Queens Central Library
Archives
Formerly known as the Long Island Division, the Archives has extensive material for the four counties that make up Long Island: Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau and Suffolk.
queenslibrary.org archives
Mailing address:
Archives at Queens Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, 2nd Floor,
Jamaica, NY 11432
718-990-0770
Jamaica Map (43k)
shows location of this and two other local repositories
Open Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am-9pm
Tue, 1pm-9pm
Fri, Sat, 9am-7pm
Sunday, noon-5pm
Most recent open hours
Obituary and death notice requests
The Archives does not respond to reference requests via e-mail
but will do so by U.S. postal mail. An exact date of death or burial must be provided and the fee is $8 per search.
|
|
Newspapers. Holdings are listed on the Queens Central Library's Web site
(Link)
Their films are not included in the New York State Library's database of
statewide newspaper holdings,
but most of the Queens films listed in the database of holdings at the
State Library itself
are also at Queens Central Library.
Maps of Queens
from early maps to 20th century detailed insurance and ED maps for 1910 and 1920 Federal Census.
Some are bound or too large to be photocopied safely, but
the library allows researchers to bring cameras and photograph them on site.
Some maps, like the Sanborn Insurance Maps, are also available on microfilm in the Maps Division of the 42nd St
branch of the
New York Public Library.
City Directories
Queens city directories (1864-1913, with gaps; 1933)
Some are also available through the LDS.
See Detail
Phone Directories (1926+) for Queens, also Nassau, Manhattan, Brooklyn
Federal Census up to 1920 for Queens County.
1915 and 1925 New York State census for Queens County.
Note that all these census records are now available online at Familysearch.org and Ancestry.com.
See Detail
Index to Wills of Queens County for the early 1800's
and abstracts of various surrogates records
Unpublished Long Island Genealogies.
|
|
Queens County Courthouse
88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11435
Jamaica Map (43k)
Sutphin Blvd. stop on the F Train or E Train.
This building houses two separate caches of genealogical interest.
County Clerk's Office - Room 105
(718) 298-0600
(718) 298-0609 (Record Room)
M-F 9:00am-4:30pm.
County Clerk site
|
Naturalization for the Supreme Court of Queens County from 1794-1941
NY State Census for 1892 (Including what is now Nassau County),
1915 and 1925 with ED maps and some indexes.
Civil Court records 1850s-present .
Name changes from 1847 to present. Divorce index. Restricted access to divorces, separations, annulments.
Business records, 1851-present, military discharge records, etc.
|
Surrogate's Court, 7th Floor
(718) 298-0500
Mon.-Fri., 9:00 am to 4:45 pm
Closed to the public between 1:00 and 2:00 pm
Copies are self-service and .15/ea. Copiers require coins, but there are bill changers on other floors in the building.
Surrogate's Court site
|
Probate, administration and guardianship papers for Queens (and pre-1899 Nassau County).
There are two card indexes: the small cabinet nearest the entrance
references the older libers.
The large group of cabinets in the center of the room
contain the card index to the files of administration papers.
The most recent records are also indexed on computer.
File requests are limited to 10 per day.
Staff will search the indexes for a fee ($90 was the last price I was quoted)
and will reproduce files for $.25 a page.
($4 if certified)
Note that the FHC carries much of the old material.
|
|
|
City Register's Office, Queens
144-06 94th Ave, Jamaica, NY, just off Sutphin Blvd.
and just south of the Jamaica LIRR station.
Sutphin Blvd E, J, Z station.
(718) 298-7200
www.nyc.gov
Open Mon-Fri 9:00am-4:00pm
There are plenty of film printers, all single focal length (16 or 35mm).
Most are in constant use and may require a wait.
Payment for photocopies requires a pre-paid magnetic card,
available from the cashier.
Jamaica Map (43k)
|
Queens County land records 1670 to present
The original grantee/grantor name indexes 1680's to 1914
are stored along the back wall in basement room D.
They have also been microfilmed and can be found in the stacks
on the ground floor behind the reader/printer section.
The deed records have been microfilmed.
The facility also keeps all land titles, mortgages, maps and tax liens for Queens County and
for Nassau County prior to 1899.
The Family History Library has films of the grantor/grantee indexes
You can find information about properties that still exist within the five boroughs on these two New York City sites.
The NYC BIS (Building Info System)
Posted by the Department of Buildings, this enables lookup of properties by current address. It provides the parcel identifier (block and lot numbers) needed for the ACRIS lookup below, as well as a history of a building's actions and violations.
ACRIS (Automated City Register Information System), posted by NYC Department of Finance, provides images of recent deeds and mortgages for individual parcels.
Search by Parcel Identifier obtained from NYC BIS (above.)
For Queens addresses prior to 1930, Steve Morse's site provides a lookup of street name changes.
Unfortunately, there is no way to equate old street numbers with new, but Steve Morse posts
several lookup aids
that can equate old blocks to new by cross street.
He also posts
ED finders 1900-1930
that equate streets to federal census enumeration districs.
|
|
Queens Board of Elections
42-16 West Street, 2nd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 392-8989
Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00
www.vote.nyc.ny.us
|
Queens Assembly and Election District maps 1919-present
Voter registration information from 1949-present.
Earlier material (1898-1948) is at the Municipal Archives.
More information
|
|
Queens Family History Center
40-24 62nd Street, Woodside
718-897-5144
Located near the Number 7 line (61st Street Station)
and LIRR Woodside station
Closed Sun
Open Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10am-4pm
Wed 7pm-9pm (appt only)
|
Has about 2000 reels of worldwide material on indefinite loan from the FH Catalog.
This includes much Manhattan, Brooklyn and all-borough material
|
|
La Guardia Community College
Long Island City, NY 11101
Main entrance at 31-10 Thompson Ave
tel: 718-482-5065; fax: 718-482-5069
Requires appointment
|
Local History Collection
Photo and oral history collection, with a particular focus on western Queens.
Records of the employees of the Steinway and Sons,
the firm of piano makers that developed the northern
section of Astoria.
Included are
personal work logs, 1898-1942; personnel records including payroll, 1914-1963;
employee registers, 1880-1970; attendance records, 1940-1962, 1971;
pension fund, insurance records, 1940-1971
Finding aid: Typescript inventory.
Steinway & Son's Web site
has a short historical section.
See also Newsday's history of Steinway
|
|
Family History Center (LDS)
86-16 60th Road, Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 478-5337
|
|
|
|
