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GSRC Past Events


Date Event
Saturday
21 January 2012
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Topic: Attention: Military Records
Speaker: Tony Lauriano

One of the most useful tools for finding information is using military records but this can be confusing! To explain and perhaps ease your fear for searching, researcher Tony Lauriano will give a visual presentation concerning draft registration cards, military records in general, pension files, and some key websites. Please join us.


December 2011
no meeting


Saturday
19 November 2011
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Topic: Introduction of newly appointed County Historian  - Craig Long
Speaker: Craig Long, Suffern Detective

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.

Following the talk, there will be a Holiday-Get-Together with refreshments.


Tuesday
25 October 2011
7:00 PM
Topic: Kleindeutschland: Researching Your Ancestors in Manhattan's Little Germany
Speaker: Joe Lieby

Many county residents have German ancestry that emigrated from Manhattan. Germans arrived in the 17th century but came with large numbers by 1830. Many settled in the area of Manhattan called "Little Germany";this area was close in size to the two largest German cities in Europe. Joe Lieby, researcher, will focus on how to research this forgotten area.


September 2011
(date TBD)
Field trip to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx

Tuesday
27 September 2011
7:00 PM

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

Topic: Visiting Sally Dewey's Papers

The Genealogy Society meeting will be held at the

Meet Mary Cardenas, Orangetown town historian and museum director, who will share the archives of the late Sally Dewey. Sally passed away two years ago but will certainly be remembered by many society members. She was diligent in her research of many Rockland families and she kept excellent records. Many of her papers were donated to the Orangetown Museum. Since this acquisition, the museum has had an intern archiving the papers. We will be one of the first groups to view these papers.

In addition, while there, view the wonderful exhibit, Orangetown, Edward Hopper's Backyard. Hopper, a well known artist was born in Nyack. He became widely known for his oils and watercolors with realistic art that depicted modern American life. Hopper died in 1967.


Tuesday
28 June 2011
7:00 PM

 

Topic: Come and discuss your Genealogy brick wall
 
Sunday
5 June 2011
1:00 PM
Topic: St. Agatha's Home for Children
Speaker: Nancy Canfield

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.

Tuesday
24 May 2011

No meeting.

Saturday
14 May 2011
10:30 AM
Topic: Migration Routes
Speaker: Sharon Hughes

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

BYO bag lunch. Beverages provided.
 

Saturday
14 May 2011
1:30 PM
Genealogy Quickstarts

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.

 

Tuesday
26 April 2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY
Speaker: Susan Olsen, historian

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.
 

Tuesday
22 March 2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

 

Topic: Overview of the Rockland County Archive Collection Holdings
Speaker: Peter J. Scheibner, Rockland County Archivist

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.

Tuesday
22 February 2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Bring a Friend

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

 

Tuesday
25 January 2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: We've Come a Long Way

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!

Wednesday
5 January 2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Organizing a Field Trip to NYC

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.

Tuesday
23 November 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Holiday Party

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.

Tuesday
27 October 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Genealogical Research Guide

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).

Tuesday
28 September 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Topic: Orphan Train Riders
Speaker: Tom Riley

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.

 

Tuesday
22 June 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: Navigating Key Genealogy Websites
Speaker: Tony Lauriano

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

Tuesday
25 May 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: Cemeteries of Westchester
Speaker: Patrick Raftery, Westchester County Historical Society

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

Saturday
22 May 2010
1:00 PM
Genealogy Mini-Workshops

The New City Library and GSRC 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.
Tuesday
27 April 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: The War Man
Speaker: Robert A. Myers

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.

Tuesday
23 March 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: Difficult Case Studies
Speaker: Tony Lauriano

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

Tuesday
23 February 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: Show and Tell: Web sites presented by members of the GSRC
Tuesday
26 January 2010
7:00 PM
Topic: Uncovering America’s Forgotten Colony: the New Netherland Project

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.

 

Tuesday
24 November 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: The Trail Our Ancestors Followed in Becoming Citizens

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.

Wednesday
4 November 2009
8:30 AM
Road Trip to NYC

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

Thursday
29 October 2009
1:00 PM
Meeting to Plan Road Trip to NYC

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

Tuesday
27 October 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: Tax Mapping into the future

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.

Tuesday
22 September 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: Publishing your Genealogy

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.

Tuesday
23 June 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: Tax Mapping into the Future

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.

Saturday
9 May 2009
9:00 AM
The Genealogical Society of Bergen County is sponsoring an all day Genealogy Seminar on Saturday, May 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Rd, Paramus, NJ.

Three distinguished genealogists will be making rare appearances in New Jersey.

