Note: The 2024 tour is now at capacity and no spots are currently available. Please click the Register button if you would like to be added to the waitlist in case of a cancellation and we will notify you if a spot becomes available.
Join the NYG&B for our annual three days of in-person research in Albany. Before you arrive, make the most of your time in Albany with online pre-planning activities in September 2024, including a virtual tour of the facilities; an on-demand orientation session; and an advance, personal consultation with an expert genealogist.
Following September’s pre-planning activities, participants will have three days in October of in-person assisted research and genealogical camaraderie with the people who know New York best.
This unique, guided on-site tour includes personal consultations during your research at the New York State Archives (NYSA) and New York State Library (NYSL). Both repositories are rich in material available nowhere else pertaining to those who have lived in New York State. Your on-site consultants for this tour will be Terry Koch-Bostic, Jenny Rizzo Irwin, and Michelle Dowd Torosian.
Please note: This trip will be most productive for research subjects other than those in New York City.
Program Schedule (Subject to change)
September 2024
- Overview and Q&A Session, held online via Zoom and recorded for those unable to participate (date and time TBD). Advanced one-on-one consultation with the NYG&B (scheduled at a mutually agreeable time between September 1 and October 1)
Monday, October 21
- Arrive in Albany
Tuesday, October 22
- 8–9:00 a.m. | Welcome breakfast and introductions (Albany Hilton)
- 9:15 a.m. | Depart for a brief walk to the New York State Archives and New York State Library (gather in the Albany Hilton Lobby) Please Note: The Albany Hilton runs a free shuttle bus, but it is available on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to use the shuttle bus, please plan to leave the hotel earlier than 9:15 a.m.
- 9:45 a.m. | Tour of the New York State Library/NYSL (NYSL staff); Meet in the genealogy section, 7th floor
- 10:45 a.m.–4:55 p.m. | Individual research and one-on-one consultations (schedule to be provided); Library Manuscripts and Special Collections Division (11th Floor), Library Research Division (7th floor) and NYS Archives (11th floor) until closing.
- 4:55 p.m. | We will gather outside the Cultural Education Center to return to the Albany Hilton.
- 5:15 p.m. | Social time and light hors d'oeuvres.
- 6 p.m. | Dinner on your own (or with a fellow participant!)
Wednesday, October 23
- 8–9:00 a.m. | Buffet breakfast (Albany Hilton)
- 9:15 a.m. | Depart for a brief walk to the New York State Archives and New York State Library (gather in the Albany Hilton Lobby) Please Note: The Albany Hilton runs a free shuttle bus, but it is available on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to use the shuttle bus, please plan to leave the hotel earlier than 9:15 a.m.
- 10 a.m.–4:55 p.m. | Individual research and one-on-one consultations (schedule to be provided); Library Manuscripts and Special Collections Division (11th Floor), Library Research Division (7th floor), and NYS Archives (11th floor) until closing.
- 4:55 p.m. | We will gather outside the Cultural Education Center to return to the Albany Hilton
- 5:15 p.m. | Social time and light hors d'oeuvres
- 6 p.m. | Dinner on your own (or with a fellow participant!)
Thursday, October 24
- 8–9:00 a.m. | Buffet breakfast (Albany Hilton)
- 9:15 a.m. | Depart for a brief walk to the New York State Archives and New York State Library (gather in the Albany Hilton Lobby) Please Note: The Albany Hilton runs a free shuttle bus, but it is available on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to use the shuttle bus, please plan to leave the hotel earlier than 9:15 a.m.
- 10 a.m.–4:55 p.m. | Individual research and one-on-one consultations (schedule to be provided); Library Manuscripts and Special Collections Division (11th Floor), Library Research Division (7th floor), and NYS Archives (11th floor) until closing.
- 5 p.m. | This is the conclusion of the Research in Albany Tour
NYSL’s open stacks hold extensive collections that include:
- Family genealogies and local histories
- Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, church records, and census records
- Early newspapers on microfilm (many not found elsewhere)
- City and telephone directories
- Archives and manuscripts
NYSA hold New York State records relating to:
- Military service (War of 1812 through World War I)
- Land records (mostly transactions involving the Colony or State of New York)
- Court records (including colonial wills and early nineteenth-century civil cases)
- Records of some correctional and custodial institutions
- Birth indexes to New York State vital records (excluding New York City)
Additional social gatherings provide an opportunity to network with other researchers and professional genealogists.
Registration
Registration includes the program at the NYG&B and consultations (transportation and accommodations are not included). Rooms are available at the Albany Hilton at a special group rate, if you choose to stay there. The code for the discounted rate will be included in your registration confirmation email.
- Registration: $699