Nassau Oktoberfest

Copied from the Rensselaer County Advertiser newspaper:

Nassau's Village Beautification Committee presents a traditional Oktoberfest celebration on Sunday, September 25th, at the Village Commons Park on John Street, just off US Route 20. The event runs from 12 noon until 4 PM and features traditional German foods, beverages, and entertainment.

Inspired by European harvest festivals, the Oktoberfest menu will include a variety of tasty treats including an array of locally-made German sausages, vegan bratwurst, imported German sauerkraut, potato salad, and made-as-you-watch potato pancakes. All foods are available for take-out.

What's an Oktoberfest without good beer? That question is answered with a broad selection of both imported German beers and fresh and local ales from Nassau's own S & S Farm Brewery.

Nassau's own Bavarian Barons, a traditional German brass band founded in the village over 50 years ago. With a lively program of polkas, waltzes, and marches, the group has a long history of entertaining the public throughout New York and New England.

Admission is free and will take place under tents rain or shine. Guests may bring their own chairs if they wish. For additional information, go to www.Nassau12123.com or call 518.766.2291.

Nassau Library Local History Program

Free programs that explore local history have been set for the Nassau Free Library. Many family history files containing names, dates, and other information through which one can trace area family roots are on file in the library.

Genealogy 101 presented by Arthur Young will begin at the library on Monday, October 17 and will conclude on Monday, November 21, with "What's in the Nassau Free Library Local History Collection?" presented by Kurt Vincent, Nassau Village Historian and Nassau Free Library Trustee.

All programs start at 7PM, are scheduled for the historic "main room" of the Library, in the original 1835 structure. Home of the Library since 1893, the building is part of the Church Street Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Library is located at 18 Church Street, US Route 20, Nassau.

The Library's web page is located here.

Lecture on the Impact of World War I on Albany's German-American Community

A lecture on the impact of the First World War on Albany's German-American community is being developed for a presentation this coming February at the New Scotland Museum; the home of the New Scotland Historical Association. The talk is scheduled for Sunday 5 February 2017. The museum is open Sundays between 2 PM and 4 PM and is located in New Salem at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center on Old New Salem Road off Route 85 just past the intersection of Route 85A. More details will follow as the date approaches. For more information please visit the website or call 518.765.4652.

Upcoming Albany History Event

Coming up on Saturday 24 September 2016 is the third annual Albany History Race. Last year I participated in this race with a friend Paul. It was a lot of fun and we took third place out of about 20 + teams. Not bad for first-timers. The event is hosted by the Albany Public Library and its focus will be on historic buildings in the city.

Last September I posted an article on my participation in the Albany History Race. The story can be found here.

Details clipped from the library website:

Event Type: Adult Program
Age Group(s): Adult (Ages 18+)
Date: 9/24/2016
Start Time: 1:00 PM
End Time: 4:00 PM

Description:

 The Third Annual Albany History Race is an Amazing Race style afternoon scavenger hunt for history experts, novices, and visitors interested in learning about Albany’s past. No prior knowledge is needed to participate. For this year's race, the Albany Public Library is partnering with Historic Albany Foundation and showcasing the endangered buildings of our city. The event will begin in the library’s local history room and conclude at McGeary’s Pub, where teams will receive 20% off their food and drink that afternoon. Additional Albany themed prizes will be awarded to the fastest teams!

Here's how you can participate and win!

Make a team! All teammates must fit in one car. You provide the car.

Meet at the library at 1pm on Saturday, 9/24 to receive clues directing you to historic locations in Albany.

Plan the quickest route to visit the locations that afternoon.

Hop in your team's car, race to the spots, and document your visit with your cell phone camera or digital camera.

The final stop is McGeary's Pub where all teams will get a 20% discount on food and drink! We'll also reward the fastest teams with additional Albany themed prizes!

Registration begins September 1, 2016. To sign up your team, have only one member of your team register below. or call 518-427-4376. For more details, please email localhistory@albanypubliclibrary.org.

