GSRC Past Events

The GSRC is back at the New City Library! After a year and half library renovation, we'll take a tour of the Rockland Room's new look, and learn about some of the sources within its stacks with Local History Librarian Joe Barbieri.

This program will be a "hybrid" program, presented both in-person at the library and online via Zoom. If you wish to join us via Zoom, please register on the New City Library's online calendar, and indicate you'll be attending online and provide an email address when registering.

Register at: https://newcity.librarycalendar.com/event/genealogical-society-rockland-county-meeting-tour-rockland-room

Also, don't forget that dues for the upcoming year are due now.

Topic: New York State Death Records

This month we'll be watching a video from the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society on locating death records in New York State.

Register on the New City Library’s calendar page to receive a Zoom link to the presentation: https://newcity.librarycalendar.com/events/genealogical-society-rockland-county-january-meeting

Tuesday
28 December 2021
7:00 PM

Online only.

Topic: Sharing Genealogy with Younger Generations

We’ll be watching a video from the U.S. National Archives with tips on how to share genealogy research with family members, with emphasis on making it engaging for younger generations.

Tuesday
23 November 2021
7:00 PM

In person and online via Zoom.

Topic: Inferential Genealogy, 

Speaker: Russ Worthington

 Our presenter will be joining us on the big screen at the library via Zoom. You can also join us from home via Zoom.  Inferential genealogy is how family historians can accurately deduce ancestors’ identities and many aspects of their lives by digging below "surface information" in the records and combining information from several sources. It's especially helpful where records do not state relationships.

Topic: Roll Call! Researching Your Veteran Ancestors: Civil War, WWI, and WWII

Topic: DNA Detectives

Author, genealogist, and GSRC member Tom Riley will be presenting DNA Detectives. "Genealogists, DNA and genetics are revolutionizing criminology, cracking cold cases, freeing innocent people and bringing justice to families."

Please register at the New City Library's online calendar here:

https://newcity.librarycalendar.com/events/genealogical-society-rockland-county-meeting-5

Topic: African American research

Topic: Locating birth records in New York state

We'll be watching a video from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society on locating birth records in New York state. We'll also mention some of the resources available from the NYG&BS, and why researchers might want to consider a membership.

Many of us have ancestors who were admitted into the U.S. through ports of entry such as Ellis Island - but what happened if someone was denied entry? We'll be watching a taped presentation from the U.S. National Archives which discusses the Immigration and Naturalization Services' Exclusion and Deportation files, and how we can use them for genealogy research. We'll cover some brief Genealogical Society business just before the meeting, but you don't have to be a member to join in - all are welcome to attend! Questions? Call Joe Barbieri at the New City Library at 845 634 4997 x123 or email him at jbarbieri@newcitylibrary.org

This will be an online meeting through Zoom. After registering, you'll receive an email with the information on where to see the lecture.

Speaker: Marian B. Wood

Want to expand your family tree and connect with cousins? This how-to talk is packed with practical, creative ways to find possible cousins and enable cousins to find you on Find a Grave, Family Search, Ancestry, My Heritage, and DNA websites. Step by step, learn tips and tricks for locating cousin bait such as personal photos, family stories, and unique family-history details. Don't just "take the bait"--see how and where to post irresistible cousin bait, keeping privacy in mind while encouraging relatives to get in touch.

Marian Burk Wood is the Connecticut-based author of the Amazon best-selling genealogy book, Planning a Future for Your Family’s Past. A popular genealogy speaker and an active family history blogger (at https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com), she has used cousin bait to connect with dozens of cousins in the past decade.

This will be an online meeting through Zoom. After registering, you'll receive and email with the information on where to see the lecture on September 15th.

A taped session from a popular speaker at the National Genealogical Society’s 2018 Family History Conference

What can a DNA test tell me? What does "autosomal DNA testing" mean? What can't it do for me?

