Queens County, New York Genealogy
Queens County, New York family history and genealogy research page. Uncover links to record collections, history, and genealogy information to help you you track your own Queens Co., ancestors. Begin by building a Free Family Tree.
Queens County was created on November 01, 1683 as one of 12 original counties created in the New York colony. This particular county was named in honor of Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), Queen of England and wife of King Charles II of England.
The Queens County Seat can be found in New York City / Borough of Queens and in addition the county government website is queensbp.org
Regions neighboring Queens County include Bronx County (north), Nassau County (east), New York County (west), Kings County (west).
Cities and Towns to be found in Queens County consists of Arverne, Astoria, Astoria Heights, Auburndale, Bay Terrace, Bayside, Bayswater, Beechhurst, Belle Harbor, Bellerose, Breezy Point, Briarwood, Broad Channel, Cambria Heights, College Point, Corona, Douglaston, East Elmhurst, Edgemere, Electchester, Elmhurst, Far Rockaway, Floral Park, Flushing, Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Glen Oaks, Hamilton Beach, Hammels, Hillcrest, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Howard Beach, Howard Park, Hunters Point, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Jamaica Hills, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Laurelton, LeFrak City, Lindenwood, Little Neck, Locust Manor, Long Island City, Malba, Maspeth, Middle Village, Murray Hill, Neponsit, Old Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Pomonok, Queensbridge, Queens Village, Ramblersville, Ravenswood, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, Rochdale, Rockaway, Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Park, Rockwood Park, Rosedale, St. Albans, South Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Springfield Gardens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, Utopia, Whitestone, Willets Point, Woodhaven, Woodside.
Queens County does have Federal Census Schedules to help in looking into your family tree. United states federal Population Schedules are present for 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragment), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940. Queens Co. Mortality Schedules can be obtained for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Queens Co. Industry and Agriculture is available for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Queens Co. Union Veterans Schedules can be obtained for 1890. You can get free downloadable and also printable census forms that can help with your research.
Queens County Societies and Family History Resources
A list of Queens County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Forums, Message Boards, Libraries, Archives. See Also New York Archives, Genealogical and Historical Societies for statewide Addresses and links.
- New York State Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- Queens Historical Society (QHS), Kingsland Homestead, Weeping Beech Park, 143-35 37th Avenue, Flushing, New York 11354, Phone: 718-939-0647 ext. 17; Their collection includes the history of Queens in photographs, manuscripts, maps and artworks. Family manuscript collections include(soon to be put online): the Mitchell Family Papers, the King Family Papers, the Clara Driscoll/Walcott Family Papers and the Diary of William King Murray. The Quarterly publication is the AHS Newsletter.
- Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Avenue , Fort Totten, New York 11359, Mailing:, PO Box 133, Bayside, New York 11361, Phone: 718-352-1548; It is free to research at their facility regardless of membership. Their quarterly publication is the Society News
- Broad Channel Historical Society, Broad Channel Branch Library, 1626 Crossbay Boulevard, Broad Channel, New York 11693, Phone: 718-474-1127; Annual publication: Broad Channel Historical Calendar,
- Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society, 328 Manor Road, Douglaston, New York 11363, Phone: 718-225-4403
- Greater Astoria Historical Society, Quinn Memorial Building, 35-20 Broadway, Fourth Floor, Long Island City, New York 11103-1193, Phone: 718-278-0700
- The Richmond Hill Historical Society, 86-22 109th Street, Richmond Hill, New York 11418, Phone: 718-704-9317
- Queens Genealogy Workshop, 1820 Flushing Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385;
718-456-1776
- Queens Borough Public Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11432;
718-456-1776; Censuses, city and telephone directories, immigrant lists, newspapers, periodicals, family histories.
- LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, Fiorello H.LaGuardia & Wagner Archives, 31-10 Thomason Avenue, Room E-238, Long Island City, New York 11101;
Phone: 718-626-5078 or 718-482-5065
- Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY 11004-1129, Phone: (718) 347-3276
- New York Genealogy Research Community (facebook.com)
- Queens County, New York Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com) read and post messages about your ancestors in Queens County
- Queens County, New York Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com) read and post messages with other genealogy researchers for Queens County
- USGenWeb Archives for Queens County (usgwarchives.net)
Queens County Courthouse and Government Records
Researchers frequently overlook the significance of Queens County court, probate, and land documents as a resource of family history and genealogy details. Buried away in New York courthouses and archives just about everywhere could be the aspirations and worries of the many New York men and women.
The possibilities are excellent that your particular ancestors and forefathers have left a comprehensive document of at least a number of factors of their lives in the Queens County court records. Even if your forebears is not discussed in a Court case, contemplate all of the other procedures that could have lead to him or her appearing in court records.
Please make sure to contact the clerk's office to verify hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics prior to visiting or inquiring information because of occasionally changing contact details. The Department Offices DO NOT DO RESEARCH. The files are readily available to interested parties, barring confidential issues. A good number of staff will help people in locating the resources, however it is up to the person to carry out the research.
The following specifics denotes whatever birth, death, marriage, land, probate, and legal records will be in Queens County. The years pointed out listed below tend to be the first known records in this county.