Library: Washington Ave. Branch    Map 
Location: Albany Public Library -- Washington Ave.
Registration Ends: 9/23/2016 at 5:00 PM
Status: Openings

Register at this link

Online Dutch Archives & Records

It is hoped that this article will be a handy resource for anyone who is fortunate enough to have Dutch ancestry. The Dutch have phenomenal genealogical records. Not just their civil records such as births, marriages, and deaths, but also for their church records. In 1811, all provinces (states) of the Netherlands were required to record all births, marriages, and deaths. Church records such as baptisms, marriages, and burials are the necessary records to search before 1811. Church records may date back into the 1500s.

Genealogists looking to research Dutch records will be glad to know that many of these records are accessible online. Not just indexes and transcriptions of the records but many times a scan of the actual record is available; for free also. All archives' websites are different so the researcher will not know until the sites are searched.

Below is a list of online archives that I have book marked. Many of these sites have been used by me and some have not. The archives are organized by the province that they are within. A few of the larger, mainstream, and informative sites that might be sought after are listed first.

Larger and Popular Sites
WieWasWie
FamilySearch
FamilySearchWiki
National Archives of the Netherlands
Archivenet

Church Records
Access to church records on Family Search by province

Archives in Province of Drenthe
AlleDrenten

Archives in Province of Friesland
HistoricCentreLeeuwarden
Tresoar
Ameland
AlleFriezen

Archives in Province of Gelderland
Barneveld
Apeldoorn
Gelderland Archief
Regional Archief Zutphen
Achterhoek & Liemers
Regional Archief Nijimegen
Regional Archief Rivierenland

Archives in Province of Groningen
Gemeente Archief Hoogezand-Sappemeer
AlleGroningers

Archives in Province of Limburg
Rijckheyt
All Limburgers
Gemeente Archief Venlo
Archief Venray
Gemeente Archief Weert

Archives in Province of Noord Brabant
West Brabant Archives
BHIC
Regional Archief Tilburg
Breda Archives
Regionaal Historich Centrum Eindhoven
Altena Archief
Gemert-Bakel Archief
Waalwijck Archief
's Hertogenbosch Archief

Archives in Province of Noord Holland
Noord Holland Archives
Westfries Archive
Regional Archive Alkmaar
Zaanstad Archive
Vecht en Venen
Waterlands Archief

Archives in Province of Overijssel
Historical Centre Overijssel
Gemeente Archief Kampen
Gemeetearchief Hengelo

Archives in Province of Utrecht
Utrechts Archief
Archives Eemland

Archives in Province of Zeeland
Zeeland Archief
Gemeente Archief Schouwen-Duiveland
Gemeente Archief Goes
Gemeente Archief Tholen

Archives in Province of Zuid Holland
Delft Archief
Stadarchief Rotterdam
Voorne-Putten & Rozenburg
Rijnland Archief
Rijnstreek en Lopikerwaard
Regional Archives Dordrecht
Den Haag Archives
Leiden Archives
Vlaardingen Archives
Schiedam Archief
Stadarchief Delft
Gemeente Zederik
Oud Soetermeer

Deutscher Kreiger Vereine

This is not a post that I like but I feel the need to get it out. In January 2015, I posted a short article on the Deutscher Kreiger Vereine or DKV. In the post I attached a picture of one of the last remaining DKV flag holders in the area that I knew of. Over time there were some questions that readers emailed me regarding the DKV. One reader emailed me a few months ago and notified me that the DKV flag holder was missing from the gravesite. I mentioned perhaps the family removed it to clean it up or repair it. Recently I traveled to the cemetery where the flag holder was located and it was still missing as of last week. It is hoped that my article did not draw attention to it and then someone stole it. Either way if the family did not remove it, shame on whoever took it.

New Video detailing work at the Evangelical Protestant Cemetery

A new seven minute video was created and is located at the bottom of this blog. The video was created by my daughter on her cell phone and it shows the work and effort that has been put into reclaiming the Krumkill Road Evangelical Protestant Cemetery. We just finished rehabbing an area in the cemetery that we are calling the Civil War grove. Numerous Civil War vets and their wives are buried there. With so many vets buried in this area, we decided to work on their gravestones first.

Many thanks go out to those who have aided this project in one way or another. A thank you goes out to Julie who recently gave a donation towards this project. Thank you!