This issue of the NYG&B eNews was delivered on August 22, 2017. Our eNews - published twice a month - contains the latest news about New York State genealogy, news about the NYG&B, and helpful tips for research related to a variety of New York State subjects and locations. Starting with this issue, we will be posting the eNews as a blog shortly after it is published.
Would you like the NYG&B eNews delivered right to your inbox as soon as it's hot off the press? The eNews is only sent twice a month, and we never give your email address to third parties, under any circumstances.
In This Issue
- Live Q&A with D. Joshua Taylor and Susan R. Miller
- A new look at the population of a 19th-century neighborhood on Manhattan's Lower East Side
- Remembering Dr. Leo Hershkowitz
- New Knowledge Base article: Research guide to the 1855 NY state census, Ward 17
- NYG&B visits the American Museum of Natural History’s Middle School Institute
- Featured Resource: Voices of the Irish Immigrant
- Upcoming Events and Programs
D. Joshua Taylor and Susan R. Miller Answer Your Genealogy Questions
We're kicking off another YouTube Live Q&A tomorrow at 1:00 pm - our New York Genealogy experts will be on hand answering the questions you have submitted. Click here to see what we discussed last time. There is still time to submit a question to have answered on Wednesday!
This event has passed, but a recording is available on our YouTube Channel. Enjoy!
The Population of Ward 17, 1855
We turned our index of the 1855 NY State census for Ward 17 in Manhattan into a dataset and visualized some fascinating aspects of this neighborhood's population.
See what we learned about the residents' birthplaces and occupations, as well as age and gender distribution.
Remembering Dr. Leo Hershkowitz
We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of a celebrated New York historian and professor, Dr. Leo Hershkowitz.
Our blog remembers his contributions to the history of New York, and the amazing discoveries he made by preserving and sifting through otherwise-ignored sets of documents.
New Knowledge Base Article: 1855 NY State Census, Ward 17 (Manhattan)
The New York State 1855 census is a significant record set for family historians researching ancestors in New York State. Our eLibrary contains the only digitally available copy of the enumeration for one of the crucial immigrant neighborhoods of New York City, Ward 17.
These indexed images may hold information that leads to a major breakthrough for those researching nineteenth-century ancestors in New York County (Manhattan) - many factors distinguish the 1855 census as a unique record set among its peers, and Ward 17 itself is a very special location.
Available to NYG&B members only, this guide contains everything you need to know to find your ancestors in these records. There are also tips on locating 1855 census collections for other parts of the state, as well as navigating New York City directories.
why the 1855 census is so valuable
NYG&B visits the American Museum of Natural History’s Middle School Institute
Yesterday members of the NYG&B team were guest speakers for the American Museum of Natural History’s Middle School Institute.
The students are attending a two-week class, in which they learn the basics of genetics and then study their own genetic genealogy test results. Part of their final project is to do their own genealogical research to bring the elements together.
From Our Store: Voices of the Irish Immigrant
In the two decades preceding the Irish Famine there was already a considerable Irish immigration to North America, and given the limited communications of the time it was easy to lose track of relatives and friends who had crossed the Atlantic. "Information wanted" ads in newspapers were a means of locating these lost individuals.
Diane Haberstroh and Laura DeGrazia have transcribed and indexed all the ads in surviving 1825-1844 issues of The Truth Teller, New York City's first Catholic newspaper.
The ads mention names of several thousand immigrants living all over North America and, best of all for the genealogist, they also mention nearly 1,000 places of origin in Ireland.
Upcoming Events and Programs
Thursday, August 24: Webinar: Using the NYG&B Website for Family History Research (recording available here)
Wednesday, September 13 to Friday, September 15: Research in Albany - sold-out, join the waiting list
Monday, September 25: Webinar: Should You Add DNA Testing to Your Genealogy Toolbox?
Thursday, September 28: Digitization Day
Saturday, October 7: Western New York Genealogy Conference
Tuesday, October 10: Annual Fall Benefit Luncheon
Thursday, October 12: Webinar: Family History Research in Central New York
Friday, October 27 to Saturday, October 28: DNA and Family History: A Seminar for Genealogists - only a few spots left!