Diane You need to go to Municipal Archives at 33 Chambers Street where you can look up the surname, first name for births, deaths and marriages. When you find it, there will be an ID# and you pull the microfilm roll with that number but I think the date may be past what is allowed. Maybe his birth will be okay. That will be the actual certificate to read for yourself. We don't do that in Albany at the Health Dept. but you may do that in NYC. They are very helpful there. You can try the Probate Records at the Surrogate Court (3rd? Floor) and see what kind of info might be found about anyone and their family members. The NYC Public Library also has loads of information on any topic and probably have a file on him listed under music. Check their papers for an obit and follow up stories. They probably have PERSI as well and check the name(s) in that. The formal name says it is " Periodical Source Index ". So what is that ? Actually it is a very large index of articles published in genealogy and history journals and newsletters. Large is hardly the word for it. Currently PERSI is over 27 volumes which are updated annually - 27 volumes - all indexed. If a family name or place has been mentioned in an article published since 1847 you can probably find it using PERSI. It indexes names amd places from over 1.3 million articles. I have also used INFOTRAC to locate articles that might be in some trade magazines and newspapers about a subject or person. The NYC Public Library has a large collection of newspapers so check out anything you find reference to. There is also a published book of obituaries and articles for NY TIMES. Both are at NYS Library in Albany but I am sure they have it in NYC. This list is not for genealogical purposes and we are borderline on this so if you need any further help in that direction, email me direct and I will try to help you. On Tue, 5 Oct 1999 15:08:07 -0400 Bob Arnold <[log in to unmask]> writes: 125 Worth Street, Office of Vital Statistics, NYC Health Department. But, if you're a non-relative, it may not be possible for you to view actual documents. >>>> Diane De Rooy <[log in to unmask]> 10/04 9:12 PM >>> Hi, I'm in New York City right now, here doing research. Any suggestions for the best way to find birth, marriage and death records here in the city? I'm documenting the life of Jerry Newman, a man who had the foresight to record jazz greats including Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Monk, and numerous others. He owned Esoteric Records, as well as the Greenwich Music Shop. He died by his own hand on 8 January 1970. I know very little about this man who contributed so much to music, as well as being a major character in the Beat Generation. Any tips will be appreciated. Diane De Rooy