New York Genealogy Search

New York genealogy through archives, local custody and historical records

Trace New York families through municipal collections, county archives, historical court records and state military research guides. The sections below explain how to select a record series, interpret its limits and carry an identified entry to the responsible custodian.

Begin with a dated New York locality

New York genealogy calls for more than a statewide surname search. Write the place as it appears in the document, the date of the event, and the office that created the record. A person described as living in a place now within the Bronx may lead to a Westchester record. A New York City death can lead to a municipal certificate, an investigation report, or a court proceeding, each with a different reason for creation. These possibilities should remain separate until the documents connect them.

Use a locality worksheet with columns for the recorded place, the present place, the event year and the proposed custodian. Do not silently modernize a town name in a transcription. Retaining the original name allows another researcher to understand why you searched a particular index. A modern address can be added as an interpretation, with the evidence supporting that interpretation. This is especially useful when following a household through a boundary change rather than an actual move.

The Westchester Archives' Bronx research explanation describes records created before annexation as retained by Westchester and warns that records of the former towns have become scattered. Its list includes Morrisania, West Farms and Westchester, with associated village names. Use that list to identify a historical place, then ask the custodian about the particular series. The list is not a statement that every record concerning every former resident remains at one repository.

Make a repository plan for the question

The New York City Municipal Archives, Westchester County Archives, state institutions and county courts serve different research functions. A library catalog describes publications and collections. A court index leads to a proceeding. An archive's series guide explains records produced by an agency or accumulated through a particular activity. Searching one of these tools does not amount to searching the others, even when all use the same surname.

The Municipal Archives historical-records overview describes city government records dating to the colonial era and identifies genealogy, collection guides and reproduction services as separate routes. Begin with the route closest to the question. A question about a city building may need a property card or photograph; a question about an estate requires a court or archival estate series. Ask which record would contain the desired information before asking staff to search every collection.

For Albany institutions, retain the distinction between the State Archives and State Library. The state Military Museum's current research handouts refer researchers to both institutions for relevant material. Use the named state institution to clarify collection custody and the appropriate access route. A useful inquiry identifies the collection title supplied by the referring institution, the person or unit, the period and the question. A catalog result should be interpreted within its stated collection coverage, with unanswered holdings questions carried into the inquiry.

Use municipal collection guides before searching individual names

The Municipal Archives collections introduction describes office documents, manuscripts, still and moving images, vital records, maps, blueprints and sound recordings. Its collection guides cover historical archival collections from 1645 to the present. This broad span belongs to the collection-guide system; it should not be copied into a statement that any particular record type survives throughout that period.

A collection description can explain the department that produced the records and the activity that brought a person into them. Read that context before treating a name as a family connection. Someone appearing in a government file might be an applicant, witness, employee, property owner or person mentioned in correspondence. The surrounding documents determine which role applies. When an entry is ambiguous, record the role as unresolved instead of assigning a relationship based on proximity.

For each promising collection, retain its title and identifier, the relevant date span and the part of the description that addresses access. Then create a narrower request for a folder, volume or case. If the description is organized by street, institution or department, a surname query may be the wrong starting point. The guide's arrangement can supply a better route. A search log should distinguish reading the collection description from reviewing the underlying records, so a later researcher can continue at the correct level.

Keep historical certificates within their municipal scope

The Municipal Archives genealogy instructions describe a digitized historical vital-record collection dating from 1855 to 1950. They direct requests for births after 1909 and deaths after 1950 to the NYC Department of Health, and marriages after 1949 to the NYC City Clerk. These are routing boundaries supplied by the city. They should not be applied to a town elsewhere in New York or treated as proof that every borough has identical early coverage.

Use a certificate as one item in a family argument. Compare the named parents, spouse, residence, occupation and informant with independently identified records. A matching name and plausible age may justify further investigation without proving identity. If a certificate contains an unfamiliar spelling, preserve that spelling in the transcription and search notes. The variation can become a clue when checking a court file, directory or naturalization record.

The city also lists census records, city directories, Old Town records, Common Council and court records, the New Amsterdam Collection, Bodies in Transit registers and Almshouse ledgers among its family-history resources. Those alternatives matter when a vital search is unsuccessful. Choose the alternative according to the event being investigated. A municipal institution record and a burial-related register answer different questions. A failed certificate search provides a reason to broaden the evidence, not a basis for inventing a registration that has not been located.

