This is an oversimplified response, from my 35+ years of metro NYC experience. When requesting any record from anywhere, ask for a "photocopy of original document." # You do not want a transcript as the transcript is only as accurate as the transcriber, AND transcriptions can be a judgement call. What I mean is that the reader is viewing handwritten records, and may not see what you might see. When I research at the NYC Muni Archives or Westchester Archvves, we will offer to view each others films, for such clarification. # A "raised seal" aka "official" copy is not necessary for genealogical purposes; it is for legal purposes. Last month I researched for an attorney who had to prove relationship in an inheritance case; official copies were needed. *Except* for New York City, Yonkers, Rochester and a couple other large cities, the New York State Archives is the repository for BMDs beginning in 1866. The problem is they have an 8 month waiting period, but their staff is excellent at locating records. In general, I recommend acquiring BMDs at the smallest level of government, which is usually the town, but sometimes the city [Yonkers comes to mind]. I've run into many difficulties with Town/City Clerks just this past year, and Yonkers is the worst to deal with. Yonkers staff does not understand how to search and sent me in circles every time. Twice with Ossining they did not have the DCs; in these cases I ordered them from Albany, then submitted copies to Ossining. Many staff insists that you have to provide relationship documentation, when the NYS law states it is not required for marriages and deaths more than 50 years old, and births more than 75 years old. It seems that local governments caught onto the genealogy boom and now charge $22. per "certificate," [as posted on their homepages] but send you a transcript. When this happened with the Town of Hunter, NY, I mailed the crookedly printed piece of garbage back to the Town Supervisor in Hunter, with a letter stating that I my request was not met for a "certificate copy" for $22. As fast as you can say hot dog, I received a xerox of the original...with a nasty note from the Hunter NY Town Clerk informing me of how difficult it was to lift the ledger book and copy it. I hope this gives you actual insight into the process of obtaining NYS BMDs. Barb MizScarlettNY@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Brian J Densmore via <nywestch@rootsweb.com> To: nywestch <nywestch@rootsweb.com> Sent: Mon, May 9, 2016 2:31 pm Subject: Re: [NYWESTCH] Death Records > Actually BRIAN, I believe with marriages early on . . . . . .from Albany > what you will get is a copy of the ORIGINAL certificate as completed by > the > person/clergy who performed the ceremony not completed by the local > registrar. > > To the best of my knowledge the local record you will receive as a > "verified > transcript" locally is not the ORIGINAL RECORD. > > I have my grandparents marriage from 1895 in Fishkill, Dutchess County, > NY. > It is signed by the minister - this is the document that I believe would > be > given to the local registrar to record in their books and then the > original > was forwarded on to Albany. What I have from Albany is not what you will > get > today from the municipal clerk in Fishkill - you will get a "verified > transcript" from their record book. > > As far as I know it is the same for deaths - I've gotten them both ways in > the past. > > All for now - try it yourself and see. While you are certainly correct the originals are *supposed* to go to Albany. That wasn't what my comment was about. Which was partly tongue-in-cheek. But, the only death certificates I've requested from Westchester was my great-grandmother's. What I got was a non-certified photocopy of the original with my grandfather's signature on it (although it's possibly a photocopy of a photocopy, as it's just inside that technology window). Most of my Westchester needs fall outside the years of required collection. Everything, I've ever requested from Westchester has been a full copy, and not some transcription. Perhaps you have to be specific as to what you ask for. The marriage licenses I have collected all appear to be copies of originals, with signatures, and not carbon copies either. Although, I would have no issue with carbon copies. Marriages are an entirely different subject. Although, I'd still expect a lot of the local records keepers to keep the originals and make up a copy to send to Albany, even though the law was to send the original. NY bureaucrats tended that way, and some still do. Very possessive of anything they collect. ;) As a note, I'd generally request from both places, especially if I had any doubts. Also, the originals may have been written up wrong, and been corrected at the local level and never reported to the state, and vice versa. When such things happen, having both copies can be useful in other research. As for early on deaths, I wouldn't know, because they didn't record them early on, or I'd have had my gr-gr-grandmother's death record a long time ago (1870s). Lastly, the only time, I've ever gotten a transcript of a record was from Massachusetts, and I wound up ordering the original anyway (different prices) because one of the names was screwed up. But it was screwed up on the original as well. I've never bother to have it corrected. Which I could because I have a certified true copy of her birth certificate from the Mairie in France with the seal imprint and everything.

