NYG&B Record

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record is a quarterly journal dedicated to the scholarly preservation of materials related to New York State families. It is also the second-oldest continuously published genealogical journal in the English language, with more than 600 issues published over the last 150 years.

Today it is one of the few peer-reviewed American scholarly journals in the field, a magnet attracting the best and brightest researchers and writers. In its pages, researchers will find rare record transcriptions, compiled genealogies, case studies, biographies and more.

Anyone who fails to include the NYG&B Record in their research, especially when working on New York families before 1900, risks missing unique and crucial information. And even when a family or individual is not found, reviewing its articles will illuminate how scholarly genealogy should be written and how New York sources can be used.

This collection contains a digital version of every issue of the NYG&B Record from 1870-2024. It is structured by an every-name index that includes all names from 1870-2022. There are over 1.2 million names in the index.

The NYG&B Record Article and Location Index

Many researchers will find it useful to browse, search and filter the thousands of articles found in The Record by title and location. Our interactive index to articles by title and major locations debuted in July 2020 thanks to the hard work of the NYG&B team, including volunteers and interns.

This index is especially useful for discovering articles about the topics and locations of your own research—regardless of the names and families covered, these articles can help you uncover important clues and sources to use in your own research. Given that you can also narrow your search by volume and issue, it is also useful for finding serialized articles published in multiple installments. Visit The NYG&B Record Article Index.

Other Indexes to the NYG&B Record

• Worden's Subject Index (1870–1982)
• Macy's Subject Index (1983–2018)
• Articles by Author (1870–2015)

The Mission of the NYG&B Record

Adhering to scholarly standards, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record publishes written works that solve genealogical problems, provide compiled genealogies, make available transcriptions of original records, and offer research guidance relevant to families who have contributed to the rich diversity of what is now New York State.

Every issue of the NYG&B Record contains articles that preserve the history of the families and individuals who settled in New York. Those articles can include:

• Solutions to difficult problems, such as identifying a spouse, parents, or another place of residence, with the associated genealogical summary.
• Compiled genealogies of families beginning with an immigrant (in any time period) and covering the initial generations in America.
• Compiled genealogies beginning with a later American generation, especially those that illustrate use of unusual sources.
• Documentation of the origins of New York families in foreign countries or other colonies or states, with the associated genealogical summary.
• Corrections or additions to a prior article in The Record.
• Transcriptions or abstracts of genealogically and/or historically relevant records.

The NYG&B Record is one of a handful of highly respected peer-reviewed genealogical publications in the country.

Serious genealogists study its pages to learn about families, sources, history, and genealogical problem-solving techniques. Whether or not the subject of an article is of direct interest in one’s own research, readers can improve their own genealogical knowledge and skills by studying its contents.

Suggested Citation

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, "The Record [The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record]” database, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, (www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org), 2019.

Thinking of Writing for the NYG&B Record?

Writing for a peer-reviewed publication such as the NYG&B Record is a learning experience valued by many researchers, since their submissions will receive input from experts in the field.

Not every article is accepted for publication, but those that are turned down are returned with suggestions for improvement. Authors who write for publications like the Record are eager to have their work critiqued and improved by their peers. Those articles accepted for publication will undergo several rounds of editing and vetting.

If you believe you might be ready to submit a manuscript for consideration, study recent issues of the Record to become familiar with the articles or pieces generally published. Submissions should focus on residents of New York State and its colonial predecessors, or can deal with adjacent areas or countries of origin if there is significant migration to or from New York State.

We seek unique manuscripts—studying families of any ethnic, religious, or social group in any time period—that have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

For more information, please thoroughly review our Writing for the Record page, or contact editor@nygbs.org.