There are several suffixes that are used with certificate numbers.
They may vary depending on the year of the certificate, and could be used
for a certificate filed or revised several years after the event and
therefore on a microfilm reel >from a later year. To eliminate
uncertainty, you should write or call the Muncipal Archives at 31
Chambers Street, New York, N.Y., 10007; 212-788-8580. In most cases,
they should also be able to locate the certificate for you and send it
for their customary reasonable fee.


"I located the birth record index card for Anna Friedman, my maternal
grandmother on FHL film 1323588. The date of birth was February, 1889.
The index card is typwritten, marked Special, and has an 11 digit
certificate number. The surrounding birth record index cards are
hadwritten and have certificate numbers with 4 or 5 digits. There is a
date stamped on the card that looks like May 17, 1949 (although the stamp
is blurred). I did not find the birth certificate when I searched using
the last five digits of the number stamped on the card. I could not find
anything in the FAQs which referred to a Special designation.

Where would I look in the FHL films for the birth certificate? Or would I
have to order directly >from the Municipal Archives? Is there
significance to the Special designation other than perhaps it was
overlooked and inserted at the time of filming."

Ira Leviton, New York, N.Y.