New York City Felony Indictment Records, 1878-1893, Microfilming and Digitizing Project

FAIN: PW-50579-10

New York City Department of Records and Information Services (New York, NY 10007-1210)
Leonora A. Gidlund (Project Director: July 2009 to September 2013)

The microfilming and digitization of 267 cubic feet of court records in New York City covering more than 47,000 felony cases from the late 19th century.

The Municipal Archives requests Endowment support for a project to microfilm and digitize 267 cubic feet of New York City felony indictment records, 1879-1893. In 1995, the Endowment supported a project to humidify and flatten the originally tri-folded materials, and to create a database searchable by name of defendant, date of indictment, and criminal offense. The resulting index of more than 47,000 defendants, and 70 criminal offenses, greatly increased scholarly use of the series. This level of demand now threatens the physical integrity of the material. The records consist of indictment files created by the New York County District Attorney's office for felony trials in the Court of General Sessions. The proposed microfilming will ensure long-term preservation, and digitization of the microfilm will significantly facilitate access. The proposed re-formatting activities will take place in-house over twenty-four months beginning July 2010.