Research in Albany (Spring)

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 February 2025, including a virtual tour of the facilities; an on-demand orientation session; and an advance, personal consultation with an expert genealogist.

Following February’s pre-planning activities, participants will have three days in March 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. Confirmed on-site consultants for this tour are Jenny Rizzo Irwin, Susan R. Miller, and Michelle Dowd Torosian.

Please note: This trip will be most productive for research subjects other than those in New York City. Also, this same research tour will be offered October 21–23, 2025, for those who cannot attend this spring tour.

Act now! Given the nature of this program, the number of participants is extremely limited.

Program Schedule (Subject to change)

February 2025

• 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).

Monday, March 24

• Arrive in Albany

Tuesday, March 25

• 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, March 26

• 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, March 27

• 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. The code for the discounted rate will be provided upon registration.

• NYG&B Member Early Registration: $595 (ends January 20, 2025; after that registration rate is $699)
• General Registration: $699

Consultant Bios

Jenny Rizzo Irwin, Certified Genealogist®, specializes in U.S. research with a geographic focus on New York State, New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland. She enjoys working with clients to discover previously unknown ancestors. Jenny is also an experienced forensic genealogist, specializing in kinship research for the U.S. military to assist in the accounting of missing service members from WWII. She also works with the legal community to research missing and unknown heirs in estate cases. Jenny serves as trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists Education Fund; on the board of the Association for Professional Genealogists (APG)’s Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group; on the program committee of APG’s New England chapter; and as the syllabus coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

An NYG&B member since 1993, Susan R. Miller oversees the NYG&B’s print and digital publications. She is the editor of the New York Researcher magazine and a managing editor of the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer and the NYG&B county guide series. Susan also presents genealogical lectures on a national, regional, and local basis. Prior to her genealogical career, Susan worked in the sailing industry and for Emigrant Savings Bank in New York City for 23 years. A graduate of Brown University, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and several other genealogical and historical societies.

Michelle Dowd Torosian is a professional genealogist and founder of Torosian Genealogy, LLC. Her extensive research experience and sharp analytical skills enable her to work with clients undertaking historical research, solving the mysteries lurking in the branches of their family trees, identifying unknown ancestors, and recovering forgotten stories. A former CPA, Michelle is a certificate holder from Boston University’s Genealogical Research program and the ProGen Study Group. Michelle serves as president of the Westchester County Genealogical Society and is a trustee of the Westchester County Historical Society.