How accurate are DNA tests Nora Galvin returns to continue lecturing on how DNA testing can be used for genealogy work. Bring your questions! Speaker Nora Galvin has a bachelor of Science degree (Biology) from the Ohio State University, Middletown, CT. Her science background gives her the ability to combine DNA technology and conventional genealogical research and to help audiences understand the complexities of genetic genealogy.

Marian B Wood will be discussing how to preserve and pass down genealogy work.  She is the author of the genealogy book Planning a Future for Your Family's Past. She is a popular speaker at genealogy clubs and conferences, demonstrating practical techniques for researching family trees and preserving family history for future generations.  Marian was born in the Bronx and earned her MBA at Long Island University and her BA at the City College of New York.  She blogs about her genealogy experiences at http://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com.  The author will have books for sale and to sign following the presentation

Tuesday
26 June 2018
7:00 PM

Tuesday
22 May 2018
7:00 PM

Tuesday
24 April 2018
7:00 PM

Topic: Finding Female Relatives
Speaker: Tony Lauriano

 Tony will explore methods for tracking down female ancestor’s maiden names. 

Tuesday
27 March 2018
7:00 PM

Tuesday
27 February 2018
7:00 PM

Tuesday
23 January 2018
7:00 PM

Topic: Accessing Federal Records

Speaker: Matthew Aull, former archivist at the National Archives, now a librarian at the New City Library.

Learn to better access records of the federal government including Passenger Arrival records, Census data, and Naturalization records.

Tuesday
24 October 2017
7:00 PM

Topic: The Chain That Saved the Colonies

Speaker: Doc Bayne

To stop the British invasion of the New England colonies during the American Revolution, Peter Townsend

manufactured a Great Chain for the Continental Army at Sterling Forest.  It was placed across the Hudson River at West Point.  Join Doc Bayne for an eye-opening lecture & Power Point presentation on this historic event.

Tuesday
26 September 2017
7:00 PM

Topic: Chestnut Ridge History
Speaker: Marie Monteagudo

Have you ever heard of Dog’s Head Rock, a Pearl River 1900’s landmark that was 10 feet high

by 20 feet long?  Or that there’s waterfalls in Pascack Brook?  Or that the Little Red Schoolhouse

in Chestnut Ridge is a museum inside?  This slide-show  by Marie Monteagudo, a local historian & resident, will be a visual history since the earl 1700s of the area once known as South Spring Valley or West Pearl River.  Included will be current photographs and vintage illustrations of the Little Red Schoolhuse, the Haring Homestead (pre-Jade Village) and the Dexter Park heighborhood with the famed California Architect, Joseph Eichler, who designed mid-century modern homes.  There will also be a book signing of her photo-essay Historic Treasures of Chestnut Ridge that includes illustration from the slide-show along with an opportunity to become a member of Friends of Chestnut Ridge History or by emailing ChestnutRidheHistory@gmail.com

Note Date Change!

Tom Riley is the author of “Happy Valley: A History and a Remembrance” and “Orphan Train Riders”.

Orphan trains, which left from Manhattan with cargoes of children, traveled to many remote corners of the United States, dropping off children at each stop along the way. Some of those children ended up here in Rockland County. 

Come and find out what made these trains necessary; how the young riders fared after being handed over to families at the stations; when did the trains stop. This is a fascinating and largely unknown segment of our history.

GSRC programs and meetings are open to the public.

Mr. Long succeeds long-time County Historian Thomas F.X. Casey, who was deceased in 2009 after a long illness.  As a protégé of Tom Casey, Craig learned to be pragmatic when it came to historic preservation and learned to “pick his battles.”

Craig’s roots go back to the 1700s on his mother’s side and learned, at an early age, the value of having ancestors.  He has maintained this interest ever since to the point, when it comes to history, that he has helped develop the curriculum for the Ramapo Central School District, to lead fourth grade students on walking tours of downtown Suffern, and to teach a course to elementary school students entitled “History Happened Here.”

In addition to his new position as county historian, Craig is the historian for the Town of Ramapo, the Village of Montebello, and the Village of Chestnut Ridge.

