrude died June 28, 1987. Her obituary is below.

Paradine-O’Donnell

Gertrude Paradine-O’Donnell, 84, a lifelong Bayonne resident, died Sunday at the Jersey City Medical Center after a long illness.

She worked for General Cable Company, formerly of Bayonne.

Mass will be offered 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at St Andrew’s Church, Bayonne. Internment will be at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.

Kohoot Funeral Home of Bayonne is handling the arrangements.

---The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. Monday, June 29, 1987, page 12.

www.rcancem.org/find-a-loved-one-search/

I don't know what relationship, if any, my grandmother had with her stepmother. She never told me about Gertrude.