Most of the data presented on this website was gathered using the following method.

 

Newspaper archives such as newspapers.com, fultonhistory.com, and nyshistoricalnewspapers.org were searched using a series of key words that were commonly associated with segregated subdivisions (i.e. "restricted neighborhood," "whites only," and "undesirable neighbors").  More often than not, these searches found advertisements for building lots in newly subdivided neighborhoods, from which can be gleaned information such as names of the subdivisions, names of developers and real estate agents, location information including street names, driving directions, and nearby landmarks, and direct or coded references to the use of racial covenants.  Newspapers articles and legal notices can also provide useful data.

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Street names were then located on regrid.com, where individual parcels of land and, most importantly, the current property owner, were identified.  Title searches using the current property owners' names were then conducted in those New York State counties that provide free public access to digitized real property records via IQS.  However, most counties' digital records only go back to the 1970s (Albany County being the notable exception), making it necessary to visit the county clerk's office in each county's seat to view deeds and plat maps, and to review relevant corporate filings.

 

© MAY 2026