Find a Grave New York by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
With 4,934 famous graves — more than any state — and the largest cemetery in America (Calvary Cemetery, 3 million burials), New York is the ultimate challenge in burial records research. This guide shows you exactly how.
Critical: NYC vs. New York State Are Two Separate Systems. New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island) maintains its OWN vital records — completely separate from New York State. For NYC deaths use nyc.gov/health and the NYC Municipal Archives. For upstate NY deaths use health.ny.gov/vital_records.
New York State holds more cemetery records than any state in the nation — a consequence of being the most populous state for most of American history, the primary port of entry for massive immigration waves from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean, and the birthplace of some of America’s most significant historical events. New York City alone — the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — operates a completely separate vital records system from the rest of New York State. Understanding this critical distinction before you search saves hours of wasted effort.
🔎 How to Search New York Graves by Name — Micro Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — New York and enter the person’s full name in the search bar.
- Use the county filter to narrow results — New York has 62 counties and common surnames return hundreds of statewide results without county filtering.
- Click any result to open the full burial record: cemetery name, address, plot number, burial date, and headstone photo if available.
- No results? Try surname only first, then search maiden names for married women. Many older New York headstones prominently display the maiden name.
- Visit findagrave.com — New York Cemeteries. No account required to search basic records.
- Use wildcards for uncertain spelling:
?replaces one letter,*replaces multiple. Essential for immigrant surnames and phonetic spelling variants common in New York records. - Click “More Search Options” to filter by birth/death year range and specific New York county.
- No headstone photo? Click “Request Photo” on any memorial — a local New York volunteer typically photographs it within days at no cost.
- For New York’s famous graves: use the “Famous Memorials” filter — New York has 4,934 notable figures indexed.
- Visit www.archives.nysed.gov/ — the official New York state archives and primary repository for historical records.
- Search the free online death certificate database and county-level cemetery surveys, church records, and genealogy collections.
- In-person research: 222 Madison Ave., Albany, NY 12230. Phone: (518) 474-8955.
- Many state archives are FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — free in-person access to restricted digital collections not available online at home.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search by name in New York. Results show GPS-tagged headstone photos with exact grave coordinates.
- Click “View on Map” to see the grave’s precise position within the cemetery — navigate directly to any indexed grave.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting a New York cemetery — it provides turn-by-turn navigation to any indexed grave within the grounds.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org — no cost, no subscription ever required.
- Search “New York Deaths” in the Search → Records section to see all available indexed collections for this state.
- Also search county-level collections in Search → Catalog by typing the New York county name plus “cemetery” for microfilmed cemetery records.
- For church burial records predating statewide registration: search “New York church records” in the FamilySearch catalog — Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Catholic church registers are often available.
Pro tip: When you find a burial record, immediately cross-reference with FamilySearch census records for the same name and approximate birth year. Census entries reveal parents, siblings, neighbors, and often the county of origin — dramatically expanding your family tree beyond what any headstone alone can provide.
📊 All New York Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
New York cemetery burial records searchable by name and county | Free | First stop for any New York burial search | |
Millions of New York memorials; wildcard search; photo request | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; in-cemetery navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location inside large cemeteries | |
New York death records; county microfilm; church registers | Free | Historical death records; pre-registration research | |
Official New York historical records; county records; cemetery surveys | Free | Official records research; state archives access | |
County-organized transcriptions from original cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy transcriptions from official registers | |
Veterans buried in VA national cemeteries in New York | Free | Military and veteran burial searches | |
Certified New York death certificates | $15 first copy | Legal/official proof of death; parents’ names and details |
🗺️ Search New York Burial Records by County
New York has 62 counties. Click any county below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
Browse all New York counties at Find a Grave New York or use Interment.net New York for county-organized transcriptions from official records.
🪦 Notable New York Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
New York’s historic cemeteries are living documents of American history. These are the most significant and most-searched burial grounds in the state — with verified, clickable search links for each.
- 3 MILLION+ burials — largest cemetery in the United States by interment count
- 365 acres in Woodside and Maspeth, Queens — established 1848
- Primary Roman Catholic cemetery for the Archdiocese of New York
- Searchable online at calvaryandallsaintscemeteries.org
- Address: 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd, Woodside, Queens, NY 11377 · (718) 786-8000
- Established 1838 — National Historic Landmark; 478 acres in Brooklyn
- 570,000+ burials; Boss Tweed, Leonard Bernstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat
- One of the most visited tourist destinations in 19th-century America
- Address: 500 25th St., Brooklyn, NY 11232 · (718) 768-7300
- Free searchable database at green-wood.com — outstanding online research tool
- Established 1863 — 400 acres in the Bronx; National Historic Landmark
- Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Herman Melville, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- One of the most historically and artistically significant cemeteries in America
- Address: Webster Ave & E 233rd St., Bronx, NY 10470 · (718) 920-0500
- Free searchable database at thewoodlawncemetery.org
- Established 1849; made famous by Washington Irving’s ‘Headless Horseman’
- Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie, William Rockefeller buried here
- The original Old Dutch Church cemetery (1685) is adjacent — far older
- Address: 540 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 · (914) 631-0081
- Free searchable database at sleepyhollowcemetery.org
📜 Official New York Death Certificates — How to Get Them
An official New York death certificate provides legally certified cause of death, attending physician, parents’ names and birthplaces (on most modern certificates), and informant details not found on headstones — invaluable for genealogy research and legal matters.
