So far we are hitting a roadblock. We are trying to get birth records for my wife's father in Staten Island and grandparents from NYC but are told that unless you are the person whose record you are seeking you can't get it. Anywhere else in the state if it's older then 50 years no problem (we are talking late 1800's).

We have run into this in both places. A call to Albany resulted in "NYC is like their own country". Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can obtain these records? We've written the mayor, congressman, and senate but of course they are too busy to reply.

Thanks in advance...