Digital Resources

Ellis Island Passenger Search Find passenger records between 1892 and 1954 for immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island.  Register and create a free login to view the actual ship manifest.

Family History Research from USA.gov Find census, immigration, military records, and record-finding aids for genealogists and family historians.

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of people whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) beginning about 1962. A small number of deaths are listed before 1962. It was created from the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. Due to restrictions enacted in March 2014, new entries to publicly available versions of the Social Security Death Index will not be available for three years beginning on the date of an individual’s death. You will not find everyone who died from about 1962 to about mid-March 2014, but it does list many deaths in that time frame, especially in more recent years (particularly after the late 1980s). It is close to being a national death index for the United States. If you find someone listed in the Social Security Death Index you can usually order a copy of the form they filled out when they applied for a Social Security Card (SS-5 application) from the Social Security Administration for a fee. This record usually has more information about the person such as date and place of birth, and names of parents. However, names of parents may not always be released by the SSA.

New York State Dept. of Health Vital Records  information on obtaining records within the last 75 years for most New York state municipalities is here.