In his talk this evening, Detective Long will talk about the positions as Town and County Historian, and its impact on local history and how it relates to the genealogical society.

Tuesday
27 September 2011
7:00 PM

Location: Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives, 196
Blaisdell Rd, Orangetown. Phone number is 398-1302.

Tuesday
28 June 2011
7:00 PM

Nancy Canfield's curiosity about the long-forgotten place she once called home led her to research and write the story of the St. Agatha Home for Children — a history of both the orphanage and her own family's experience. All proceeds from that book, entitled Home Kids, are earmarked for children like her — those who now are growing up without homes of their own.

No meeting.

Ms. Hughes will discuss the migration routes used in our region during the first half of the 19^th century.

BYO bag lunch. Beverages provided.
 

Gather information from the members of the GSRC as they discuss some of the basics of genealogy. There will be five stations. At each one, gather some information. At the end of 15 minutes, move on to the next station.

Woodlawn Cemetery opened in 1863, a 400 acre resting place for 300,000+ people.

This cemetery is labeled as the “Garden Cemetery.”  Re-interments were made from Dyckman-Nagle Burying Ground, Manhattan, West Farms Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery, Bensonia (Morrisania) Cemetery, and Rutgers Street Church Graveyard.  Among the notables buried here are Irving Berlin, George M. Cohen, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Bat Masterson and Herman Melville.  There are many pieces of sculptor from famous artists: Robert Aiken and Paul Bartlett.

 Ms. Olsen will give a brief history of the cemetery and then discuss some of the Orange and Rockland residents interred there.
 

Mr. Scheibner will give an overview of the Rockland County Archive Collection Holdings, and will discuss future projects that will enhance access and retrieval to these invaluable records. 

Records available include: Orange County Deeds and Mortgages, 1703-1798; Rockland County Deeds and Mortgages; some State Census records for Rockland County; marriage records 1908-1926; and naturalization index 1926-1935.

Currently, the Archives is engaged in numerous projects to digitize and streamline County records making them easier to retrieve and access.  These include land, court, subdivision maps, incorporation, business certificates and other vital and historical records. 

Bring a friend to learn about the records available for researching and finding information relating to their genealogical projects.

Bring a friend to the meeting. We are going to look at some of the members' favorite websites that they have found helpful.

 

We will look at a film that is 14 years old about compiled records and discuss the technological changes that have affected each of the categories. Audience members will be invited to mention their use of the specific records (marriage, birth) and the format used. This should be a fun evening!

Researchers will meet at the library to organize for a field trip to NYC. Call 634-4997 ext 139 for further information about the day's activities.

Join us for the society's holiday party. There will be good food, good people and good cheer. Sally Pellegrini will offer a short presentation to view the update Hudson River Valley Heritage site (HRVH.org), a site that has 39 organizations displaying visuals of the Hudson Valley.

In lieu of a speaker at this meeting, there will be a video: Genealogical Research Guide.

Abstracted from Research Tip 2: Compiled Sources www.Genealogy.com (by Raymond S. Wright III, Ph.D, AG)

In addition to the Guide, here are a few additional helpful sources. One of the most popular sites is www.FamilySearch.com (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, UT), or at a local LDS Family History Center. The site has 300 million persons in three of its databases: Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, and Social Security Death index.

The Ancestral File contains information about 30+ million persons, linked to a family and through their family back in tine as many generations as family researchers have proved. (The information is provided by amateur genealogists and usually does not include sources. One needs to do their own research ? itt is a good lead in many cases.)

The International Genealogical Index (IGI) was created in 1969 to record the ancestors of LDS members for whom Church sacraments had been performed vicariously. It is a key research tool for many non-Latter-Day Saints members. It also includes many of the original records (births, marriages, deaths, etc. microfilmed by the Family History Library). The Library began filming vital records world-wide in 1938 (about 240 million entries).

Tom Riley is the author of “Happy Valley: A History and a Remembrance” and “Orphan Train Riders”.

