Dear NY Historians, Geographers, etc.,


For those searching their Catholic roots, please be aware that information
about their ancestors who may have been:

     born in,
     baptized in,
     in an orphanage run by,
     educated in,
     married in,
     or buried within

a facility under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, depends on when
the event you are seeking occurred, because of changes in diocesan
geography.

The Diocese (now the Archdiocese) of New York gave birth to the Diocese of
Brooklyn in 1853 and the Diocese of Brooklyn gave birth to the Diocese of
Rockville Centre in 1957.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre (currently covers all of Nassau County and
almost all of Suffolk County, except for Fishers Island) is responsible for
records on and after 1957, when the Diocese of Rockville Centre separated from
the Diocese of Brooklyn.  (Fishers Island, in the Town of Southold, Suffolk
County, is in the Diocese of Hartford, Connecticut.)

The Diocese of Brooklyn (currently covers all of Brooklyn and Queens) is
responsible for records on and after 1853, when the Diocese of Brooklyn
separated from the Diocese of New York.

The Archdiocese of New York currently covers the remaining 3 boroughs of New
York City (Staten Island, Manhattan and the Bronx, also known as Richmond, New
York and Bronx Counties) as well as Westchester, Rockland and additional
upstate counties.


The respective archival sources are:


Ms. Jean Wassong
Diocesan Archivist
R.C. DIOCESE OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE
50 North Park Avenue
Rockville Centre,  NY 11570

eMail:  [log in to unmask]

tel:  516/678-5800, X594
fax: 516/764-3316

Ms. Wassong is responsible for records on and after 1957, when the Diocese of
Rockville Centre separated from the Diocese of Brooklyn.


Mr. Joseph Coen
Diocesan Archivist
Immaculate Conception Center
R.C. DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN
72-00 Douglaston Parkway
New York (Flushing P.O.), NY 11362

eMail:  [log in to unmask]

tel:  718/229-8001, X475
fax:  718/229-2658

Mr. Coen is responsible for records on and after 1853, when the Diocese of
Brooklyn separated from the Diocese of New York.


Ms. Laura Chmielewski
Director of the Archives
ARCHBISHOP HUGHES HERITAGE CENTER
R.C. ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK
1011 1st Avenue (Room 1654)
New York, NY 10022

eMail: [log in to unmask]

tel:  212/371-1000, X1683
fax: 212/838-0637

Ms. Chmielewski's department is responsible for records that includes the
Diocese of Brooklyn (and, by inference, the Diocese of Rockville Centre)
until 1853.


I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting.

Sincerely,

Walter Greenspan