Government Sources of Vital Records

For Buffalo and Erie County

New York State began its vital records registration program in 1880, but the law was not well-enforced until 1914. Prior to 1914, birth, marriage and death records may not be complete. Some municipalities may have vital records that are older than 1880.

The offices listed below cannot guarantee access or results when searching for records. A fee may be charged for searches. Some records must be searched in person by you. Most of the records described below are NOT online. Some of the indexes for these records are online. Please see the following guides for details:

Vital records in the Grosvenor Room: https://tinyurl.com/qkra3pf

Miscellaneous Genealogy Records in the Grosvenor Room: https://tinyurl.com/v2b4392

TYPE of DATES PLACE of EVENT WHO to CONTACT NOTES RECORD AVAILABLE City of Buffalo Index onsite. Records can be ordered Inactive Records Center and mailed to you, or can be picked up 1 Births City of Buffalo 1878-1915 85 River Rock Drive, Suite 301 at City Hall. Please call before Buffalo, NY 14207 arriving. Staff divides their time (716) 874-6401 between record sites. Erie County Clerk Erie County Hall 1881 to 1913 On microfilm. No index. Must be Births City of Buffalo 92 Franklin Street 2 (incomplete) searched in person. Buffalo, NY 14202 (716) 858-8785 Vital Records Buffalo City Hall Some privacy restrictions apply. Room 1302 City of Buffalo 1916 to Genealogy copies may be available. Births 65 Niagara Square 3 present Searches can take time; may need to Buffalo, NY 14202 leave contact info while staff searches. (716) 851-5431 (City Clerk number) (716) 851-5440 (Births) Erie County Births Varies Town Clerk in the community See telephone book or Town websites. 4 towns Certification Unit New York State Dept. of Health Vital Records Section * If on file for at least 75 years and the Erie County 1914 to P.O. Box 2602 Births person is known to be deceased. May 5 present* Albany, NY 12220-2602 towns take 8 months or longer to process. (518) 474-3077 / (518) 474-3038 https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_rec ords/genealogy.htm 6 Adoptions: Sealed forever by New York State law. See our separate Adoption guide for historical sources. City of Buffalo/ 1878 to Erie County Clerk These records are also available in the Marriages Erie County 29 April 1935 7 See address on line 2. Grosvenor Room. towns (incomplete) 1877-1907, Index onsite. Records can be ordered City of Buffalo Inactive Records Marriages City of Buffalo Bride index and mailed to you, or can be picked up 8 Center. See address on line 1. only at City Hall. 1908 to Buffalo City Hall--(716) 851-5444 Marriages City of Buffalo Some privacy restrictions apply. 9 present See address on line 3. New York State Dept. of Health *If on file for at least 50 years and both Erie County 1881 to Marriages Vital Records Section spouses are known to be deceased. 10 present* towns See address on line 5. May take 5 months or more to process. TYPE of DATES PLACE of EVENT WHO to CONTACT NOTES RECORD AVAILABLE Erie County 30 April 1935 Marriages Town Clerk in the community See telephone book or town websites. 11 towns to present Sealed for 100 years except to parties involved and their attorneys. A Erie County Clerk certificate of dissolution may be Buffalo/Erie Early 1800s Divorces See address on line 2. obtained, which includes the parties’ 12 to present County names, date of dissolution, and type of judgment (annulment, separation, divorce.) Erie County Clerk Natural- Buffalo/Erie Little of genealogical value in records 1827 to 1929 See address on line 2. 13 prior to 1900. izations County In-person requests only. Staff will U.S District Court search their index. The same index is Clerk’s Office, 2nd Floor, Room 2 available in the Grosvenor Room Natural- Buffalo/Erie 27 Sep 1906 2 Niagara Square through 1966. Naturalization records 14 to present izations County Buffalo, NY 14202 are not kept locally. They can be (716) 551-1700 ordered from the National Archives: http://tinyurl.com/bj5rfkz . Many deeds are also online at: Land Buffalo/Erie 1808 to Erie County Clerk https://www.familysearch.org/se 15 present See address on line 2. Records County arch/collection/2078654 Tax City of Buffalo 1815-1837: original bound volumes 16 City of Buffalo 1815-1997 Inactive Records Center 1838-1997: on microfilm Records See address on line 1. City of Buffalo Index on site. Records can be ordered 17 Deaths City of Buffalo 1852-1944 Inactive Records Center and mailed to you, or can be picked up See address on line 1. at City Hall. Some privacy restrictions apply. 1945 to Buffalo City Hall (716) 851-5437 Deaths City of Buffalo Searches can take time; may need to 18 present See address on line 3. leave contact info while staff searches. Buffalo Psychiatric Buffalo City Hall (716) 851-5437 Deaths 1878-1999 See above. 19 Center See address on line 3. Buffalo City Hall (716) 851-5437 Deaths VA Hospital 2012-present See above. 20 See address on line 3. Erie County Deaths Varies Town Clerk in the community See telephone book or town websites. 20 towns Buffalo/Erie 1914 to New York State Dept. of Health *If on file for at least 50. May take 5 Deaths 21 County present* See address on line 5. months or longer to process. Erie County coroners’ reports from Oct. 1878 – Jun. 1902 are available on microfilm in the Grosvenor Erie Co. Medical Examiner’s Office Room. Other dates are not available Coroners’ Buffalo/Erie 1878 to 501 Kensington Ave. 22 to the public. Copies are available to present Buffalo, NY 14214 Reports County next of kin. To request an autopsy (716)-961-7591 report, contact the department in writing with as much detail as you know about the deceased. Buffalo Hospital / Coroners’ Available by request in the Grosvenor 23 Erie County 1898-1925 Grosvenor Room Reports Room. Poorhouse Will & Probate Division Staff will retrieve 3 files per day. Pre- Surrogate Court Buffalo/Erie Ca. 1800 1973 records are offsite and may take Wills 92 Franklin St. 24 County to present several days to retrieve. An index is Buffalo, NY 14202 available onsite. (716) 845-2560 Grosvenor Room ● Buffalo & Erie County Public Library ● 1 Lafayette Square ● Buffalo, NY 14203 (716) 858-8900 ● www.buffalolib.org ● Revised March 2020

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