Compare the city marriage record series

New York City's published research FAQ explains that couples marrying between 1908 and 1937 may have records with both the Department of Health and City Clerk. The Health Department marriage certificate and City Clerk license file are distinct products. The clerk series typically includes an affidavit, license and certificate; the city description notes parents' country of birth and the bride's occupation among the information associated with the license.

When researching a marriage in that overlap, record which series you examined. A citation that says only "New York marriage record" obscures whether the evidence came from the single certificate or a group of documents. Compare names, dates and statements across the two series if both are available. Agreement can support an identification, while a difference may reveal an error, a variant spelling or a separate couple. Keep the discrepant statements visible until you can explain them.

The Municipal Archives research and ordering FAQ also explains appointment arrangements, reproductions and certificate products. For a genealogical transcription, ordinary image access may be sufficient. For a legal use, identify the required product before ordering: the city distinguishes a certified record, a Letter of Exemplification and a No Amendment/Correction Letter. Do not assume a downloaded image has the raised seal or signature required for a particular legal procedure. Ask the receiving authority which product it will accept, then use the city's corresponding instructions.

Follow the death certificate into the medical examiner collection

The Municipal Archives' record-ordering instructions describe Office of Chief Medical Examiner Investigation of Death Reports from 1918 through 1951. They explain that the medical examiner generally investigated homicides or deaths occurring without medical supervision. The stated first check is the death certificate: verify that it was signed by the medical examiner before requesting an investigation record.

That prerequisite prevents a broad death-record search from becoming a request for a file the agency never created. Read the signature and office information on the certificate rather than deciding from a family story that a death must have produced an investigation. If the signature is unclear, retain the image and ask the archive about the appropriate identification. The office's collection range does not establish that every death during those years has a report.

When a report is located, distinguish its date, the date of death and any dates assigned to witness statements or examinations. A later administrative conclusion should not be presented as if it were an eyewitness account made at the moment of death. Transcribe relationship statements with their context and speaker when identifiable. The same ordering instructions provide an assistance address for OCME orders, familyhistory@records.nyc.gov. A targeted inquiry should include the certificate details and the feature that suggests an investigation report exists, while keeping unrelated family material out of the request.

Approach city institutional records through their purpose

The Municipal Archives genealogy description names Almshouse ledgers from 1758 to 1952, Bodies in Transit registers from 1859 to 1894 and the New Amsterdam Collection from 1647 to 1862. Those named collections offer research paths beyond certificates. Each date span describes the named collection as presented by the archive; it does not guarantee a continuous entry for every year, institution or person.

For an almshouse inquiry, formulate the question around an admission, discharge, residence or institutional event suggested by other evidence. Ask which ledger or index could address that event and what identifying details are needed. Do not begin by assuming that a person with the same surname is a relative. Read the record's headings and neighboring entries to understand whether a date belongs to admission, discharge, birth or some other activity.

A Bodies in Transit entry should likewise be evaluated as a record of the activity documented by that register. Compare the identity and dates with the independently identified death or burial evidence. The research task is to discover what the entry actually records, not to turn the collection title into a claim about a person's complete movements. For colonial documents, preserve unfamiliar office names and place names in the transcription. When a modern translation or description is involved, cite it distinctly from the original document and identify any portion you have not read yourself.

Connect property cards and photographs to a family address

The Municipal Archives ordering description identifies property cards created in the 1930s by the Department of Finance, with ownership, building classification and assessed valuation information from the 1930s through the 1970s. It also describes tax photographs documenting city buildings in the 1940s and 1980s. These are useful address-based resources when a family's connection to a building is already supported by another record.

Begin with the address and the date of the family's association. A photograph from a later period may illustrate the structure without showing the exact appearance during the family's residence. Label the photograph by its own date and avoid describing people pictured as relatives without independent identification. A property card naming an owner does not establish that every person associated with the address owned the property or lived there at the same time.

When comparing a directory entry, property card and photograph, separate the statements each source can support. The directory may provide a listed address, the card may describe assessment information, and the image may show a physical feature. An inference about a family's housing circumstances should explain how those pieces connect. Before requesting a reproduction, identify the exact image or card and the intended use. Access to an image and permission to publish it are different questions; the archive's fee schedule directs commercial-use questions to its research office.

