Introduction

The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy is located in the The New York Public Library's Humanities and Social Sciences Library. The Milstein Division collects materials documenting American History on the national, state and local level, Genealogy, Heraldry, Personal and Family Names, and Flags. The Milstein Division bears the responsibility for maintaining the excellence of a body of materials that has traditionally been one of the strengths of The Research Libraries. The Astor Library's holdings of United States history on the national, state and local level were enriched by the acquisition of the George Bancroft Collection, purchased by the Lenox Library. Later significant additions were the Ford, Emmet and Myers Collections. Complementary holdings in the Rare Books and Manuscripts & Archives Division, the Print Room and other divisions of The Research Libraries enhance the resources of The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy.

As one of the nation’s largest publicly accessible and non-membership genealogical collections, the Milstein Division is a national resource. Cited in most family history handbooks, the Milstein Division is a mecca to researchers from throughout the United States. Mail reference inquiries are received from both the Old World and the New. Unlike many other genealogical and local history collections, the Milstein Division acquires materials beyond the local region. Holdings in United States town, city, county and state histories are national in scope. Genealogical materials are international in scope, including foreign language materials in roman alphabets.

The Milstein Division's book and serial collections are supplemented by materials in other formats. Visual resources include photographic and negative collections, primarily of New York City views, and over 300,000 postcards documenting United States local views. A local history ephemera collection of pamphlets, leaflets, etc., provides primary study materials for the cultural, social, and religious history of the United States. The Milstein Division also collects political campaign ephemera, including broadsides, pamphlets, and candidate position papers. Vertical files and genealogical charts further enhance the holdings of The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy.

Location

The Milstein Division Reading Room (Room 121) provides seating at reading tables, an open shelf reference collection, public computer workstations for accessing CATNYP, the online catalog, and library licensed electronic resources, and a self-service photocopier. The Milstein Division Microform Room (Room 119) facilitates self-service access to the many important microform genealogical resources including some that are not yet online such as New York State Census Records, New York City householders directories, and New York City vital record indexes.

Digital Collections

Milstein Division Digital Collection
This collection is a part of the NYPL Digital Gallery; a free Web resource of images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of the New York Public Library. The Milstein collections include:

Photographic views of New York City, 1870's-1970's. - More than 54,000 archival photographs of New York City. The images are primarily streetscapes and exterior building views from the 1870s-1970s, with the preponderance of images dating from the 1910s-1940s.
Apartment houses of the metropolis. 1908.
Fifth Avenue, New York: from start to finish. 1911.
Staten Island post cards : a collection.
The World's loose leaf album of apartment houses, containing views and ground plans of the principal high class apartment houses in New York City. 1910.

Electronic Resources

The Library has invested heavily in licensing electronic resources, which support research in the fields of Genealogy and History. Among the noteworthy databases which the Library makes available for onsite use are:

Ancestry Library Edition – online genealogy library containing many different kinds of resources; includes digitized access to the U.S. Census, 1790-1930.
HeritageQuest Online – access to full-text genealogies and local histories, the U.S. Census PERSI, an index to journals in genealogy and local history, Revolutionary War Records, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.
Footnote - Searchable digitized images of millions of historical primary documents many from the National Archives.
New York Times Historical Backfile (1851-2004) – full-page images to the complete contents of the New York Times; every word searchable.
America History and Life – indexes the scholarly literature of the history and culture of Canada and the United States; some links to full-text.
America’s Historical Newspapers – searchable full-text digital images of American newspapers published from 1690-1922.
American Periodicals Series Online – searchable digitized page images from American popular magazines and journals published between 1740 and 1900.

For complete lists see Electronic Resources: Genealogy | Electronic Resources: History | Electronic Resources: New York, NY

Classes in the Celeste Bartos Education Center South Court

Staff of the Milstein Division teach these public training classes:

Genealogy Computer Lab
Description: Use the Library’s numerous genealogical databases to research your family history. An experienced genealogy librarian will be available to answer your questions and to demonstrate the electronic databases.

Digital Gotham
Description: Learn how to access thousands of images and photographs of “old” New York City for free from any computer anywhere. This class will introduce you to a myriad of online resources from digitized newspapers, magazines and books to passenger lists, maps and, of course, those images and photographs.

Uncovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy Research
Description: The Library boasts one of the country’s largest free public collections of genealogical tools. This introductory class will show you some of the key resources available. With the skills learned here, perhaps you will find the name of an ancestor on a passenger list from a ship that sailed into New York Harbor in the 1880s. Your search of the 1870 Census records may reveal the names of family members in Brooklyn. You will acquire the knowledge to begin an engrossing lifelong project of research and exploration.

Schedule of Classes