New York, New York, U.S., Bodies in Transit, 1859-1894

Source Information

New York City Department of Records
Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Bodies in Transit, 1859-1894 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
Original data: Bodies in Transit Registers. New York, New York: New York City Department of Records & Information Services.

About New York, New York, U.S., Bodies in Transit, 1859-1894

General Collection Information

This collection contains permits of transit for bodies of the deceased traveling through Manhattan between 1859 and 1894. Originally collected by the New York City Health Department, these records were used as a preventative measure to track and contain diseases. Bodies recorded may have been transported in, out, or through the city.

Using this Collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name of the deceased
  • Date of transit
  • Age at death
  • Date of death
  • Place of death
  • Occupation
  • Cause of death
  • Birthplace
  • Previous location of body
  • Place of intended interment
  • Name and address of applicant

    • Keep in mind that the deceased didn’t necessarily reside or die in Manhattan. While many of the bodies listed are being transported out of Manhattan for burial, others listed are traveling in for burial. In some cases, such as the funeral procession for Abraham Lincoln, the bodies are passing through the city to reach their final destination.

    The same application for the transportation of bodies was also used for disinterring bodies. As the city expanded, many early Manhattan graves were later moved to Brooklyn or Queens. If your family member died in Manhattan before 1859, you may find them listed in this collection.

    This collection also contains records for American Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate. If you think your relative may have died while serving, certain details can provide clues. They likely died while serving if:

  • Their place of death is listed as “Davids Island,” the site of a major Civil War hospital.
  • They were buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.
  • The application was filed by A.J. Case, the undertaker for the U.S. Army.

    • Collection in Context

    The first ordinances governing sanitation in New York were created in 1804. In 1859, the Registrar of Records began registering the transit of deceased bodies through Manhattan as a means to prevent the spread of disease. Standardized permits for the transportation of remains were introduced in 1871. In 1874, transit permits were waived for bodies with burial permits in the surrounding areas of Brooklyn, Long Island City, Richmond County, or Hudson County, New Jersey. Registering bodies for transit became unnecessary as health departments across the country began to standardize practices.

    This collection was published in association with the New York City Department of Records & Information Services: https://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/NYCMA~4~4;JSESSIONID=9476e7cd-f285-4ae3-8185-f1c2f97ac59b?cic=NYCMA%7E4%7E4.

    The New York City Department of Records & Information Services provides the public with access to both historic and modern records from New York.

    Bibliography

    Hilton, Alexandra. “Bodies in Transit.” NYC Department of Records & Information Services. Last Modified June 15, 2018. https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2018/6/14/bodies-in-transit.

    NYC.gov “Guide to the Bodies in Transit Registers, 1859-1894.” Last Modified May 2018. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/records/pdf/Bodies%20in%20Transit_REC%200052-FA%20MASTER.pdf.