Dr. John Colletta, lecturer and author will be the keynote speaker. His topic will be “Discovering the Real Stories of your Immigrant Ancestors.” Other topics to be covered by Dr. Colletta are “Passenger Arrival and Naturalization Records from Colonial Times to Mid-Twentieth Century,” and” How to Prepare for Successful European Record Research.”

Eric J. Roth, Director at the Huguenot Historical Society, will discuss “Ethnicity and Memory: The Huguenot/Walloon Question” and “A Genealogist’s Research Guide to Ethnic Minorities in Colonial New York and New Jersey.”

Professor Jonathan D. Shea, President of the Polish Genealogy Society will explore “Researching Ancestors in Eastern Europe”, with a focus on Poland and Lithuania.

Registration prior to April 15 is $30; after April 15,$35. GSBC members pay $5 less.

Box lunch is available for purchase.

For information visit our website at www.njgsbc.org or email GSBC_seminar@yahoo.com
Wednesday
6 May 2009
10:00 AM
The GSRC in conjunction with New City Library will make a trip to Old Kingston, New York. This area has a long history stretching back to the original Dutch settlers in New York State. The group will carpool from New City Library at 8AM sharp ; or you may drive up on your own and meet the group at Senate House, Kingston at 10AM. The group will tour the historic site and then cross the street and tour an equally old landmark, Dutch Church for another tour.

Lunch will be your choice at any of the variously priced eateries at Rondout Creek. At 2PM, the group will resume its tour with a tour of the Maritime Museum. The day ends at 4PM

The total cost for the day is $11 plus your choice of lunch. Those who car pool will be asked to contribute to their driver's costs. There are a limited number of available seats, so contact either Barry Brooks at 845-825-4138 or Sally Pellegrini 634-4997 ext 139.
Saturday
28 March 2009
9:30 AM
Topic: Passaic County Historical Society Visit: Lambert Castle, Passaic, NJ

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.

Tuesday
24 March 2009
 
NO MEETING because of the trip on Saturday 28 March.
Tuesday
24 February 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: Online Research

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.

Tuesday
27 January 2009
7:00 PM
Topic: Forensic Genealogy Case Study
Saturday
10 January 2009
1:30 PM
Topic: Genealogy Mini-Workshops

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!

Tuesday
28 October 2008
7:00 PM
Topic: Remembering Orangetown

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.

Tuesday
23 September 2008
7:00 PM
Topic: Orange County Militia in the American Revolution

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.

Tuesday
27 May 2008
7:00 PM
Topic: The Ever-Evolving Palisades

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.

Tuesday
22 April 2008
7:00 PM

at the Haverstraw
Brick Museum

12 Main St.
Haverstraw, NY

845-947-3505
 

Topic: History of the Brick Industry in Rockland County.

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.)

Meets monthly. Contact Kathy Rhoades 845-294-9093 for details

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

Heritage Scrap Booking Group

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.

Tuesday
26 February 2008
7:00 PM
Topic: Rockland Militia. The talk will discuss the Orange County militia role during the American Revolution, with an emphasis on the lower Orange (now Rockland) County units.

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.

Tuesday
22 January 2008
7:00 PM
Topic: The Skyline of Manhattan in the 17th Century

Speaker: Firth Fabend. Dr. Fabend holds a B.A. in English Literature from Barnard College and a Ph.D. in American Studies from New York University. As an independent historian, her selected list of published works, mostly on the early Dutch in America, is truly amazing, and she has many more forthcoming. Her awards, grants and related activities are too numerous too list here.
Tuesday
27 November 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The Huguenots of the Hudson Valley

Speaker: Eric J. Roth currently holds the position of Executive Director at the Huguenot Historical Society in New Paltz, NY, where he has been Archivist/Librarian since 1997. Mr. Roth holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from SUNY Albany has published several articles in professional journals relating to archival management and local history. He will focus his talk on the issues of the Palatine flight from Europe and their experiences here, based on the most current scholarship. He will also discuss methods for researching their history and genealogy. Many of the names of our Rockland ancestors which we assume are Dutch are in actuality Huguenot. The Dutchified names resulted from the desire of the French Protestants to fit into the Dutch society.
Tuesday
30 October 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The Silent Woman: Bringing a Name to Life. Too often, our female ancestors end up being just a name on a pedigree chart or as the neglected half of a family history. This presentation, based on Sharon’s book, A Genealogist's Guide to Finding Your Female Ancestors, will feature sources created by and about women and will instruct researchers on how to breathe life into their female ancestors by using women’s social histories in conjunction with primary genealogical sources.

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.

