The latest issue of the New York Researcher has arrived! Volume 32, issue 2 (Summer 2021), is available to read online and in the mail.
We're excited to announce that this issue is free and open to all! We invite you to dive in and explore—NYG&B members receive four issues of the New York Researcher, four issues of The Record, and many other benefits.
This issue includes:
- A celebration of Farmingdale State College’s class of 1919
- Details on new online collections from across the state
- A talk with William C. Hallett, PharmD, Chairman of the NYG&B’s Board of Trustees
- A spotlight on Oswego County, our featured county
- A message from NYG&B President, D. Joshua Taylor (also reprinted below)
- Five Next Steps, focusing on articles in The Record
- In Other Lines, highlighting two members: a longtime member Maureen O’Rourke and new member Tova Levi and their families’ immigrant stories
- Highlights from the recent issue of The Record
A Letter from NYG&B President D. Joshua Taylor
This year the glow of summer brings new opportunities for many. As we reconnect with places and people, we also continue connecting to our past. This issue of the New York Researcher spotlights the first graduating class of Farmingdale State College, dives into the New York City Record, explores resources for Oswego County, and offers insights on the upcoming release of the 1950 federal census from the Honorable David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.
A unique digital supplement provides a glimpse of NYSFHC @ Home 2021 and a brief guide to vital records and repositories in New York. We have also been able to extend digital access to this issue to all members of our community—and we hope you will take a few moments to read and learn more about all that the NYG&B has to offer.
Spring found the NYG&B speedily moving forward. A few months ago, the New York Land Records Indexing Project with FamilySearch reached more than 30 million entries. We are grateful for the time spent by hundreds of volunteers and look forward to the project’s progression. A new publication, Immigration to New York in the English/British Colonial Period, by Anne Sibert Buiter is now available to order on our website.
The work provides an overview for those tracing various groups who came to colonial New York, such as the English, Scottish, Irish, Palatine, French Huguenot, Quaker, and Moravian immigrants, and is the third title stemming from the author’s exploration of immigration to New York. More online records, including transcriptions from the American Bible Society collections, periodicals, and local histories, are also newly available in our online collections.
The NYG&B Board of Trustees, who carefully steward our organization, recently elected new officers. After five years of service, Iain Bruce retired as Chairman. Iain is a remarkable leader, who guided us through a strategic planning process, expansions in programs and services, and our sesquicentennial during his tenure. We are grateful to him for his time and dedication to the organization.
William Hallett, who previously served as our Treasurer, was unanimously elected Chairman. Mr. Hallett has a sincere interest in family history and the NYG&B’s mission. He shares some thoughts with us beginning on page 53. Other officers elected were Kathleen Hill Tesluk, Vice-Chairman; Sharon W. Vaino, Secretary; and Lorraine D. Bell, Treasurer. Robert S. Robeson, a longtime NYG&B member, and Trustee retired from the Board. Mr. Robeson played a critical role in the organization’s transition more than ten years ago, and we are appreciative of the knowledge and insight he contributed to the NYG&B.
We appreciate each member of our community (near and far) and look forward to being a part of your discoveries. Our physical offices will re-open in September. We are eager to renew in-person activities (such as the Research in Albany Tour) and continue to engage in an increasing number of online programs and services. Our community spans every U.S. state and several countries, with new faces joining each day. Please watch your email inbox for a few exciting updates from us over the next several months as we formalize our abilities to offer incredible resources for our members regardless of their residence.
Thank you for your support,