Access Restriction: New York State (upstate) death certificates are confidential for 50 years. New York CITY death certificates are confidential for 75 years. NYC and NYS are completely separate vital records systems — use the correct one for your research.
- Visit any local county health department in New York during business hours, Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM.
- Bring valid government-issued photo ID and proof of qualifying relationship if the record is under the confidentiality period.
- Pay $15 for the first certified copy. Most offices issue while you wait.
- Download the application form from www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/.
- Make a check or money order payable to “NYS Vital Records (Upstate)” for $15 per copy. Never send cash.
- Mail the completed form and payment to: NYS Vital Records, PO Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888 (24 hours/day). VitalChek adds a convenience fee beyond the standard $15 state fee.
- Rush processing and overnight delivery options available for additional fees.
📚 New York State Archives — Official State Records
New York State Archives at www.archives.nysed.gov/ is the official New York state archives and the most authoritative source for historical records. Located at 222 Madison Ave., Albany, NY 12230. Phone: (518) 474-8955. It holds historical death records, county court records, cemetery surveys, church burial registers, and genealogy collections covering all 62 counties in New York.
Many state archives serve as FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — providing free in-person access to restricted FamilySearch digital collections not available online at home. Contact the archives to confirm affiliate status and plan your research visit accordingly.
🎖️ New York Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans buried in any VA national cemetery in New York. Covers all conflicts from the Civil War through the present day.
- Find a Grave Military Filter: On Find a Grave, use “More Search Options” → check “Has Military” to filter results to veteran memorials only in New York.
- FamilySearch Veterans: Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” free on FamilySearch for veteran burial location records from New York.
- Civil War Records: Use Fold3.com (accessible free at state archive terminals) for pension records and burial details of New York Civil War veterans — both Union and Confederate.
- State Veterans Cemetery: Many states maintain a veterans cemetery directory — search “New York veterans cemeteries” at the state Department of Veterans Affairs website for state-operated burial sites not in the VA national system.
🌿 Insider Tips — New York-Specific Genealogy Tricks
NYC and New York State Are COMPLETELY Separate
This is the most important thing to know: New York City (5 boroughs) has its own vital records system completely separate from New York State. NYC deaths use the NYC Department of Health (nyc.gov/health). Upstate NY deaths use NYS Vital Records (health.ny.gov). You must know where your ancestor died — city or state — before making any records request.
NYC Municipal Archives Has Records Back to 1795
The NYC Municipal Archives (nycma.libraries.nyc) holds death records for all five boroughs dating to 1795 — over 225 years of NYC death records. The free online death index 1795–1949 is one of the most comprehensive urban death record databases in the world. Search it before paying for anything.
Calvary Cemetery Has 3 Million Burials
Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens has 3+ million burials — the most of any cemetery in the United States. The cemetery maintains its own searchable database at calvaryandallsaintscemeteries.org. Always search Calvary’s own system first for NYC Catholic burials — it’s more comprehensive than Find a Grave for this specific cemetery.
Green-Wood and Woodlawn Have Superb Databases
Both Green-Wood Cemetery (brooklyn, green-wood.com) and Woodlawn Cemetery (bronx, thewoodlawncemetery.org) operate their own outstanding free online searchable burial databases — far more detailed than Find a Grave. Always search the cemetery’s own database first for NYC interments.
Immigrant Names Changed at Ellis Island — Myth
Contrary to popular belief, Ellis Island immigration officers did NOT change immigrants’ names — they worked from ship manifests already prepared in Europe. Name changes happened voluntarily after arrival for anglicization or because neighbors couldn’t pronounce original names. Search Find a Grave with the original ethnic name AND the anglicized version.
JewishGen for NYC Jewish Cemeteries
New York City has over 60 Jewish cemeteries, and many burials are indexed on JewishGen.org (free with registration) and the International Jewish Cemetery Project rather than Find a Grave. For Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry in NYC, JewishGen’s Cemetery Project covers thousands of New York Jewish burials not in any other public database.
Potter’s Field Records — Hart Island
New York City’s Hart Island is the largest public burial ground in the United States — over 1 million burials of people who died without identified next-of-kin or whose families couldn’t afford burial. The NYC Department of Correction maintains a searchable Hart Island database at hartisland.net — essential for researching New York’s poor and immigrant communities.
Find a Grave NY Has 4,934 Famous Graves
New York has more famous graves indexed on Find a Grave than any other state — 4,934 notable figures. Use the ‘Famous Memorial’ filter on Find a Grave to search for known historical figures in New York. This includes presidents buried at Hyde Park (FDR) and Oyster Bay (Theodore Roosevelt), not just NYC celebrities.