Capital District Genealogical Society Virtual Conference

The Capital District Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that we are holding a virtual conference in lieu of our regular scheduled meeting on Sept 25, 2021 from 9am to 5pm on Zoom. 

 At this time, both members and the public are invited to register. Please see our website under meetings and events. 

 Registration: Members: $35 & Non-Members: $40. 

 Presentations:     

"The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames" Thomas W. Jones This case study will explain how missing, erroneous, and altered records were overcome to identify the parents of an orphan named Jones. Attendees will learn research strategies that they can use to solve their own common-surname problems. 

"Getting the Most From Your DNA Matches" Fred Voss Getting started with researching your DNA matches means having your family information well organized and using the right tools from your DNA test vendor to help you narrow your search for the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA). Mr. Voss will talk about working your way through the best techniques and tools to help connect to that unknown match. A step by step case study is included. 

 "Photo e Detective Roadshow" Maureen Taylor Have you ever wished that I could comto your meeting to look at your pictures? Well now I can. If you’ve watched Antiques Roadshow, then you know how this works. It’s a virtual show and tell. This is a totally interactive event in which members of CDGS submit photos ahead of time and then meet virtually with me to learn about the specific clues I uncover in the photos. The Roadshow Format - basically a group live consult via internet connection - Details for submitting a photograph will be posted to the CDGS Conference website. Only fifteen (15) photos will be selected. This is a "MEMBERS ONLY” offering however, all Conference attendees will be able to attend the session. There will be a $15 fee if your photo is selected. 

"Honesty, Courtesy, and Confidentiality: Ethics for Family Historians" Thomas W. Jones How do “ordinary” genealogists benefit from ethics? How should family historians handle “sensitive” information like adoption, illegitimate birth, law-breaking, and suicide? What are standards of fair use and courtesy? The presenter will answer these questions and address issues related to ethics for all family historians. 

"Organizing Your DNA Matches: Introduction to the Leeds Method" Fred Voss So you log on to your DNA test site and it says you have 1139 matches. OK, what are you going to do next? Mr. Voss will talk about organizing your DNA along family lines by color clustering using the popular Leeds Method. Simple examples take you step by step through this organizing approach.

Capital District Genealogical Society, Meeting & Presentation, 26 June 2021

The Capital District Genealogical Society will hold its June meeting and presentation on Saturday, 26 June 2021. The presentation is an Introduction to Forensic Genealogy and the speaker is genealogist Kelvin L. Meyers.

Details are below: 

Capital District Genealogical Society : March Meeting

Just got back from RootsTech 2020 in Salt Lake City. If you have not been there, I suggest that you get there next year! It is a great experience; lots of energy and genealogical learning. 

Now for upcoming genealogy events, locally. The Capital District Genealogical Society will hold its March meeting on 28 March 2020 at the Sanford Library in Colonie at 1 PM. The lecture topic is The New York State Archives. Presented by archivist Jamie Brinkman. Further details are below. 

All meetings are held at 1 PM on the 4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May and November; no meeting in December.

Location: 
William K. Sanford Library
629 Albany-Shaker Road
Loudonville, New York 12211

1:00 - 2:30  Meeting and Speaker

2:00 - 2:30  Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our

speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)

2:30 - 3:30  Internet Resources Group and Discussion

Capital District Genealogical Society Meeting & Talk of the Anti-Rent War

The first Capital District Genealogical Society meeting and presentation of 2020 will be held on Saturday, 25 January 2020. The presentation is on the Anti-Rent War: 1839 to 1869 and the speaker is Historian Michael P. Barrett.
Details are below:

All meetings are held at 1 PM on the 4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May and November; no meeting in December.

Location: William K. Sanford Library

629 Albany Shaker Road

Loudonville, NY 12211

1:00 - 2:30  Meeting and Speaker

2:00 - 2:30  Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our

speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)

2:30 - 3:30  Internet Resources Group and Discussion

A Great Holiday Gift

The holiday season is here. Christmas and Hanukkah are around the corner,  only two weeks away. Don't know what gift to get the genealogist in the family? How does this sound for a gift? Register your genealogist for an upcoming genealogy conference on 30 May 2020 at a discounted price. The Capital District Genealogical Society is hosting this event, Improving Your Skills: What Do You Need?, at the Desmond Hotel, Albany.

Register before 15 January and save:
CDGS members: $100
Conference & join CDGS: $115
Non-Members: $125

Register after 15 January:
CDGS members: $125
Conference & join CDGS: $140
Non-Members: $150

Lunch, morning, and afternoon breaks with refreshments are included.