Price the actual municipal archive product

The Municipal Archives fee schedule lists a certified vital record at $18, a vitals research fee at $7, a Letter of Exemplification at $12 and a Letter of No Amendment/Correction at $12. It lists an OCME reproduction at $25 and photocopies at $0.25. These are municipal archive products, not a statewide certificate price or a fee charged by every New York custodian.

The schedule distinguishes a certified property card at $23 from a noncertified card at $18. A separate city FAQ describes a certified property card as $18. Because these current descriptions differ, confirm the charge for the requested card with the archive before payment. Do not combine the conflicting figures into an invented average or silently describe one as a statewide rule. Record which product and which official instruction supplied a quoted amount.

A request budget should separate the search, the resulting copy, certification and delivery arrangements. A search charge is not necessarily waived when no matching record is found, and a certification choice may change the product supplied. Ask for clarification when the instructions do not answer the question. For archival reproductions, the city's FAQ says staff provide pricing information before digitization when a fee applies. Use that step to define the requested pages or items and avoid treating an open-ended collection inquiry as authorization for an unlimited reproduction order.

Prepare a municipal research visit around materials

The Municipal Archives FAQ says appointments are strongly encouraged and explains that staff review material requests before confirming an appointment. Some materials are at Industry City in Brooklyn, and the confirmation directs the researcher to the appropriate reading room. Therefore the repository name alone is not enough to decide where to arrive. Keep the confirmation with the requested collection identifiers and the planned research questions.

For undigitized vital records, the FAQ describes a separate New Vital Records Appointment route and says microfilm can be browsed without specific advance microfilm requests. It also states that pending vital orders cannot be picked up during the appointment. Do not plan a research trip as a substitute for an outstanding mail order unless the archive has given specific instructions. Copies ordered during a visit have their own fulfillment arrangements.

The published reading-room rules permit a laptop, phone, pencil and paper, require personal articles in designated lockers, and prohibit ink, markers and highlighters. Flash-free photography is permitted, with restrictions for some materials; personal scanners require permission. Translate those rules into a practical research plan: prepare a list of volumes or questions, leave space in notes for identifiers, and capture the relevant page headings with any permitted image. An image without a collection reference or page identification becomes harder to use once you leave the reading room.

Treat New York state censuses as separate enumerations

The Census Bureau's state census reference lists New York enumerations in 1790, 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915 and 1925. This list supplies possible research years. It does not establish county-by-county survival, the location of every original schedule or the availability of every image online. Those questions require the relevant repository or collection description.

Read each schedule's headings before extracting a household. An age, birthplace or relationship should be attributed to the particular enumeration rather than carried backward or forward as a permanent fact. If two enumerations appear to disagree, preserve both statements. A household may have changed, a question may have been asked differently, or one answer may be inaccurate. The comparison is stronger when it includes the exact wording of the columns and the relevant dates.

For a New York family moving between a city neighborhood and a neighboring county, use an address timeline to narrow the search locality. Record the county, municipality, district and page information actually shown by the source. A name absent from a searchable index should lead to a review of spelling, locality and surviving coverage before becoming a claim that the family was absent from New York. State census research is particularly useful when it tests a specific interval between other dated records, rather than serving as a substitute for all other evidence.

Use Westchester as a worked example of county custody

The Westchester genealogy resource guide identifies wills, naturalizations, deeds, county atlases, a surname cross index and record series of interest to genealogists. It also points researchers toward local repositories and explains the relevance of former Westchester places now in the Bronx. These are county-specific tools; another New York county may retain a different selection of records or use a different arrangement.

Separate county government records from historical-society collections even when they complement one another. A manuscript donated by a family and a deed recorded by a public office have different origins and may require different citations or access inquiries. If a family appears in a society scrapbook, ask what underlying source supplied the item. If it appears in an archival index, identify the record series to which the index points.

The county guide lists atlases for 1867, 1881, 1901, 1910-1911 and 1929-1931. Use the atlas appropriate to the period under investigation and describe its date explicitly. Comparing a landowner label across editions can suggest a transfer to investigate in deeds, but the map label alone should not be transformed into a complete chain of title or a family relationship. The strongest use of these resources is sequential: identify a locality, locate a relevant series, obtain the underlying entry, then compare it with evidence already linked to the household.

Follow both sides of a Westchester deed transaction

The Westchester Archives deed instructions identify original recorded deed books from 1680 through 1930 as Series 47. They distinguish the grantee index, Series 108, from the grantor index, Series 34, and direct requests for post-1930 deeds to the County Clerk's Land Records Division. That custody boundary concerns this county's described holdings; do not generalize it to New York's other clerks.

