eNews no. 24, May 2018: Fire at the NY State Capitol

By Frederick Wertz on May 11, 2018

View of the Capitol on the morning of March 29.

This issue of the NYG&B eNews was delivered on May 11, 2018. 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

45 reasons to attend the 2018 New York State Family History Conference
Facebook Live Genealogy Q&A with D. Joshua Taylor and Susan R. Miller: Submit your questions!
When can you benefit from a professional genealogy consultation?
Fire at the State Capitol: One of the worst library disasters in history
Upcoming Events and Programs

45 reasons to attend the NY State Family History Conference

Our New York State Family History Conference features a program full of fascinating classes that will improve your research skills and tell you all about the most important online record sets and genealogy repositories.

Each expert-led class itself is a reason to attend NYSFHC 2018 - take a look at all 45 classes in our program, organized by category.

The conference program includes lectures about:

United States research
New York research
Using genealogy websites and repositories
DNA and genetic genealogy
Tips, tricks & methodology

The New York State Family History Conference takes place September 13 - 15 in Tarrytown, New York. Early-bird discount prices end soon, so register today for the lowest price!

see all the classes

Live Genealogy Q&A with D. Joshua Taylor and Susan R. Miller

Join us on Thursday, May 17 at 12:00 p.m. EST for another New York Genealogy Q&A with D. Joshua Taylor, President of the NYG&B, and Susan R. Miller, the NYG&B's Director of Programs.

This time, we'll be broadcasting live on Facebook. Follow our page on Facebook and you'll receive a reminder notification when we begin the live broadcast.

We'll be answering as many of your submitted research questions as possible, and giving you a sneak peek into what's in store for the 2018 New York State Family History Conference.

Even if you don't have a burning question you want Josh or Sue's opinion on, join us and you'll certainly pick up a few valuable pointers about New York research.

find out more

When can you benefit from a genealogy consultation?

One of the best things you can do for your family history research is schedule a consultation with a professional genealogist.

Talking to a professional for even as little as 30 minutes can energize your research and help you make exciting new discoveries.

The best thing about consultations is that they can help you no matter where you are in your genealogical journey, or whether you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate, or advanced researcher.

Read our blog to learn exactly what a consultation entails, and review some common scenarios in which researchers may benefit from professional guidance.

read the article

1911 fire at the State Capitol

Sooner or later, all researchers encounter the sad fact that a massive fire destroyed a crucial piece of evidence in their family history.

Almost everyone knows about the 1921 Washington, D.C. fire that destroyed much of the 1890 Federal Census, and those of us with ancestors who served in the military are probably aware that a 1973 fire in St. Louis destroyed between 16 and 18 million Official Military Personnel Records.

But did you know that New York State has its own infamous fire, and it is considered one of the worst library disasters of all time?

Read our blog to learn about the fire, the heroic librarians who saved what they could, and the fire's overall effect on genealogy research.

Learn more