Historical Talk on Albany's German Community

The Historical Society of Esquatak is opening their 2017-2018 program series with a lecture on Albany's German community on Friday, September 15, 2017 at 7 PM at the Schodack Town Hall.

Christopher White will present a lecture on Albany's once vibrant German-American community before and after Europe's Great War.

The Schodack Town Hall address is 265 Schuurman Road, Castleton-on-Hudson, NY 12033. It is located across the street from Tractor Supply Company on Routes 9/20.

Esquatak has a presence on the Internet with
Esquatak's Facebook Page
Website

Monthly meetings take place at venues located in Schodack and Nassau. Please refer to the Program Schedule for exact locations.

Esquatak's Mailing Address:
The Historical Society of Esquatak
P.O. Box 241
East Schodack, NY 12063 

Fall Harvest & History Fair

An article from last week's Rensselaer County Advertiser newspaper reads:

Fall Harvest & History Fair Returns
The Town of Nassau Historic Preservation Committee will present the annual Fall Harvest and History fair on Saturday, September 23rd, from 11am to 4pm at the Chandler Young VFW Post located at the corner of US Route 20 and Lyons Lake Road in Nassau. Reflecting Nassau's past and present agricultural heritage, the theme of the event will be "Family Life on the Farm" and "Nassau's One Room School Houses."

The free event will provide many children's activities including a colonial-era "Dames School", hands-on butter making, historical games and pumpkin painting.

Presentations include "Family Life on the Farm", given by Rensselaer County Historian, Kathy Sheehan at 11:30am and "The One Room School House" given by committee member and Nassau native Alice Goebel at 1pm.

With assistance from the Nassau Committee on Farming and Agriculture, local farmers will be on hand offering their harvest goods for sale. Additionally, community groups and historic organizations will have displays. There will be free food, refreshments and entertainment for all. Please join us! For more information, e-mail Town Historian Melody Howarth at: melzbelles@aol.com.

Greenbush Historical Society Programs

The Greenbush Historical Society will present two upcoming historical programs at the East Greenbush Community Library. One in September and the other in November. Details and information are below:

Greenbush Historical Society presents the Constitution- Then and Now
Sunday, 9/17, 2pm-4pm
Ken Kiser will discuss the origins of the Constitution and how it has changed through the years. Registration begins 8/21.

Greenbush Historical Society presents Sears Roebuck Homes
Sunday, 11/12, 2pm-4pm
Mary Ellen Sullivan will discuss a time when home could be ordered from a catalog. Many of these homes still exist in the area- find out if you live in one. Registration begins 10/9.

Both of these programs require attendees to register.


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

Raising a Fallen Obelisk

This weekend my father and I finished raising a small obelisk that sunk, became un-level, and then toppled over in the Evangelical Protestant Cemetery. This project was filmed and then edited into a 5 minute video. The creation of the video was a three part process. A clip from a November 2015 begins the film. Next we begin the restoration project but then realize that we cannot safely finish because the legs on lifting tripod are too short. About 4 weeks later we completed the project when I brought my longer tripod legs.

Reminder: Family Search Microfilm Rental Ends This Week

Just a reminder that after 80 years of microfilming records, the Latter Day Saints is discontinuing its microfilm rentals this week on Thursday, 7 September 2017. Due to the costs of reproducing and mailing microfilms this loaning system is ending.

The LDS has already digitized over 1.5 million of their existing microfilms and those images are now searchable on the Family Search website. The remaining microfilms are projected to be digitized by 2020.

Future record acquisitions by the LDS will immediately digitized.

MyHeritage DNA, Houston, & Hurrican Harvey

For anyone who has submittted their DNA to MyHeritage for testing, your samples are safe, I read. Yes, Harvey dumped an unprecedented amount of water on Houston. MyHeritage uses the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) labs for DNA processing and is located in Houston. I read that the DNA labs are on the 8th floor of an office building and are completely safe. However DNA results may be delayed due to employees being unable to commute to work because of the flooding.

End of Summer

End of Summer is upon us and now it is time to play catch-up. Vacations, kids, doctors, work, OT work, cemetery work, and life in general means you are always busy. Thankfully this blog allows me to schedule articles to post whenever I choose. Many times I get moments of inspiration where I can write numerous articles in advance and have them automatically post. Hint: I have been busy and away from posting but will be back into the swing. BTW the first of the month was a couple of days ago. Back-up your data.