Please take a look at the link. There is no one database, there are many. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/gate/remotedb.htm What the New York State Library offers is access to commercial databases from several suppliers, which are identified by their logos in the right-hand column. This is pretty much like offering access to books from different publishers. NYS vital records are not available through commercial database suppliers. You still have the supreme pleasure of dealing with local town clerks or the State Department of Health. And nothing changes the fact that NY State did not require that vital records be kept until 1880. No one, not even Google, can digitize records that don't exist. :( --- Grace Mather <[email protected]> wrote: > Do you know how far back the records in the database go? > Quite some time > ago I wrote to Albany and was told I had to check with the > town/village and > also that the records I was looking for (early 1800s) weren't > required at > that time. I would consider the $50 membership if my > ancestors are there. > I know there are some since that time as well. > > Grace *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-* Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com http://www.BuffaloResearch.com "Everyone claims to want a city, but no one here wants city living. City living by its definition is crowded. It is tolerant of other people. It is dependent on a sophisticated population that makes a hundred compromises daily so that they can benefit from the collective energy that a city generates." --Robert N. Davis, Jr. (1955-2007)

The discussion of the lookups to the NY state vital records index is an aspect of how to improve access to documents for historical research. Perhaps one day the genealogical societies in New York state will be able to influence those who have the power to control access to follow the lead of many other states in opening access via the internet to historical documents. Meanwhile perhaps there is a role for BECHS. Let me explain what I am thinking - I am one of the volunteers who works the project to transcribe the index and post Kentucky death certificate images. These death certs from 1911-19nn provide wonderful information on people born in the 1840's, 1850's, their parents names and places of birth. It is rather like 'digitizing birth records that do not exist' http://kyvitals.com/index.php I did not join BECHS because I can only visit Buffalo, maybe 1-2 days a year, BUT I would join BECHS and do volunteer work to put Buffalo historical information on the web for free access. Regards, Sheila Cynthia Van Ness wrote: > <snip> > > And nothing changes the fact that NY State did not require that > vital records be kept until 1880. No one, not even Google, can > digitize records that don't exist. :( > > > >

--- slstrick <[email protected]> wrote: > I did not join BECHS because I can only visit Buffalo, maybe > 1-2 days a > year, BUT I would join BECHS and do volunteer work to put > Buffalo > historical information on the web for free access. Unfortunately, BECHS has no vital records to digitize. I must be having a mental lapse, because I can't picture how someone there (wherever "there" is) can digitize something that is physically here and only here. Meanwhile, prospective BECHS volunteers who live here can check out this page: http://www.bechs.org/volunteer.htm *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-* Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com http://www.BuffaloResearch.com "Everyone claims to want a city, but no one here wants city living. City living by its definition is crowded. It is tolerant of other people. It is dependent on a sophisticated population that makes a hundred compromises daily so that they can benefit from the collective energy that a city generates." --Robert N. Davis, Jr. (1955-2007)