Orphan trains, which left from Manhattan with cargoes of children, traveled to many remote corners of the United States, dropping off children at each stop along the way. Some of those children ended up here in Rockland County.

Come and find out what made these trains necessary; how the young riders fared after being handed over to families at the stations; when did the trains stop. This is a fascinating and largely unknown segment of our history.

GSRC programs and meetings are open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Tony Lauriano, an instructor of genealogy, will give a lecture on key Genealogy websites.

Have a relative buried in Westchester but aren't familiar with the cemeteries? This is the talk for you.

This is the true story of a real citizen-soldier of the American Revolution, who fought from Quebec to Yorktown. This is a true account of the life of Corporal John Allison, Continental Army, 3rd, 5th, and 2nd New York Regiments, whose army service spanned the entire Revolutionary War (1775-1783). What is astonishing is that this farm boy, born in 1754 in Haverstraw, N.Y., was present at many of the most critical and pivotal events in the War for Independence.

The speaker will present a review of actual difficult cases and the steps to research success.

This 30-minute documentary covers (1) historical background on New Netherland, (2) importance of using documentary evidence, (3) shows journey the New Netherland documents took from 1674 to present, and (4) gives examples of information found in these early records.

To become citizens of the United States, our ancestors followed a process that has changed during the life of this country. The ways to become a citizen and the documents created are illustrated and discussed. While these documents can be found may involve looking in places you would not have thought to search.

Travel to New York Public Library’s genealogy division with team members from the Genealogical Society of Rockland. Lunch on your own.

Bring research questions to the planning sessions. Method of travel will be discussed

Speaker: Mike Kolka

Discover surveying secrets with tax map technician Mike Kolka as he explains his findings after mapping old boundaries between Orange and Rockland counties with a current GPS system.

Speaker: Lisa Saunders

Lisa Saunders, author, playwright, and historian, offers her experiences and knowledge about publishing your family research. Publishing can be very expensive and listening to Lisa's advice could save you a lot of money.

Speaker: Mike Kolka

Boundary lines of Orange and Rockland County after 1798 were totally different from today's surveyor's tools. Rocks, trees and iron hooks were commonly used. Tax map technician Mike Kolka uncovered many surveying secrets while mapping the old boundaries with current GPS system.

Bring a bag lunch and join the Genealogical Society at the New City Library at 9:30 AM to carpool to the castle. We will tour the historical museum with a docent, have lunch, and then be free to view the library and its collection. See the March Newsletter for how to register. Participants will share the cost of gas.

Members of the Genealogical Society will give a brief interactive overview of their favorite research databases. The audience will see the databases in use and be able to ask questions.

With the help of GSRC, the New City Library will be conducting Genealogy Mini-Workshops consisting of 15-minute talks on the basics of genealogy. Talks include family work charts, cemetery records, vital records, and census. Come and get started!

Kathryn Dodge, an Orangetown historian and Peter Scheibner, Rockland County's archivist, will share their memories of growing up in this town. Audience members are invited to add their own recollections to the discussion.

Alan Aimone, chief of Special Collections, US Military Academy, will discuss the characteristics and roles of Orange County militia regiments during this time period when current day Rockland was still part of Orange Co. Co-hosted by GSRC and the New City Library.

Barbara Gottlock, Bannerman Castle author, talks about her newest book, New York's Palisades Interstate Park. This pictorial history reflects the long-term changes of these 100,000 acres including the march of the Hessians in the American Revolution, the growth and demise of eleven hamlets and the development of the current recreational park.

at the Haverstraw
Brick Museum

12 Main St.
Haverstraw, NY

845-947-3505
 

Our meeting at the Haverstraw Brick Museum will feature a program on the history of the Brick Industry in Rockland County. The museum is located at 12 Main Street, Haverstraw, NY. (From Route 9W north, turn right on New Main St. at the light at the old Haverstraw Railroad Station and go across the tracks and down the hill, which becomes Main St.)

