I can not locate my ancestor's after the birth of their 2 children in Troy, NY (1842 and 1848 are the birth years). Can I write the clerk of the courts for Rensselaer County and ask if they have death certificates on the parents? I am wondering if they died shortly after the birth of the children. I haven't found a church yet that has records of any of the family members. Did Rensselaer County/New York keep death records that early? Can I ask for a search for the years 1848 through say.....1855 or 1860? I am at the proverbial "brick wall". Thanks, Patti