The program consists of three nationally known genealogists. Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, JD, CG, CGL, Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, and Meryl Schumacker, CG

Each presenter will give two talks.
Judy Russell

• After the Courthouse Burns: Rekindling Family History through DNA
• Don't Forget the Ladies: A Genealogist's Guide to Women and the Law

Thomas W. Jones

• The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames
• Out-of-State Workarounds for In-State Record Shortages

Meryl Schumacker

• Make Trying New Things in Genealogy Less Scary
• Strategies for Urban Research

To register for this event click here.

For the conference schedule click here.

Hope to see you in May!

Capital District Genealogical Society Upcoming Meetings

Join us at the Sanford Library in Colonie as the Capital District Genealogical Society hosts speakers, Ellen D'Aniello in November; and Michael P. Barrett in January 2020.

Date: 23 November 2019
Speaker: Ellen D'Aniello
A Salute to Veterans and a World War I Member Share

Date: 25 January 2020
Speaker Michael P. Barrett
Anti-Rent War: 1839 to 1869


All meetings are held at 1 PM on the 4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May and November; no meeting in December.

Location: William K. Sanford Library

629 Albany Shaker Road

Loudonville, NY 12211

1:00 - 2:30  Meeting and Speaker

2:00 - 2:30  Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our

speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)

2:30 - 3:30  Internet Resources Group and Discussion

Thomas W. Jones presents at the Capital District Genealogical Society

An upcoming genealogy lecture hosted by the Capital District Genealogical Society that is not to be missed is this weekend when Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS presents on Finding "Unfindable" Ancestors.

Tom is a prolific genealogy writer. He is the author of Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation among many more. The presentation room will fill early. 

Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 1:00 PM
Held at William K. Sanford Library

Town of Colonie

629 Albany Shaker Road

Loudonville, NY 12211For more information see the CDGS webpage

Upcoming History & Genealogy Events

The Capital District Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, February 23, 2019, at 1 PM. Schenectady Historical Society Librarian, Michael Maloney will present "Preserving your Family Photographs and Documents." Genealogists and historians are collectors of these important items. Learn how to keep these important artifacts safe and preserve them for future generations.

Capital District Genealogical Society meetings are held at the 
William K. Sanford Town Library
629 Albany-Shaker Road
Loudonville, New York 12211

The Troy Public Library will host Paul Stewart of the Underground Railroad History Project on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, at 6 PM as he shares his extensive knowledge on The Underground Railroad of Troy, NY: A Secret History of Ordinary Lives and Everyday Heroes. Registration is suggested. The Troy Public Library is located at
100 Second Street, Troy, NY.

The Poestenkill Historical Society will host Historian Jack Casey as he presents on the history of the Erie Canal on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, at 7 PM. The Poestenkill Historical Society meeting will be held at the Poestenkill Town Hall
Route 351
Poestenkill, New York

The following two historical events will be held at the East Greenbush Community Library in March and April.

The Battle of Bennington
Thursday, March 21, 2019, 6 PM
David Pitlyk will present on the history of the Battle of Bennington. Please register with the library for this lecture.

History of Hampton Manor
Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6:30 PM
Bobbie Reno will present on the history of Hampton Manor.

For further information please contact:
East Greenbush Community Library
10 Community Way, East Greenbush, NY 12061
Phone: 518.477-7476
Web: www.eastgreenbushlibrary.org

History Program : Rensselaer County Resources

Join us at the Sanford Library in Colonie as the Capital District Genealogical Society hosts Kathy Sheehan, Renssealaer County Historical Society Registrar and the Rensselaer County and Troy City Historian for a presentation on genealogy resources available at the Rensselaer County Historical Society.

Date: 26 January 2019
Time: 1 PM
Location: William K. Sanford Library

629 Albany Shaker Road

Loudonville, NY 12211

Meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May and November; no meeting in December.

All regular meetings begin at 1:00 PM.

Computer Resources Group meets 2:30 PM

1:00 - 2:30  Meeting and Speaker

2:00 - 2:30  Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our

speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)

2:30 - 3:30  Internet Resources Discussion

Capital District Genealogical Society : January 2018 Meeting

The first 2018 CDGS meeting is coming up on 27 January. Details about this program and the society are below.

January 27, 2018

Keith Swaney

Keith Swaney, senior archivist at the New York State Archives, will explore the Archives holdings on World War I that are useful for genealogy and local history. He will discuss military service records and records that document local communities efforts on the home front to support the war effort. He will describe locating both digitized and non-digitized records through the Ancestry.com New York portal and the State Archives' finding aids and digital collections searches.

Regular Meetings:

Held at William K. Sanford Library

Town of Colonie

629 Albany Shaker Road

Loudonville, NY 12211

4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May and November; no meeting in December.

All regular meetings begin at 1:00 PM.

Computer Resources Group meets 2:30 PM

1:00 - 2:30  Meeting and Speaker

2:00 - 2:30  Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our

speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)

2:30 - 3:30  Internet Resources Discussion

Election of Officers - November

CDGS has a "sale" table set up during the meeting, bring any genealogy magazine, maps and/or books and put a price on them, it is 50/50, you get half of the sale, or you can donate your half to the society.