Search a suspected family member as both a recipient and a transferor when the question concerns ownership over time. Keep the book and page from each index entry and read the deed itself. The county explanation notes that deeds usually describe parties, boundaries, size and price, while specific buildings are rarely mentioned. A deed reference therefore should not be described as proof that a particular house had already been built unless the text actually supports that statement.

Create a transaction table showing the document date, recording date if stated, grantor, grantee, property description and reference to an earlier conveyance. These details can help distinguish two people with similar names. A transfer involving relatives may be significant, but the relationship must come from the language or corroborating evidence. Where the deed gives a relationship, preserve that wording. Where it gives only names, describe a possible connection as a research question and use an estate, marriage or other independently identified record to test it.

Keep wills, estate files and court indexes distinct

The Westchester probate guide distinguishes wills, estate records, administration letters, guardianship records, testamentary letters and the Surrogate Records Index. It describes wills through 1941 and estate records through 1921 in archival custody, with later wills or probate records directed to the Surrogate's Court. These named series are related, but a will is not the same object as the full estate proceeding.

The county's online-index description has differing statements about the ending years included for estate records. Its guidance also says the online index does not cover all surrogate material and recommends the in-house microfilm index for additional records such as guardianships and administration letters. Consequently, an online miss should be described by the specific tool searched. Ask the archive whether the particular year and proceeding type require its additional index instead of asserting that no estate existed.

For an estate that has been identified, build a document list before extracting a family tree. Note the decedent, petitioner or representative, named heirs, witnesses and creditors separately. An executor need not have the same relationship as a beneficiary, and a witness name should not automatically become a relative. Compare the date of a will with the dates of probate and later filings. The file may document changes over time; a summary that collapses them into one event can conceal the evidence needed to resolve an apparent contradiction.

Read the Westchester naturalization index within its limits

The county's naturalization index description states that Archives staff and volunteers combined information from nine record series. The indexed material includes declarations, petitions and related citizenship records dated between 1808 and 1980. An entry is an access point to one or more documents, not a substitute for examining the full record that carries the genealogical statement.

Use the index reference to request the identified item and retain the series information when supplied. If several entries match a surname, compare given names, dates and document types before deciding they concern the same person. A declaration and a petition may belong to different stages of a person's history. A search should be broad enough to find spelling variants but narrow enough to keep distinct individuals from being merged simply because they used the same family name.

The county advises using an Individual Record Request for a record found in the index and a Custom Research Request when the sought record does not appear. It also recommends scrolling through the index rather than relying solely on a browser's Find function. Record that distinction in the search notes. A negative browser search tests the text the browser can find; it does not necessarily test every entry in the county's underlying naturalization holdings. The requested next step should explain which index, spellings and years have already been checked.

Compare declarations, petitions and arrival documentation

The Westchester naturalization overview describes holdings from 1808 through 1991 and says post-1906 standardized forms contain more personal information than many earlier records. Its examples include birth information, address, occupation, spouse, children, arrival date and ship. The actual fields on a particular document still need to be read; a collection-level description does not mean each field will be completed for every applicant.

The county identifies the Declaration of Intention, Petition for Naturalization and sometimes a Certificate of Arrival among the material to seek. It explains that the Oath of Allegiance is part of the petition and that the county archive does not hold Certificates of Naturalization. Use those document names accurately when asking for copies. Requesting a certificate that the archive explicitly does not retain may delay the search for a petition that it does hold.

Compare the person's name on the arrival-related documentation with the name in the petition and later local records. Preserve the original spellings and note the evidence linking them. The archive's overview contains different contact thresholds for later naturalization records in separate passages, while its index description clearly specifies coverage through 1980. For a later file, contact staff with the proposed year and ask which route applies. Do not use that inconsistency to assert that later records are unavailable or to enlarge the documented index coverage.

Use the county surname cross index as a search aid

The Westchester Cross Index to Surnames was created in the County Clerk's office as a guide to names in alphabetical indexes for 1898 through 1931. The archive describes it as a tool for spelling changes and alternative forms. Its single volume is arranged alphabetically, with page links grouped by name ranges.