Location:
Creative Gatherings
224 West Main St.
Goshen, NY

Creative Gatherings, a scrap book and stamping store in Goshen has formed a free heritage scrap booking group and members from Orange, and several surrounding Counties meet monthly. Whether you enjoy scrapping, but are unsure of how to research your family’s history, or you are your family’s historian and would like to learn how to scrap the results of your research, or you would just like to get together with others who share your interests and talk, you are welcome to join the group. There is no membership fee.

Speaker: Alan C. Aimone, Assistant Librarian, United States Military Academy Library, West Point, NY. Team member and leader in all divisions of the library including reference, government documents, cataloging, special collections and archives. Founding member and Past President of the Company of Military Historians, West Point Chapter.

Speaker: Sharon DeBartolo Carmack , CG, is a partner in the Salt Lake City-based research firm Warren, Carmack & Associates. She specializes in writing, mentoring, and editing narrative family histories, as well as Irish/Irish-American family history research. Sharon is the author of sixteen books, including Discovering Your Female Ancestors, and You Can Write Your Family History, and hundreds of articles that have appeared in nearly every major genealogical journal and publication. She has a B.A. in English from Regis University and a Diploma in Irish Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway. This is possibly the only chance you will have to hear this nationally recognized writer and speaker for free!

Bonus Presentation: Primetime’s 20/20 Dateline: Sharon Carmack Interviews the World’s Oldest Living Genealogist, Ole Smirnoff Bernatelli . (Joint presentation by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and Jim Warren.) Ole's been around since 1897. But it wasn't until his column, “Bringing Up the Rear,” appeared in the NGS NewsMagazine in 2004 that Ole shot to fame. Join us to howl at the sage (and strange) advice that results when genealogy's brightest star questions it's most unusual senior citizen.

Speaker: Nancy Wagoner Dixon. Nan Dixon, a noted Palatine historian, is the author of the popular book, Palatine Roots: The 1710 German Settlement in New York as Experienced by Johann Peter Wagner. This book gives a wonderful background of why the Palatines came to New York, and of their adventures in the Hudson Valley. Mrs. Dixon is Vice President of the New York Chapter of Palatines to America and comes to us from upstate New York, near Lake Ontario.

Speaker: Sherrill Wilson, PhD, former Director of the African Burial Ground

Dr. Wilson will give a slide presentation on the on the African Historical Presence in New York City, including the African Burial Ground.

Speaker: Barbara Gottlock, coauthor of Bannerman Castle and volunteer coordinator for tourist visits to Bannerman Island, near Newburgh, NY.

On maps it is Pollopel Island: 6 3/4 acres of mostly rock; 1,000 feet from the eastern shore of the Hudson just north of Cold Spring; 50 miles north of New York City. During the Revolutionary War, patriots unsuccessfully tried to stop the British from advancing north of the island by sinking 106 upright logs tipped in iron points in the Hudson. Later, General George Washington approved plans to use the island as a military prison.

The castle's builder, Frank Bannerman VI, was a Scottish patriot, very proud of his descent from one of the few MacDonald's to survive the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. Acting on behalf of the Crown, a rival clan, the Campbells, slaughtered all MacDonald males ages 12-70. One escaped to the hills with the clan banner -- and from that day on, his family name was Bannerman.

The Bannerman family immigrated to the United States in 1854, when Frank was three, and settled in Brooklyn. At the close of the Civil War, the U.S. government auctioned off military goods by the ton, mostly to be scrapped for their metal. Young Frank was one of the first to realize that much of what was being sold had a market value higher than scrap. Under his guidance, Bannerman's became the world's largest buyer of surplus military equipment. When they outgrew their store at 501 Broadway in NYC, they looked around for a larger and safer location in which to store their ammunition. Pollopel Island was selected.

Frank Bannerman personally designed the island's buildings, docks, turrets, garden walls and moat in the style of old Scottish castles. Almost all of it was done without professional help from architects, engineers and contractors. And all of it was elaborately decorated, from biblical quotations cast into all fireplace mantles, to a shield between the towers with a coat of arms, and a wreath of thistle leaves and flowers. The castle was constructed between 1901 and 1918. It was primarily an ammunitions storage site but the Bannermans summered there too.