The Capital District Genealogical Society was organized in 1981 with the following purpose:

• To teach members and other interested persons how to trace their family roots, lineage, or heritage
• To provide help to those seeking information via queries on relatives and/or family who in the past had connections to the Capital District and adjacent counties
• To educate the general public and membership by conducting special programs relevant to the purpose of the Society
• To coordinate the interests and concerns of persons and/or organizations throughout the Capital District area, New York State and the country in the development of information and resources to better serve the purpose of the Society, the membership and the public at large.

Capital District Genealogical Society Upcoming Meetings

The Capital District Genealogical Society is hosting two upcoming meetings with interesting speaker topics. The following is from the CDGS web page.

The meeting schedule follows as such:
1:00-2:30 Meeting and Speaker
2:30-3:30 Internet Resources

October 28, 2017
Lisa Dougherty
“10 Essential Websites for Irish Genealogy” 
“There has never been a better time for discovering your Irish ancestors than NOW! The explosion of records and websites on the Internet in recent years has been remarkable for the family historian! Join genealogist-in-residence for the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, Lisa Dougherty, for a practical guide to where you can access these all-important resources for documenting your family story!”

November 18, 2017
Susan R. Miller
New York Records Online, Including New Developments
New York has a reputation for being a genealogical challenge. We’ll look at the resources that are foundational for New York, and then look at the online records and new developments making it easier.

Sue Miller is the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Director of Programs; editor of the NYG&B’s magazine the New York Researcher; a managing editor of the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer; and has researched her New England and New York families for more than 20 years.

CDGS meetings are held at the Sanford Library (address below) on the fourth Saturday of each month; except for May when it is held on the third Saturday. There is no meeting in December.

William K. Sanford, Town of Colonie Library
629 Albany Shaker Road
Loudonville, N.Y. 12211

At the New York State Library:

The Capital District Genealogical Society maintains a genealogy support desk at the Library. This is operated by our volunteers who are on duty Monday - Friday.

Contact information for CDGS:

Captial District Genealogical Society
Empire State Plaza Station
PO Box 2175
Albany, New York 12220-0175

Saturday's Society : Capital District Genealogical Society

This week's Saturday's Society is on the local Capital District Genealogical Society. On and off since the late 1980s I was a member of this organization. I believe that I might have attended its very first meeting; which as I recall might have been held in a meeting room at the New York State Library.

The Society was founded in 1981 and the CDGS maintains a genealogy support desk at the New York State Library that is staffed by society volunteers Monday through Friday.

From the CDGS website its mission is:

• To teach members and other interested persons how to trace their family roots, lineage, or heritage;
• To provide help to those seeking information via queries on relatives and/or family who in the past had connections to the Capital District and adjacent counties;
• To educate the general public and membership by conducting special programs relevant to the purpose of the Society;
• To coordinate the interests and concerns of persons and/or organizations throughout the Capital District area, New York State and the country in the development of information and resources to better serve the purpose of the Society, the membership and the public at large. 

Their meetings are held at the Sanford Library (address below) on the fourth Saturday of each month; except for May when it is held on the third Saturday. There is no meeting in December.

William K. Sanford, Town of Colonie Library
629 Albany Shaker Road
Loudonville, N.Y. 12211

The meeting schedule follows as such:
12:00-1:00 Interest groups
1:00-2:30 Meeting and Speaker
2:30-3:30 Internet Resources

New York State Library:
The Capital District Genealogical Society maintains a genealogy support desk at the Library. This is operated by our volunteers who are on duty Monday - Friday.

Contact information for CDGS:

Captial District Genealogical Society
Empire State Plaza Station
PO Box 2175
Albany, New York 12220-0175

contactcdgs@gmail.com

Capital District Genealogical Society Meeting & Anniversary

On 22 October 2016, the Capital District Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at the William K. Sanford, Town of Colonie Library at 629 Albany-Shaker Road, Loudonville. This month's program is titled Getting Past Research Roadblocks and will be presented by Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer.

Program snipit: What genealogist doesn’t have research roadblocks? Breaking through them requires studying the ancestor and his associates as thoroughly as possible to construct a detailed timeline of his life and find clues for further research that may yield a solution.

The CDGS meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of month, except 3rd Saturday of month in May; and no meeting in December.
All regular meetings 1:00PM.
Interest groups meet 12 to 1PM.
Computer Resources Group meets 2:30PM.

After this month's program, a celebration of our 35th year as the Capital District Genealogical Society will be held. I have been a member of the CDGS on and off for years and may have been present at one of the very first CDGS meetings. I recall attending a CDGS meeting in a small lecture room within the New York State Library many many years ago. I remember Peter and Florence Christoph giving a talk during that meeting.