BuffaloResearch.com: Vital Records

A handful of names

A handful of names

A handful of names

A handful of names

A handful of names

A handful of names

A guide prepared by the New York State Archives

The Name Index includes individual names appearing in the records of various state agencies whose records are held by the New York State Archives.

Brought to you by the NY State Department of Corrections. Lists inmates in state prisons going back to the early 1970s. Youthful offenders are not included.

Grosvenor Room, BUffalo & Erie County Public Library

Listed here are the names of 1,025 inmates at the Erie County Penitentiary from 1896 to 1914. The majority of the pictures date from 1899-1905. We do not know if the collection includes every single person who was committed to the Penitentiary during this date span. These photographs have warped over the years, are not digitized, and may be seen by visiting us in person.

Explains restrictions on state prison records and psychiatric records, which would include patient records from the Buffalo Psychiatric Center (Richardson complex).

This lengthy PDF "describes more than 300 records series comprising approximately 4,000 cubic feet of records. Most of the records described relate to inmates and programs at major correctional facilities and the facilities that preceded them. The records date from 1797 to about 1980, most dating from the 20th century. The majority of records relate to programs at maximum security prisons for male felons, which is the largest segment of the inmate population confined in New York." -New York Corrections Historical Society

A guide produced by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

The registers include the name of the convict, county, crime, court, judge, date of sentencing, date received in prison, sentence, commutation earned, and discharge date. In some cases, you'll find correspondence regarding commutations as well.

Scattered volumes from 1885-1922 are online in full text, with cases from across New York State

Scroll down & click on the tiny camera icons on the right to view page scans. You will need to register for a free FamilySearch account.

The New York State Archives holds over 10,000 cubic feet of records of trial and appellate courts, dating from the 1660s to the 1990s. They are not online. This page describes what they have.

Full text of decisions from ca. 1890. The book's front matter is missing.

This 227-page guide to understanding and locating federal court records is online in full text as a PDF.

Full text of most volumes from 1870-1895.

Including the Superior Court of the city of New York, the Court of Common Pleas of the city of New York, Superior Court of Buffalo, City Court of Brooklyn, City Court of New York, Surrogates' Courts, etc.

Official website of the Eighth Judicial District. It includes the Supreme, County, Family and Surrogate Courts in the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. There are also eleven city courts in our district: Batavia, Buffalo, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Lackawanna, Lockport, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Olean, Salamanca, and Tonawanda. In each judicial district there is an Administrative Judge who oversees the courts contained in each district.

Court Records and Cases in New York. Court Reference shows where and how to find court cases in New York. County by county listing of all trial courts in New York.

Includes the Superior Court of Buffalo

Includes the Supreme Court Law Library in Erie County

Using our free case information services you can find future appearance dates for cases in Criminal, Family and Housing Court. You may also view information on both active and disposed cases in Civil Supreme and Local Civil Courts, and by signing up for our eTrack case tracking service you can receive email updates and appearance reminders for Civil Supreme and Local Civil Court cases.

426 names

Includes several orphan homes in Erie County

Fully scanned from the Ely S. Parker papers in the collection of the American Philosophical Society.