Treat an alternative spelling found there as a candidate for searching, not as proof that every person bearing the variant belongs to one family. A useful working table records the spelling exactly as found, the source in which it appears, the date and the reason for connecting it with another spelling. Differences in occupation, address, spouse or associates can distinguish people whose names look alike. Preserve those differences instead of selecting only the matching facts.

When a surname search has failed, test a limited series of alternatives and record the results. For example, use the cross index to identify a plausible variant, then try that form in the relevant deed or naturalization index and compare the resulting documents. This produces a traceable sequence of evidence. It is more informative than changing the family tree's preferred name after a single search result. Keep the original document's spelling in citations and transcriptions even when the narrative uses a standardized name for readability.

Look beyond the familiar county record categories

Westchester's genealogy series list includes census rolls for 1905, 1915 and 1925, professional registers, voter records, juror records, almshouse material, cemetery deeds, coroner records, school reports, tax receipts and other county series. A series title can suggest a new line of inquiry when the standard certificate or census route has stalled. Its usefulness depends on the person's connection to the activity that created it.

The list identifies the Architects Register as Series 4, the Practical Nurses Register as Series 81, Almshouse Records as Series 179 and Cemetery Deeds as Series 249. If an independently identified relative worked in a relevant profession or appears connected to an institution, ask about the matching series and its arrangement. Do not search an occupational register merely to turn a coincidental surname into evidence of a career.

Preserve the series identifier with the exact question. A request might ask whether an entry for a named person within a stated period can be located and what information is available in that series. If the collection guide and a more detailed series description differ, retain both references and ask the archive to resolve the coverage before making a broad assertion. Collection inventories are tools for reaching records. The family-history conclusion should rest on the actual entry and its relationship to the other evidence, with any unread or inaccessible material clearly identified in the research notes.

Choose a known-item request or county research request

The Westchester research-by-mail instructions distinguish a $15 individual record search from custom research at $25 per hour. The stated custom-research price includes the first ten copied pages; additional pages are billed at $0.50 each. Payment must arrive before work begins, using the payment methods identified by the county. These figures apply to this archive's described services, not to a statewide archive fee schedule.

For an indexed record, provide the index reference and ask for that item. For a broader research problem, describe the unresolved question, the relevant locality and time period, and the records already reviewed. Define a spending limit and ask how results and additional copy charges will be handled. A request for "everything about the family" is harder to scope than a question tied to named naturalization, estate or land records.

The county instructions also distinguish its archival holdings from other custodians. They direct ordinary birth and death research to local government and identify a limited marriage-record exception in archival custody. Divorce records are directed to the County Clerk. Use the referral for the type of record needed instead of assuming that an archive accepting custom research can retrieve every government record. Retain the referral in the research log, including the office name and the date consulted, so the next inquiry starts with the correct record keeper.

Understand what WebSurrogate makes available

The court system's WebSurrogate welcome instructions describe a free service for estate proceedings and other public Surrogate's Court filings. Search routes include party name, file number, old indexes and index-book pages. The instructions explicitly warn that not every court has the historical options available online. An absent old-index search option is therefore a system-coverage issue, not proof that the court lacks historical records.

The same instructions distinguish will safekeeping entries from public document access. A matching safekeeping entry does not make the will itself available for public viewing. They also explain that restricted files and documents are withheld and that the ordinary linked-document route covers documents filed on or after February 19, 2014; unrestricted older documents may be viewed on the court's public access computers. Evaluate an online result within those stated boundaries.

Before searching, identify the likely court and the date of death or proceeding. Save the file number, court name and displayed case description before following document links. If a record exists but an image is unavailable, ask the court how that file can be examined. The answer may involve a courthouse computer, another format or an access restriction. Do not describe every unavailable image as a sealed case. The service's introductory instructions support a route to inquiry, not a determination about a particular person's file.

Plan a historical Suffolk estate request

The Suffolk Surrogate's record instructions describe in-person and mail requests. They state that the court cannot conduct searches or provide search results over the telephone. Depending on the year, records may be on microfiche, paper or public access computers; most paper files are stored elsewhere. Obtain the file number where possible before planning a visit or asking about retrieval.

The published instructions list self-service printing and photocopying at $0.25 per page. For a mail search to obtain an estate file number, they list $30 for estates filed within the past 25 years and $90 for older estates. Those are Suffolk's specified search products. They should not be represented as the price of a complete estate file, a statewide probate charge or a guarantee that a particular document will be found.