Saturday-Sunday
27-28 October 2007
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack will host a writing workshop at the NYG&B, in New York City.
Tuesday
25 September 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: Our Palatine Ancestors

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.

Saturday-Sunday
15-16 September 2007
Third Annual Phillips Knapp Reunion

The Phillips-Knapp Family Association is planning its third annual reunion for the weekend of September 15 and 16, 2007. It is open to anyone who has an ancestor from Rockland County surnamed Phillips or Knapp. Annual dues are only $5 payable in cash at the reunion, or by check to Vicki Miller.

The reunion will kick off with a welcoming breakfast at the home of Vicki Miller in Thiells. From there we will proceed to a three hour cruise on the Hudson River, complete with catered lunch and guide to tell us something about the lives of our ancestors in and along the river. After the cruise we will return to Thiells to relax while eating pie in a pie-baking contest and watching a History Channel presentation on the Haverstraw brick making industry. Hopefully we will also have a speaker from the brick museum. We intend to end the day at the Phillips-Knapp Cemetery on Beech Road.

Sunday morning we will tour the graves of our ancestors buried in Mt. Rest Cemetery and unveil the DAR plaque on the grave of Agnes Phillips before attending services at the church next to the cemetery. This church was founded by our ancestors, and was previously known as the Crick Church or St. Georges. Now it is simply called the First United Methodist Church of Stony Point. After worship we will proceed to the Town of Haverstraw Park for a picnic, and then say farewell at Parrot Bay.

For further information please contact Vicki Miller at avmofmaol.com or Barbara de Mare at BarbaradeMareyahoo.com We are expecting participants from all over the country, so please come and meet your cousins on this fun-filled weekend. The cost of the reunion is only $15 for the catered lunch plus the $5 dues. There is no better bargain to be had!
July-August 2007 No GSRC meetings. They will resume in September. Watch this space...
Tuesday
26 June 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The African Historical Presence in New York City

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.

Saturday
16 June 2007
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Irish Genealogy Conference, "Searching Irish and Scots-Irish Roots." Old Paramus Reformed Church, Ridgewood, NJ. Key Speaker: Fintan Mullin, Exec. Director, Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast, N.I. Since Mr. Mullin will be in the United States for only a few days, this is a rare opportunity to hear this dynamic speaker.
Tuesday
22 May 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: Bannerman Castle and Its Long Local History

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.

Thursday-Sunday
26-29 April 2007
New England CONNECTions 2007, Hartford, Connecticut (this is the 9th New England Regional Conference). Look for the GSRC Booth at this Conference and say hello!
Tuesday
24 April 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The General Slocum Steamboat Disaster of 1904 and Its Impact on One Family’s History

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

Saturday
21 April 2007
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
GSNJ & GSBC will sponsor a genealogy seminar featuring Patricia Law Hatcher. The seminar will be held in Bergen County.
Tuesday
27 March 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The History of Sloat House

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

Tuesday
27 February 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The Mountain Hamlets from Their Inception to Their Demise

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.

Tuesday
23 January 2007
7:00 PM
Topic: The Pearl River Cemetery

Speaker: Rudy Hansen, resident of Pearl River.

Refreshments will follow the presentation.

Saturday
20 January 2007
1:00 PM
Topic: New City Library will hold its annual genealogy workshop for new and experienced family historians. In case of snow, the workshop will be held on the following Saturday, January 27th. The workshop will consist of several tables manned by volunteers from the Genealogical Society of Rockland County. Each table will focus on one topic, such as first steps in genealogy, etc. Come for one, or spend time at each table. Learn something new or ask for help with a problem, it's up to you!.
Tuesday
28 November 2006
7:00 PM
GSRC Annual Holiday Party

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.

Tuesday
24 October 2006
7:00 PM
Topic: Native Americans of Our Region

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.

Tuesday
26 September 2006
7:00 PM
Topic: The LARC Rockland Images Project

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.

Saturday
6 May 2006
1:30 PM
Topic: Family DNA: An Alternative to Researching

Speaker: Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, nationally known author and family historian.

Megan has worked with the military to identify fallen military personnel via their DNA and has a new book out on the subject.

For more information, contact:

Sally Pellegrini, Local History Librarian/Community Relations
New City Library New City, NY 10956
845-634-4997 ext 137 (Local History)
ext 139 (Community Relations)
spellegr@rcls.org
Librarians, click here for program flyer.
Tuesday
25 April 2006
7:00 PM
Topic: Petitions for Partition: Genealogical Gold; with some comments on other obscure genealogical documents

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.

Tuesday
28 February 2006
7:00 PM
Topic: Orphan Train Riders.

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.

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