The Library and Archives document the history of the City of Buffalo
and the surrounding region. Collections include 20,000 books,
200,000 photographs, 2,000 manuscript collections, plus architectural
plans, prints and broadsides, pamphlets and clippings on frequently
researched subjects, church and cemetery records, and microfilm of
Buffalo newspapers from 1811 to the present. |
Subjects of special interest include:
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Native Americans in Western New York
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Settlement of Western New York
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War of 1812
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Local regiments in the Civil War
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The Erie Canal
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Niagara Falls
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The Pan-American Exposition
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Local businesses
Examples of noteworthy collections include:
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Letters received by President Millard Fillmore, 1809-1874
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The letter books of Joseph Ellicott, land agent for the Holland
Land Company in Western New York
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Larkin Company records
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Records of the E.B. Green/Green & Wicks architectural
firm
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The Maris B. Pierce collection of Native American papers
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The A. Conger Goodyear War of 1812 collection
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The Frank Severance collection of books about Niagara
Frontier history
New! Online images from the BECHS collection of E.B. Green. |

Image Reproduction Rates
Permission to Publish
Researchers for Hire
Obituary Lookup Request Form
Guide to Genealogical Materials
African-American Sources at BECHS
Newspapers on Microfilm
BECHS Publications
Class Visit Request Form
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When is the Library Open?
The Library is open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays 1 -5 p.m. It is located in the Pan-Am Building at 25 Nottingham Court.
Admission
Fees and General Policies
- Members are admitted free
- High school students are admitted free with a valid school ID card
- $6.00 for non-members
- Appointments are not necessary
- Children under 9 are not admitted to the library
- Researchers are required to check all bags, briefcases, knapsacks,
and purses
- Researchers must use pencils to take notes. Pens are not
permitted.
- Materials may not be borrowed or removed from the room.
- Many items are in off-site storage and
require 1-2 business days to retrieve
What Resources Are Available Online?
We recently contributed photographs of Crystal Beach and memorabilia from
the War of 1812 to WNYLegacy.org. Additonally, everyone can search our undigitized, offline collections of books, manuscripts, maps, and other library materials at WNYLibraries.org.
What Resources Are Available for In-Person Visitors?
- Buffalo city directories, 1828-present.
- Suburban directories, 1949-present.
- Other directories including telephone books, address books, social registers, and business directories.
- Census microfilm, both Federal (1790-1930), and State (1855-1925) for Erie County and the City of Buffalo; few indexes.
- Church and cemetery records on microfilm; mainly for Roman Catholic churches.
- Index to obituaries in Buffalo newspapers, alphabetical by last name. For the 1800s, death notices are included. For the 1900s, only actual obituaries are listed.
- Index of marriage notices in Buffalo newspapers, ca. 1811-1884, arranged alphabetically by the names of both brides and grooms.
- Published genealogies.
- Letters, diaries, and other unpublished personal, business, and organizational records and similar material in the manuscript collection.
- Free wireless internet access

Photographic Collections
The Historical Society library houses photographic collections containing
thousands of images mainly of Buffalo from the 1860s to the 1980s. The
general photograph collection is arranged by broad subject headings,
including:
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Buildings: Business & Commercial; Factories; Recreation; Religious;
Residences, etc.
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Buffalo Harbor
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Buffalo Views
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Indians
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Lake Marine (Great Lakes vessels)
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Parks
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Persons
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Streets (alphabetical by street name , with many house
pictures)
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Transportation: Airplanes, Automobiles, Street Cars,Trains
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Weather: Storms, Blizzards, Floods
The Goldome-Roy Nagle Collection is similar in content and arrangement to the
general collection. It consists of photographs collected by Roy Nagle
throughout his life in his studies of the history of the Niagara
Frontier.
Special subject collections include:

Limited photocopy services are available. Library staff makes all
copies. We do not copy fragile or oversized items such as city
directory volumes, atlases, and scrapbooks. During the
occasional busy time when we cannot make copies on demand, we can hold
them to be picked up in 24 - 48 hours or mail them to you for an extra
charge. Photocopies are 25 cents each for the first 25
copies and 50 cents each thereafter. Copies from microfilm are 50 cents
each. Copyright compliance is the responsibility of the user.
Reproductions of photographs (slides, black
& white enlargements, digital scans) may be ordered for educational,
research, and publication purposes. We do not scan photographs for
personal use. Please allow up to two weeks to fill an
order. Please see the following forms:
Image Reproduction Rates
Permission to Publish

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Librarians can look for death notices/obituaries in Buffalo newspapers
if you supply an exact date of death. An exact death
date means the month, day, and year. The fee is $5.00 per name
with a maximum of 3 names per request. Your death notice may already be online. If not, download the form to request obituaries.
- Librarians can search for a newspaper article if you have an exact date
or citation. The fee is $5.00 per article with a maximum of 3
articles per request.
- Library staff can search for a specific item from our image collections,
but there is a $35/hour research fee for non-specific requests (e.g.,
photographs of people shopping). This fee applies to mail, email,
and telephone requests.
- We are unable to establish the value of your old books, papers,
photographs, heirlooms, collectibles, or other artifacts.
Professional appraisers can be found in your yellow pages under
"Appraisers."
- We are not qualified to draw genealogical conclusions and cannot do
extensive family history research or identify your ancestors. Our Researcher List has names and addresses of researchers for hire.
- We do not collect vital records such as birth, marriage, and death
certificates. These are government records, available from town and
city clerks, or from the state Bureau of Vital Statistics. New York State did not require that such records be kept until 1880.
- We are unable to make or return long distance telephone calls.
- We do not scan photographs for personal use.
Visit our Links page!
Surface Mail: Research Library, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court, Buffalo, NY 14216-3119
Please include a stamped, addressed envelope with all postal correspondence.
Telephone: (716) 873-9644, ext. 306. Telephone service available Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1-5 p.m.
FAX: (716) 873-8754
Map & Directions to the Library (Pan-Am Building)
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