It takes five to six months to receive Birth and Death Certificates from NY. I emailed them last year after waiting four months for death certificates. They told me they have about 600 request a month. Can't tell you anything about the information on Birth Certificates..I sent for my father's but apparently over the years his first and middle names became reversed and they could not find one for the way I made my request. Death Certificates have quite a bit of information. How they died....parent's names...where they were born, age at death.....how long they lived in a particular area and some more. Good luck with your searches! Carol Gilbertce@msn.com