Barb--A huge thank you for sharing your expertise and vast knowledge about researching in the NYC area.  I usually flag your emails for future reference, even though I may not necessarily need them when received.  Most of my distant and some not so distant ancestors lived in that area, and I have run into numerous brick walls.  Probably because I don't know where else to look.  My dream is to come to New York and do research for a month; even then, I probably wouldn't get enough done. I do come occasionally and do research in the New Paltz area and at Westchester Archives; I have family in Newburgh. I live in the DFW area, and we are taking care of a three year grandson, so travel is out for a while. When I get a few snatches of time, I plan on asking you if you know of any online resources for some of my hard to find ancestors.Appreciatively,Carol RitcheyResearching Van Horn, Auchmoody, Stuyvesant, Bourne, Yellott,  and Gould On Monday, May 16, 2016 11:26 AM, mizscarlettny via <nywestch@rootsweb.com> wrote: This is an oversimplified response, from my 35+ years of metro NYC experience. When requesting any record from anywhere, ask for a "photocopy of original document." # You do not want a transcript as the transcript is only as accurate as the transcriber, AND transcriptions can be a judgement call. What I mean is that the reader is viewing handwritten records, and may not see what you might see. When I research at the NYC Muni Archives or Westchester Archvves, we will offer to view each others films, for such clarification.  # A "raised seal" aka "official" copy is not necessary for genealogical purposes; it is for legal purposes. Last month I researched for an attorney who had to prove relationship in an inheritance case; official copies were needed. *Except* for New York City, Yonkers, Rochester and a couple other large cities, the New York State Archives is the repository for BMDs beginning in 1866. The problem is they have an 8 month waiting period, but their staff is excellent at locating records. In general, I recommend acquiring BMDs at the smallest level of government, which is usually the town, but sometimes the city [Yonkers comes to mind]. I've run into many difficulties with Town/City Clerks just this past year, and Yonkers is the worst to deal with. Yonkers staff does not understand how to search and sent me in circles every time. Twice with Ossining they did not have the DCs; in these cases I ordered them from Albany, then submitted copies to Ossining. Many staff insists that you have to provide relationship documentation, when the NYS law states it is not required for marriages and deaths more than 50 years old, and births more than 75 years old.  It seems that local governments caught onto the genealogy boom and now charge $22. per "certificate," [as posted on their homepages] but send you a transcript. When this happened with the Town of Hunter, NY, I mailed the crookedly printed piece of garbage back to the Town Supervisor in Hunter, with a letter stating that I my request was not met for a "certificate copy" for $22. As fast as you can say hot dog, I received a xerox of the original...with a nasty note from the Hunter NY Town Clerk informing me of how difficult it was to lift the ledger book and copy it. I hope this gives you actual insight into the process of obtaining NYS BMDs. Barb MizScarlettNY@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Brian J Densmore via <nywestch@rootsweb.com> To: nywestch <nywestch@rootsweb.com> Sent: Mon, May 9, 2016 2:31 pm Subject: Re: [NYWESTCH] Death Records > Actually BRIAN, I believe with marriages early on . . . . . .from Albany > what you will get is a copy of the ORIGINAL certificate as completed by > the > person/clergy who performed the ceremony not completed by the local > registrar. > > To the best of my knowledge the local record you will receive as a > "verified > transcript" locally is not the ORIGINAL RECORD. > > I have my grandparents marriage from 1895 in Fishkill, Dutchess County, > NY. > It is signed by the minister - this is the document that I believe would > be > given to the local registrar to record in their books and then the > original > was forwarded on to Albany. What I have from Albany is not what you will > get > today from the municipal clerk in Fishkill - you will get a "verified > transcript" from their record book. > > As far as I know it is the same for deaths - I've gotten them both ways in > the past. > > All for now - try it yourself and see. While you are certainly correct the originals are *supposed* to go to Albany. That wasn't what my comment was about. Which was partly tongue-in-cheek. But, the only death certificates I've requested from Westchester was my great-grandmother's. What I got was a non-certified photocopy of the original with my grandfather's signature on it (although it's possibly a photocopy of a photocopy, as it's just inside that technology window). Most of my Westchester needs fall outside the years of required collection. Everything, I've ever requested from Westchester has been a full copy, and not some transcription. Perhaps you have to be specific as to what you ask for. The marriage licenses I have collected all appear to be copies of originals, with signatures, and not carbon copies either. Although, I would have no issue with carbon copies. Marriages are an entirely different subject. Although, I'd still expect a lot of the local records keepers to keep the originals and make up a copy to send to Albany, even though the law was to send the original. NY bureaucrats tended that way, and some still do. Very possessive of anything they collect. ;) As a note, I'd generally request from both places, especially if I had any doubts. Also, the originals may have been written up wrong, and been corrected at the local level and never reported to the state, and vice versa. When such things happen, having both copies can be useful in other research. As for early on deaths, I wouldn't know, because they didn't record them early on, or I'd have had my gr-gr-grandmother's death record a long time ago (1870s). Lastly, the only time, I've ever gotten a transcript of a record was from Massachusetts, and I wound up ordering the original anyway (different prices) because one of the names was screwed up. But it was screwed up on the original as well. I've never bother to have it corrected. Which I could because I have a certified true copy of her birth certificate from the Mairie in France with the seal imprint and everything. *************************************** Have you checked out the Westchester  County GenWeb site yet? http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nywestch/ *************************************** Browse or Search the Mailing List Archives of postings sent to this list over the years.  Visit http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/usa/NY/westchester.html#NYWESTCH *************************************** ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYWESTCH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message