A recent article in the Long Island newspaper “Newsday,” discusses the digitization project that is ongoing in the Town of Oyster Bay in an effort to preserve vital records as well as other historical records.
The project began in November with the digitizing of birth, marriage and death records going back to the late 19th century. After this is complete, involves scanning older vital records that were logged by hand in ledgers. The digitized records will become part of the town’s document management system and the originals will be returned to the Records Room.
Other historical items in the town’s possession include: “Military Enrollment Book – 1862” and a Bible from the mid-1700s kept by the Townsend family. The Town is seeking grant money to expand its digitization project.
The Town of Oyster Bay is not the only municipality digitizing vital records. Last year the City of Glen Cove began a project to digitize birth certificates of those born after 1940. The project is expected to take several years.