- Queens County Courthouse (all departments listed below are located here, unless otherwise noted)
- Address: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
- Also contact local Town Clerks. They are responsible for vast amounts of local information from deeds, property transfers, and genealogical materials. Research on place and road names, the history of property transfers and much more are available through your Town Clerk. They are a tremendous resources.
- Queens County Clerk is the keeper of most civil and criminal trial court records for Supreme Court and County Court, naturalizations, marriages (1908–35), censuses (Some county clerks' offices hold duplicate copies of some of the State censuses taken periodically between 1825 and 1925 and copies of the federal census), as well as deeds and mortgages.
- Address: 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York 11435
- Phone: 718-298-0609
- Land Records: 1683 (Land conveyances, deeds and mortgages are recorded in the county clerks' offices or in the New York City Register's Office. Recording of deeds became mandatory statewide in 1840. Before that many deeds were not recorded)
- Court Records: 1683
- Naturalization Records: State court naturalization records remain in custody of the county clerks. Older court naturalization records have been transferred to the National Archives--Northeast Region.
- Queens County Surrogate Court Clerk maintain records of wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, orders and decrees, and appointments of guardians; and filed papers, including original wills, petitions for probate (gives date of death and lists next of kin), performance bonds, property inventories (seldom found after ca. 1900), administrator's or executor's accountings, etc. Surrogate's Courts create comprehensive indexes to records and files. Most or all pre-1830 surrogate’s files were lost or destroyed.
- Address: 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York 11435
- Phone: 718-298-0400 or 718-298-0500
- Probate Records: 1787 (each county generally has records dating back to the establishment of the county or 1787, whichever was later. Record keeping was systematized by an 1830 statute)
- New York City Registrar, Borough of Queens , Queens Business Center, 144-06 94th Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11435
- Queens County Historian maintains archival holdings for virtually every facet of the county’s history. In New York State, every municipality (town, city, village, county) must have an appointed historian. Most of the towns have their own historians as well and each can be contacted. The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.
- New York Department of Health has copies of birth records after 1881 and death records after 1880, copies of marriage since 1881 (A marriage license may also sometimes be found in the office of the town or city clerk who issued the license) and a Divorce records since 1847 (Is handled in the supreme court for the county in which the divorce was heard. Divorce files, however, are sealed for one hundred years). There is a fee for each copy requested. Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
New York Historical Records - Databases include New York Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; New York Birth, Marriage & Death Records; New York Voter Lists & Census Records; New York Immigration & Emigration Records; New York Obituary Records; New York Military Records; New York Family Tree Records; New York Pictures; New York Stories, Memories & Histories; New York Directories & Member Lists and much more....
Queens County Genealogy Links
The following are web links to Family history and genealogy, Records and Resources relevant to Queens County. Most of these genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Business oriented Sites, Private Sites or Organization Sites. Some have free access some have to have a cost. This is simply a listing that has been compiled or submitted. I do not recommend or promote one genealogy site over another. Feel free to suggest your own favorite Queens County genealogy or family history related sites.
Queens Co. NY Books, Newspapers & Publications
Queens Co. NY Birth, Marriage & Death Records
Queens Co. NY Court, Probate Land and Tax Records
- See Also New York Court & Tax, Land and Probate Records
- Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
- New York Wills, 1626-1836 (search.ancestry.com)
- New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938 (familysearch.org)
- New York, Queens County Probate Records, 1899-1921 (familysearch.org)
- Town minutes of Newtown (search.ancestry.com)
- Minutes of the town courts of Newtown : 1656-1690 (search.ancestry.com)
- Documents and letters intended to illustrate the revolutionary incidents of Queens County : with connecting narratives, explana (search.ancestry.com)
- Select patents of New York towns (search.ancestry.com)
- Records in the office of the county clerk at Jamaica, Long Island, New York (search.ancestry.com)
- BLM Land Records (glorecords.blm.gov)
Queens Co. NY Census Records
Queens Co. NY Cemeteries & Graveyards
- See Also Statewide Cemetery Links for New York
- New York City, Dutch Church Burials (search.ancestry.com)
- Springfield, Jamaica, Queens County, Long Island, New York Cemetery : 1735 or 1760 to 1909 (search.ancestry.com)
- Description of private and family cemeteries in the borough of Queens (search.ancestry.com)
- Cemeteries in Kings and Queens Counties, Long Island, New York (search.ancestry.com)
- Queens Co., New York Graves (findagrave.com)
- Queens County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Queens Co., New York Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Topographic Cemetery List and Map for Queens County, New York (topozone.com)
- Queens Co., New York Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
Queens Co. NY Church & Bible Records
- See Also Statewide Church & Bible Links for New York
- Two centuries in the history of the Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, L.I. : the oldest existing church, of the Presbyterian name, (search.ancestry.com)
- First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, New York, 1662-1942 (search.ancestry.com)
- New York, Family Bible Records, 1581-1917 (search.ancestry.com)
- Topographic Church List and Map for Queens County, New York (topozone.com)
- Queens County, New York Church Books (amazon.com)
Queens Co. NY Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
Queens Co. NY General and History Websites
Queens Co. NY Immigration & Naturalization
Queens Co. NY Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
Queens Co. NY Military Records
Queens Co. NY Schools & Directories