Buffalo Genealogy Lookup

Buffalo genealogy records are among the oldest and most complete in Western New York, with birth records at the City Clerk going back to 1850 and death records from 1852. This matters because Buffalo is one of only three cities in the state where pre-1914 vital records are not held by the NYS Department of Health. You must contact the Buffalo City Clerk directly for those early files. Erie County records add land deeds from 1821, naturalization papers, and marriage records. The Grosvenor Room at the public library and the Buffalo History Museum offer deep research collections for tracing family lines through this major immigration gateway.

Buffalo City Clerk Vital Records

The Buffalo City Clerk Bureau of Vital Statistics is the primary source for Buffalo genealogy vital records. Birth records go back to 1850. Death records start in January 1852. Marriage records begin in January 1877. These are remarkably early start dates compared to most New York cities.

The critical thing to know is that Buffalo vital records were not included in New York State statewide collections until 1914. For any birth, death, or marriage that happened in Buffalo before 1914, the NYS Department of Health does not have it. You must contact the City Clerk directly. This catches many researchers off guard. Historical and genealogical societies do not have authority to issue certified copies either, so the City Clerk is the only source.

The Vital Statistics Office is at City Hall, Room 613, 65 Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY 14202. Phone is 716-851-5848. Under Public Health Law Sections 4173 and 4174, birth certificates are available for genealogy after 75 years if the person is known to be dead. Death certificates open after 50 years. Marriage certificates require 50 years and proof that both spouses have died.

Grosvenor Room for Buffalo Genealogy

The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Grosvenor Room is one of the premier genealogy research rooms in New York State. It is also one of the official repositories for the New York State Vital Records Index microfiche. You can search state birth indexes from 1881, marriage indexes from 1881, and death indexes from 1880 right here in Buffalo.

The Grosvenor Room holds local histories, census records, church and cemetery records, city directories, ethnic and immigration materials, published family histories, maps and atlases, military records, vital records, and yearbooks. The Buffalo city directories have been digitized from 1832 to 1913 and are available online. Directories place ancestors at specific addresses and show their jobs. That is a big help when you are trying to tell one John Smith from the next.

Special genealogy guides are available for African-American, Canadian, German, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Native American, and Polish research. Buffalo was a major immigration hub, and these ethnic-specific guides help researchers navigate the particular records and challenges of each community. The library is at 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203. Phone is 716-858-8900.

Buffalo History Museum Research

The Buffalo History Museum research library is another major resource for Buffalo genealogy. The library holds city directories, church records from many Roman Catholic parishes, cemetery records, censuses, ethnic histories, local histories, published genealogies, and an obituary index to Buffalo newspapers covering 1811 to 2001. Manuscripts and private papers round out the collection.

The museum is at 1 Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216. Phone is 716-873-9644. Digital projects are available through the website, and the library catalog is searchable online. A list of professional researchers for hire is available if you need someone to do on-site work. The church records are particularly valuable because many Buffalo families attended Catholic parishes, and church baptism, marriage, and burial records often predate civil registration.

Buffalo Ethnic Genealogy Societies

Buffalo's immigrant heritage makes ethnic genealogy societies especially useful. The Polish Genealogical Society of New York State maintains the Dziennik Dla Wszystkich Obituary Database, the St. Adalbert's Cemetery Database, a Funeral Card Project, a Surname Index, and other specialized records. Their library collection is housed in the Grosvenor Room. Contact them at PO Box 984, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 or email information@pgsnys.org.

The Buffalo Irish Genealogical Society runs the GAAA Library Collection, the Sons of Erin Indexing Project, and the Holy Cross Cemetery Records and Index. They are based at the Buffalo Irish Center, 245 Abbott Road, Buffalo, NY 14220. Phone is 716-627-2417. These ethnic-specific databases can break through walls that standard vital records and census searches cannot.

Erie County Records for Buffalo

The Erie County Clerk holds land records from 1821 to the present, marriage records from 1908 to 1935, and naturalization records from 1827 to 1929. The clerk also has Buffalo birth records from 1881 to 1913 and Buffalo death records for the same period in their genealogy room. The office is at 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. Phone is (716) 858-8868.

For broader Buffalo genealogy in Erie County, the Surrogate's Court has probate records from 1821. Wills and estate files show family connections. The court is at 25 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202. Phone is (716) 845-7400. The county historian's office keeps family files, cemetery records, and church records.

Note: Land records are indexed by grantor and grantee, and naturalization records are indexed by petitioner name.

State Resources for Buffalo

The New York State Archives holds vital records indexes covering Buffalo and Erie County. Remember that for Buffalo records before 1914, the state indexes may list entries but the actual certificates are only at the Buffalo City Clerk. The NYS Department of Health handles Buffalo records from 1914 forward. The fee is $22 for a three-year search. Processing takes eight months or more.

Reclaim The Records released the full New York State Death Index from 1880 to 2017 after a 2025 court victory. Over 10 million records are free to download. The New York State Census records from 1825 through 1925 provide additional data on Buffalo residents that the federal census did not capture.

Nearby Cities for Genealogy

Families in Western New York moved between communities often. These nearby places may hold records for your Buffalo ancestors.