Today the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) announced the retirement of editor Karen Mauer Jones and the selection of Laura Murphy DeGrazia as editor of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (The Record).
Earlier this year the NYG&B announced that Karen Mauer Jones wished to retire as editor of The Record. Since 2011 she has brought her expertise and vision to one of America’s oldest—and most respected—scholarly genealogical journals. An editor, author, speaker, and professional genealogist, she has a long and distinguished career. The author of numerous books and articles, including those published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and The Record, she is widely respected in the genealogical field and has been a Board-certified genealogist since 2011 from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). A noted New York scholar, she was elected as a Fellow of the NYG&B in 2013 and served on the editorial team for the NYG&B’s award-winning New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. She is also a member of the NYG&B’s Family History Advisory Committee. A past board member and regional vice president for the Association of Professional Genealogist (APG), she also served as a board member and vice president of administration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). Under her careful stewardship The Record has published hundreds of pages reflecting the diverse stories from families across the state of New York.
After a national search the NYG&B is honored to announce Laura Murphy DeGrazia will assume the editorship beginning with the January 2018 issue. A noted and respected genealogical scholar, she was previously co-editor of The Record and was named a Fellow of the NYG&B in 2013. With expertise in New York City and Long Island research, she was a member of the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer editorial team and served on the NYG&B Education Committee from 2006–2015. Widely recognized across the genealogical field for her expertise, she authored New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, part of the National Genealogical Society’s Research in the States series in 2013. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The Record, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Her experience in publishing and editing includes recent work as an advisor to NGS Magazine and editor of NGS Monthly. She is also known as a stalwart representative of the professional genealogical community. Laura has been a Board-certified genealogist since 1998 and frequently speaks and writes on genealogical standards. She is also a past president and former trustee of the BCG.
NYG&B President D. Joshua Taylor noted, “The Record is one of the world’s most influential genealogical journals. All those engaged in the study of New York families have benefited from Karen’s esteemed work as editor of The Record for the past six years. We are honored to have Laura take up this role and look forward to The Record’s continued success for many years to come.”
Published continuously since 1870, articles in The Record include over one million names of New Yorkers from the 1600s to the present. Access to The Record is available online through membership in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.