Attend this interesting talk about a little known architectural wonder and learn about the struggle to maintain its existence.

For more information, visit:

http://www.hudsonriver.com/bannerman.htm
http://www.bannermancastle.org/

Co-sponsored by GSRC and the New City Library.

Speaker: Karen Lamberton

Ms. Lamberton, author of Angels in the Gate: New York City and the General Slocum Disaster, will take her audience through that tragic day from its band-playing gay beginnings to its devastating and silent end; how it impacted the City of New York and especially the German-American community; and how the greatest marine disaster, fire, and single event loss of life in New York’s history prior to 9/11* impacts us to this day. Ms. Lamberton will then connect her research to her family tree and show how various record sets in the New York Municipal Archives became instrumental in proving the family connections.

Copies of the book will be available for sale.

*Excluding acts of war

Speaker: Harrison Bush and Geoff Welch, Curator of Harmony Hall

Speakers: John Perrotta, Jr., Chairman, and Harry Miesner, Vice-Chairman
Historical Society of the Palisades Interstate Park Region

Many Rockland County residents are surprised to discover that much of the park system was created by the takeover of the scattered hamlets that once dotted the area. Today, little more than a few gravestones here and there remind the summer hiker of the communities that once thrived among the mountains. Mr. Perrotta and Mr. Miesner will speak for approximately 45 minutes which will be followed by a brief question-and-answer period. Refreshments will follow.

Speaker: Rudy Hansen, resident of Pearl River.

Refreshments will follow the presentation.

Because of a computer glitch, the September program was presented without slides. Sally Pellegrini, the New City Local History Librarian, will catch us up briefly before the party with slides of postcards and photos from the Lower Hudson Heritage Project.

Speaker: Wallace Dennison

The focus of this talk will be the Ramapough Indians, who lived in Rockland County. Mr. Dennison's  interest is based in his family’s genealogy.

On your way into the meeting, please stop at the display cases outside the Meeting Room to view some of Mr. Dennison’s exhibit on his family’s genealogy.

Refreshments will follow the presentation.

Speakers: Sally Pellegrini, Local History Librarian, New City Library

Sally Pellegrini will give an overview of the online Rockland Images Project of the Library Association of Rockland County (LARC) and show a few of the postcards and photos which have been scanned into the project. Bob Knight will join Mrs. Pellegrini in discussing the historical content of the postcards.

Speaker: Barbara de Mare, Esq.

Barbara de Mare, a member of our society, has practiced estate and real estate law in New York and New Jersey for over 35 years. Additionally, she is involved in several county and state genealogical societies. As a result of the interaction between her vocation and her avocation, she was able to identify a document given to amongst a group of papers as a petition for partition. One glance, and she realized she had struck gold.

The document was a petition for partition involving land in Thiells. By careful study of this document she was able to identify about 50 descendants of Daniel Phillips and Hannah Osborne, none of whom she previously knew existed. Her identification of these individuals meets the current genealogical proof standards.

The main thrust of her talk on Tuesday night will be to explain how to identify such documents, and once identified how to extract the most information from them. She will bring with her the descendancy chart showing the individuals identified from this one document, and will explain how each identification appeared in the petition. Handouts will also be available for further explanation.

Sticking to true stories from this same family line, she will also describe some common pitfalls of which we should all be aware. These include innocent-looking commercial family histories and notes found in Family Bibles.

Finally, if time permits, she will say a few words about the invaluable New York probate and administration packets as well as deeds and wills which transfer property to heirs.

Librarians, click here for program flyer.

Speaker: Tom Reilly

Orphan trains, which left from Manhattan with cargoes of children, traveled to many remote corners of the United States, dropping off children at each stop along the way. Some of those children ended up here in Rockland County. Come and find out what made these trains necessary; how the young riders fared after being handed over to families at the stations; when did the trains stop. This is a fascinating and largely unknown segment of our history! Librarians, click here for program flyer.