Annual Forest Park Cemetery Tour

According to the Facebook page for the Forest Park Cemetery, the annual walking tour of the cemetery will be held on Saturday, 21 October 2017 at 1:00 PM. The tour is presented by the Brunswick Town Historian and the Brunswick Historical Society. In the event of rain, please check the Facebook page to see if this event will rescheduled. Parking is not allowed on Pinewoods Avenue. Cemetery gates will be opened at 12:45 PM. The cemetery is located on Pinewoods Avenue in Brunswick across from Banbury Road.

Last year I attended this event and found it very interesting. A link to last year's blog post on this event can be found here. Wear sturdy shoes and dress accordingly. It was very cool during walk last year.

Upcoming Talk on the History of the Albany Fire Department

An upcoming talk on the history of the Albany Fire Department will take place at the Albany Public Library on Washington Avenue. The presentation will be given by City Historian Tony Opalka. Details for the event are below.

Albany Fire Department at 150 Years

Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Time: 5:30pm 7:00pm

Location: Albany Public Library

151 Washington Avenue

Albany, NY, 12210

Join City Historian Tony Opalka for a chat about the paid professional Albany Fire Department's 150 years of service to the Capital City. Hear about some of Albany's fascinating historic fires and the havoc they wreaked on Albany's buildings, citizens, and firemen.

Wordless Wednesday : Hohenburg Coat of Arms

Hohenburg Coat of Arms
Homeland of one of my great great grandmothers
Katharina Schuster

Conference Keeper

A website that I came across recently is ConferenceKeeper.org. The web page has the most complete listing of genealogy conferences throughout the United States and other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and the United Kingdom. With this site you will never need to question when and where is next genealogy conference. Simply scroll down and click on the state or country listed and you will see what is coming up in that area. The website has a Blog, Facebook, and Twitter presence. For genealogical societies, submitting an upcoming event is easy and Free. Just click on the submissions tab.

Genealogical Records Restrictions in NYC

Bad news on the horizon. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is proposing a new rule that will restrict access to both birth and death records. If this rule is implemented then New York City birth records will be unavailable for 125 years (1892) and death records held for 75 years (1942). Aside from this being bad for New York researchers, other states and municipalities could follow this plan if New York City is successful.

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society is leading the fight against this. According to the NYG&B, "Genealogists across the country are constantly battling with state and local governments to keep public records easily accessible. We fear that if this proposal succeeds, state and local governments everywhere will attempt to impose similar restrictions in an effort to save themselves time and money. We strongly feel that now is the time for us all to take a stand - if New York City receives a resounding no from the genealogy community, other governments elsewhere will think twice before trying the same thing. 

Anyone - even those outside of New York - can help us in our endeavor. To keep these historical records accessible to the millions who have New York ancestors, we need to mobilize quickly and act decisively.

Visit our Save NYC Vital Records Access page to see how you can help - the deadline for action is October 24, 2017 at 5:00 pm ET. 

What can I do to stop this?

New York City is accepting public comments on the matter until October 24. A big public outcry might just be enough to convince them to drop the idea. Please visit our Save NYC Vital Records Access page to read about everything you can do to help. In short, there are four things: 

1. Send your own public comment: Your individual written comment to the NYC Department of Health matters. Draft your own, or simply download the letter from our website, sign your name, and send it in. 
2. Attend the hearing: There will be a public hearing on this issue on October 24. The NYG&B is gathering as many community members as possible to pack the house and show our support for open access to historical records!
3. Sign our petition: We have prepared our own official public comment that will provide an authoritative and well-reasoned argument in support of our position, and we're inviting anyone with an interest to sign on in support. Click here to read the letter and sign. 
4. Share the news: The key to our success is to mobilize massive numbers of vocal citizens who support our position. Click here for links to Facebook posts, Tweets, and emails that you can share to spread the word. 

Schuyler Family Reunion Weekend

Next weekend a family reunion of sorts is happening. Two of Albany's oldest families, Schuyler and Hamilton, will return to their former home, the Schuyler Mansion. Details are below.

Schuyler Family Reunion Weekend

From: October 13, 2017 - October 15, 2017 (Recurring daily)
Location: Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Address: 32 Catherine St, Albany, NY 12202
Phone: 518.434.0834

Schuyler and Hamilton descendants return home to Schuyler Mansion for a weekend that will include historic tours, exhibits, presentations, genealogy and a tour of recent interior / exterior restoration projects at the mansion. Registration includes dinner, box lunch, two receptions and a digital copy of the Schuyler Family Genealogy. This weekend event is open to the interested public (registration is with current membership). For more details, please visit www.schuylerfriends.org.

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