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Special Collections DepartmentCentral Library1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo NY 14203, 716-858-8900 This department, opened in 1994, brings together the library's extensive genealogy and local history materials. The Special Collections Department includes family histories; general and ethnic genealogical research manuals; indexes to passenger lists; surname dictionaries, local histories, military roster lists; heraldry and family crest dictionaries; directories of libraries, historical societies, genealogical organizations, and vital records offices. In 1995, the Department became the home of the collection of the Western New York Genealogical Society Collection, the region's oldest and largest genealogy organization. Materials from Special Collections are for in-library use only and cannot be borrowed.
SPECIAL DEPARTMENTAL COLLECTIONS
AtlasesThe Department has about 100 atlases covering Buffalo, Erie County, other New York state counties; U.S. History including the Civil War; Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Prussia; and general world atlases. Many date from the mid-to-late 19th century and can be used to identify local property owners, national boundary changes, or lost villages.
Buffalo CollectionThis collection consists of an estimated 4,000 volumes about people, places, and things in Buffalo and Erie County. A popular component is the scrapbook collection, which consists of about 400 scrapbooks, compiled between 1930 and 1975
Cemetery and Church RecordsThe library has microfilmed local church records, mostly Roman Catholic, showing births, deaths, baptisms, confirmations and marriages. Subject headings to use when searching our on-line catalog are: Registers of births, etc. - New York State - Buffalo Church records and registers - New York State - Buffalo Also try searching the names of individual churches in our Catalog. Forest Lawn Cemetery is Buffalo’s largest cemetery and has good burial records. Gertrude A. Barber compiled many area tombstone lists. Click on her name to see our holdings.
There are a few volumes of Buffalo & Erie County cemetery records in book form. Some titles are:
Graves of Revolutionary soldiers located and marked by Buffalo Chapter
DAR...
Census Records & IndicesThe Department owns every Federal and State census microfilm for Erie County and some for other parts of the state or country. After 1820 we have few census films or indices for states other than New York. We have no census records from other countries.
City Directories & Telephone BooksBuffalo's first city directory was published in 1828, and can be found reprinted at the back of the 1878 Buffalo City Directory. The next one was published in 1832, and Buffalo City Directories have usually been published on an annual basis ever since. We have the complete set on microfilm. In general, Buffalo city directories list only Buffalo city residents until the 1950s, when the suburban directories began to be published. There are very few directories that list town, village, and rural residents of Erie County prior to the 1950s. The library also has many city directories from other cities in New York State and around the country. The library does not save old out-of-town telephone directories.
Family Search CD-ROM setThe Department has two workstations dedicated to Family Search, a product of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon). The five components are:
GenealogiesThe genealogical collection, about 5,500 volumes, is composed largely of American family history and biography; publications of genealogical and patriotic societies; English parish records and visitations; books on royalty and nobility; and an extensive series of newspaper genealogy columns covering a 50-year period.
Heraldry & CrestsThe Department has dictionaries and encyclopedias of coats of arms in Amercia, Britain, Croatia and Dalmatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Scotland, and Wales.
Local History FilesThe following files were created in-house. Most are no longer being expanded.
Local Newspapers & JournalsBuffalo and Erie County newspapers 1842-, plus some newer weeklies, are available on.
New York State Newspaper Project: Erie County Newspapers on Microfilm http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/215.htm
Western New York Index http://www.wnylrc.org/wnyindex/index.html
MapThe Library's collection is comprised of an estimated 80,000 maps. Included are local, regional, state, national, and international maps, including nautical and aeronautical charts. We own U.S. topographic maps for the states east of the Mississippi, with the New York set shelved in Special Collections for easy access. Also available are Buffalo Ward maps for use in census research, and election maps showing current councilmanic districts, county legislative districts, senate, assembly, and congressional districts.
Military RecordsOfficial records of a soldier’s military service are found in the National Archives (http://www.nara.gov/). The Department has a number of resources to help establish an ancestor's military record, including:
DAR Patriot Centennial Index Also available on CD-ROM is the Military Index for Vietnam and Korea.
Music Department716-858-7121 This department includes resources on music and dance, music history, performance and technique. Audio recordings (cassettes, compact discs and vinyl LPs) are located here, as well as an extensive sheet music collection. Listening stations and an electronic piano are available for public use.
Passenger ListsOriginal passenger lists and immigration records are kept in government offices, but the Department has several published indexes, including:
Famine Immigrants
Western New York Genealogical Society CollectionThe WNYGS maintains an expanding reference library of books, microfilms, periodicals, and card catalogs as a repository of genealogical information pertaining to the area and its early settlers. Primary interest is in the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and wyoming. However, there is much information on the remainder of New York State and New England, as well as most of the other states, many foreign countries, and many families. The WNYGS schedules a volunteer 3-4 afternoons per week to assist with in-person genealogical research in the Special Collections Department. Among the WNYGS holdings are the following:
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Buffalo & Erie County Public Library * 1 Lafayette Square * Buffalo, NY 14203
* (716) 858-8900 * Fax: (716) 858-6211
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