Request
Indices to NYC vital records (i.e. birth index, death index, etc.) - I was to make a formal request for these datasets here, as a follow-up up to a Twitter and e-mail conversation I had with her recently. I am requesting that the city publish its vital records indices online as open data.
Please note that this is not a request for any actual certificate information, which of course have strict privacy rules, but merely the indices to the basic data. These data sets, which are held by the New York City Department of Health, have been previously published in other (older) forms, although all are incomplete. For example, the city birth index from 1881-1965 is available as microfilm images at Family History Libraries across the world, and the city death index through 1982 or 1983 is available in a tiny number of libraries in printed book form.
Agreeing that the indices are public data, the New York State (not city) Department of Health has recently begun adding their State death index data to their Socrata portal for the years 1957-1962. It would be nice to see the city follow suit.
Here are the data sets that would be helpful:
1) Index of all births reported in the city of New York, 1881 (or as early as data is available) through 2012 (or as recently as data is available) Fields in this dataset should include, at a minimum:
- first name
- surname
- gender
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable)
- borough of birth
- certificate number
2) Index of all deaths reported in the city of New York, 1881 (or as early as data is available) through 2012 (or as recently as data is available) Fields in this dataset should include, at a minimum:
- first name
- surname
- gender
- date of death (or year, if date is unavailable)
- borough of death
- certificate number
3) Index of all marriages reported in the city of New York, 1881 (or as early as data is available) through 2012 (or as recently as data is available) Fields in this dataset should include, at a minimum:
- first name of bride (or spouse #1)
- surname of bride (or spouse #1)
- gender of of bride (or spouse #1)
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of bride (or spouse #1)
- first name of groom (or spouse #2)
- surname of groom (or spouse #2)
- gender of of groom (or spouse #2)
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of groom (or spouse #2)
- date of marriage (or date of issuance of marriage license)
- borough where marriage took place
- certificate number
4) Index of all domestic partnerships reported in the city of New York, 1997 through 2012 (or as recently as data is available) Fields in this dataset should include, at a minimum:
- first name of partner #1
- surname of partner #1
- gender of of partner #1
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of partner #1
- first name of partner #2
- surname of partner #2
- gender of of partner #2
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of partner #2
- date of issuance of partnership certificate
- borough of residence of the partners
- certificate number
For the index to divorce decrees and/or certificates, you will probably have to direct this request to each individual borough in the city, to their courts, not to the city's Department of Health:
5) Index of all divorces reported in the city of New York, 1881 (or as early as data is available) through 2012 (or as recently as data is available) Fields in this dataset should include, at a minimum:
- first name of bride (or spouse #1)
- surname of bride (or spouse #1)
- gender of of bride (or spouse #1)
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of bride (or spouse #1)
- first name of groom (or spouse #2)
- surname of groom (or spouse #2)
- gender of of groom (or spouse #2)
- date of birth (or year, if date is unavailable) of groom (or spouse #2)
- date of divorce decree or certificate
- borough where divorce took place
- certificate number or decree number
I anticipate that the NYC Department of Health may try to claim to you that these indices are private or protected data, but as I mentioned in my initial request e-mails, this is clearly not the case. The certificates are private, yes, but the indices are not private, are not copyrighted, and have been published in other forms previously.
Please let me know if there is any other information you'd like me to provide regarding this request. Thanks.
Response
Section 558(c) of the Charter requires the NYC Board of Health to include in the NYC Health Code provisions related to maintaining a registry of births and deaths. Section 556(c)(1) of the Charter authorizes the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to supervise and control the registration of births and deaths. Section 17-170 of the New York City Administrative Code authorizes the Board to determine when birth and death records are transferred to DORIS. Administrative Code section 17-169 and Health Code sections 3.25 and 207.11 make birth and death records confidential and restrict access to these records beyond certain classes of specified people. Section 17-170(b) of the Administrative Code authorizes the Board to determine when birth and death records are transferred to DORIS. In 2008, the Board of Health specifically repealed the Health Code provision that permitted public access to the vital records index books. Please see attached, pages 4 – 5.
