New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1892-1898, 1900-1902

This database is an index of deaths that occurred in New York City in the years 1892 to 1898 and 1900 to 1902. In addition to providing the name of the deceased, this database also provides the date of death, person's age at the time of death, and a death certificate number. Unfortunately, this index is currently incomplete. The following is a list of the data that is missing:
-February 1896 is missing individuals with surnames beginning Si-St and V
-March 1896 is missing individuals with surnames beginning A, Be-Br, E, O, Ra-Ro, Sa-Sc, T, V, and X
-1897 is missing individuals with surnames beginning with A
-May and June 1898 are missing individuals from Manhattan with surnames beginning with J
-Excludes 1899 for all boroughs
-1902 excludes the borough of Manhattan

Information found in this database may provide you with enough information to be able to obtain a copy of a death certificate. Information about obtaining and searching for death records is available at the New York City Department of Health website and at the New York City Municipal Archives website. The Municipal Archives is where the original records are held. You may also write or visit the Municipal Archives at:

NYC Municipal Archives
31 Chambers Street, Room 103
New York, NY 10007
(212) 788-8580
FAX (212) 385-0984

Death records of the nineteenth century often include the name of the deceased, date, place, and cause of death, age at the time of death, place of birth, parents’ names, occupation, name of spouse, name of the person giving the information, and the informant’s relationship to the deceased. Race is listed in some records.

Death records, both early and modern, can help you identify others related to the decedent. The information provided in the records is usually given to authorities by a close relative. If the relative is a married daughter, the record will state her married name. Aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins, and other relatives are listed as informants on death records. Each new name is a clue to the identity of other ancestors that should be pursued.

Taken from Cerny, Johni, "Research in Birth, Death, and Cemetery Records." In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, ed. Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).