The court asks researchers to have the file number ready when requesting a page count. A practical sequence is to locate the index entry, confirm the relevant file, determine the needed documents and then request copies or certification. If a family question can be answered by a particular petition or decree, identify that item; if the entire file is needed, obtain its scope before budgeting. Preserve the court's response with the research notes, including any distinction between a file search, copy production and a certified court document.

Separate Revolutionary service from the museum collection

The state Military Museum's Revolutionary War research handout explains that its collecting began in 1863 and that it has limited primary material from earlier periods. It points researchers toward published New York Revolutionary resources and other repositories. This is a reason to use the museum as a guide to sources rather than assuming it holds a personal service file for every New York soldier.

Identify the claimed unit, the period of service and the document that first connected the person to military activity. A family statement that an ancestor "served in New York" may refer to residence, enlistment, a unit designation or the location of service. Keep those possibilities separate until records resolve them. A published roster can establish a lead, while a pension claim, payroll or other original record may supply different evidence about the individual.

The museum recommends investigating a unit or its commanders when an individual search is unproductive. Apply that advice by looking for the unit's history and the records described for it, then returning to the person with a more precise identification. A narrative about a unit's actions does not establish that a particular soldier was present at every event. Cite the personal evidence for service separately from the unit history used to explain context, and mark any uncertain connection between the two.

Use New York militia payroll and claim references

The Military Museum's War of 1812 handout names the State Archives' Abstracts of Payrolls for New York State Militia, described as payroll cards, and Certificates of Claim and Related Records. These are concrete collection names for a state-archive inquiry. The handout also names other military and library research routes, but its referrals should not be treated as confirmation that a particular ancestor appears in any of them.

Write down the unit, officer, dates and locality associated with the claimed service. When a payroll entry is found, distinguish the period it records from the person's entire military career. A claim record may have been created later for a different administrative purpose. Compare identities using the details available in each document, and retain discrepancies in rank, unit or date rather than adjusting them to fit a family tradition.

For a remote inquiry, include the exact collection title and explain whether you seek an index lookup, a copy of an identified card or information about surviving claim records. If the state catalog is temporarily unavailable, retain the current museum referral and contact the responsible archive with that title. This keeps the research question actionable without pretending that an unseen finding aid has been reviewed. It also avoids replacing a missing archival result with an unrelated commercial search hit that happens to contain the same surname.

Compare World War I abstracts, rosters and unit histories

The Military Museum's World War I research handout identifies State Adjutant General abstracts of military service and the Education Department's World War I Veterans' Service Data and Photographs as research starting points. The titles describe different collections. Search each for the information it may supply and preserve its own reference, rather than citing all military information as one undifferentiated service record.

The museum's Soldiers and Sailors collection descriptions also identify New York Guard monthly rosters for 1940-1946, militia-officer index cards, Civil War volunteer rosters and published Adjutant General reports. The description says the militia cards refer to Register B at the State Archives. That cross-reference demonstrates why an index card and the record it cites should remain linked in the research notes.

For monthly rosters, follow the person through the sequence actually available instead of treating one month's appearance as proof of uninterrupted service. For a published roster, note the publication and unit as well as the name. The museum distinguishes the compiled Civil War volunteer roster volumes from regular annual reports, so those titles should not be interchanged in a citation. When photographs or yearbooks are involved, record how the person was identified. A portrait caption, a roster entry and a family resemblance provide different kinds of evidence and should not be assigned the same weight without explanation.

Turn separate New York findings into a supported account

A useful New York genealogy report explains which records connect the people and which questions remain open. Organize the conclusion around the relationship or event being tested, rather than around the order in which websites were searched. A Westchester deed, a city marriage license and a court petition may contribute to one conclusion, but their separate custodians, dates and purposes still belong in the explanation.

For every claimed connection, identify the supporting statement and the reason it concerns the same person. Compare names with addresses, relatives, occupations, dates and associates where available. If two candidates remain plausible, retain separate candidate entries. Avoid letting a polished family-tree diagram conceal an unresolved identity problem. A well-described uncertainty can direct the next search more effectively than an unsupported merge.

Conclude the working file with a source inventory and a next-action list. Identify which items were examined as images, which were transcribed, which were only found in an index and which were merely described by a repository. For unavailable material, preserve the exact collection or file reference and the access question still to be answered. New York's municipal, county and state research routes are most productive when each search has a defined scope and the resulting evidence remains traceable to the office, collection and document that supplied it.