BuffaloResearch.com: Vital Records

Deaths that occurred in Buffalo, Yonkers, and Albany are not included until around 1914. Towns & villages outside of the City of Buffalo should be included here. Courtesy of Reclaim the Records.

Index of Cholera Deaths, 1854, kept by Dr. James W. Newman, Buffalo, NY. The original ledger is in the collection of The Buffalo History Museum. Indexed by Roseanne Higgins, PhD, September 2016

This book is not online and can be found in several libraries

This index is provided by the NY State Department of Health and is also available on their website at https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Genealogical-Research-Death-Index-Beginning-1957/vafa-pf2s. It contains information on decedents, date of death, gender, age at death and NYS file number that will allow the public to search for individuals if on file for at least 50 years.

These records are on microfilm and are not online. They must be searched in person at The Buffalo History Museum.

Names of Buffalo police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty

A few dozen names

About 400 residents who died prior to 1901.

A few dozen names

A few dozen names

A few dozen names

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.