eNews no. 12, September 2017: New records online, essential vital records substitutes, online newspapers guide & more!

October 17, 2017

This issue of the NYG&B eNews was delivered on September 25, 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

Why NY vital records are so hard to find and what to use as substitutes
Images of NYC vital records now online at FamilySearch’s FHL, FHCs, and affiliate libraries
The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote - hear from the author at our Fall Benefit Luncheon
Genealogy, liberal arts & applying my research skills: Reflections from a summer intern
Our guide to New York newspaper archives available online
Upcoming Events and Programs

Religious records: Essential vital record substitutes

Many states in America have complete, well-preserved vital records that date back well into the 1700s or even earlier - but not New York!

As many family history researchers with New York State ancestry know, finding vital records from before the 1900s can be a very frustrating endeavor. In this blog article, we'll take a brief look at exactly why that's the case, and suggest some ways to use religious records to overcome this common challenge in New York State research.

use these substitutes

Images of NYC vital records now online at FamilySearch

FamilySearch recently made some key vital record images from New York City available on their website.

These digital images, which were previously unavailable, must be accessed online at one of FamilySearch’s FHL, FHCs, and affiliate libraries, but the good news is there are many locations all over the country.

Our blog has a link to a map with locations where they can be accessed, and tips on how to find the records you're seeking.

learn more

Author of The Suffragents to speak at Annual Fall Benefit Luncheon

Our Annual Fall Benefit Luncheon is just around the corner! Proceeds from the event will help to support the NYG&B fulfill its mission of preserving, documenting and sharing the stories of families across New York. This year will feature a talk by Brooke Kroeger, author of The Suffragents.

The Suffragents is the untold story of how some of New York’s most powerful men formed the Men’s League for Woman Suffrage, which grew between 1909 and 1917 from 150 founding members into a force of thousands across thirty-five states.

Join us for a fantastic meal, great conversation, and a fascinating talk from Ms. Kroeger. Editor's note: This event took place October 10. Keep an eye out for an article about it in a future issue of the eNews!

Shawn Purcell, of the NY State Library, teaches our Research in Albany attendees about their unique pamphlet files.
The trip took place September 13-15 - we hope to see you there next year!

Genealogy, Liberal Arts, and applying my research skills

Victoria Thomas - a student at Manhattan College who was part of one of our NYG&B Labs teams this summer - wrote a blog reflecting on her experience.

The interns assisted Professor Adam Arenson in his project tracking and visualizing migration patterns of African North Americans prior to, during and after the American Civil War. See what a college student thinks of getting into the world of genealogy!

read her reflection

Online New York newspapers

Newspapers are an incredibly valuable resource for genealogy research, and thankfully there are many New York state newspapers that can be read and searched online. Our guide, which is free and open to the public, outlines some of the principle newspapers and indicates where you can find them online.

read our guide