Elena Bazes posted:
I am planning a research trip to New York City. I have a list of the repositories
for the area, but it is extensive. I don't want to waste my time at a place that
would not be helpful, since there are so many to choose >from and I have a limited
time to research. I would like to visit repositories that either do not have their
records online, either partially or completely....I would appreciate
recommendations >from those who have done research at these places and feel that
they are worth my while.

Elena...
i would suggest researching Probate as a first stop. You can find the
addresses, hours, transportation etc >from E. Guzik's book and much of
this is online at the New York JGS site (jgsny.org under resources).
Probate yields chlldren's married names and addresses, and details
other relationships. Death certificates are sometimes included, even
when they are within the privacy period. Probate is difficult and
expensive >from afar...locally you need the boro (brooklyn, manhattan,
bronx ...) and the year of death. There are indexes in every court so
look for relatives in that index too. In my online course each summer
i offer a field trip to a probate office (see below)

The vital records are online within New York City's privacy limits; if
you see "newer" records, you must adhere to the strict regulations of
the Board of Health. But the marriage licenses (as differentiated from
the marriage certificates) at the Municipal archives will sometimes
yield a goldmine of additional information, such as divorce records.
Additional marriage recordyears >from the City Clerk are now available.

The cemeteries are also worth visiting as many were buried within the
same plots and sometimes you can connect other individuals or find the
names >from second marriages. Sometimes a date of birth will lead you
to the maiden name via SSDI.

Sometimes we think New York City, but we really want another county.
So a good resource is the microfiche index for New York State's vital
records, which are held at the NARA on Bowling Green. Also consider
the individual town halls or archives for many of the Long Island
(Nassau/Suffolk) and Westchester towns.

These are some of what we cover in text and discussion in the New York
research class... every summer online at JewishGen
(www.jewishgen.org/education for calendar and
http://www.jewishgen.org/education/description.asp?course=40088 for
class description).

Good luck with your trip

Phyllis Kramer, New York City, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla
V.P.Education, JewishGen Inc: www.JewishGen.org/education
Researching (all Galicia)
KRAMER, BEIM >from Jasienica Rosielna
SCHEINER, KANDEL >from Strzyzow & Dubiecko
LINDNER, EICHEL >from Rohatyn, Burstyn
STECHER, TRACHMAN >from Nowy Zmigrod, Dukla
family web site: KehilaLinks.JewishGen.org/Krosno/Kramer.htm