Meetings
Regular meetings are temporarily suspended due to Covid 19 precautions. Meetings will be held via Zoom until further notice.
Regular Meetings:
Held at William K. Sanford Library
Town of Colonie
629 Albany Shaker Road
Loudonville, NY 12211
4th Saturday of month, except 5th Saturday in 2020 in May for the Conference and the 3rd Saturday of month in November; no meeting in December.
All regular meetings begin at 1:00 PM.
Election of Officers - November
We welcome you to a year of interesting and informative programs at CDGS!
1:00 - 2:30 Meeting and Speaker
During the presentation questions can be submitted using the chat feature on Zoom. Our speaker will address submitted questions at the end of the presentation.
Temporarily Suspended:
2:30- 3:00Refreshments with meet and mingle time (our
speaker usually is usually available for questions during this time)
3:00 - 3:30 Internet Resources Discussion
Additional Genealogy Related Events in the Capital District
Although the New York State Library remains closed to visitors, they will be offering some upcoming free webinars of interest to genealogists. Here’s the link to register: www.nysl.nysed.gov/programs.
Heritage Hunters
Saturday, April 17th at 1:00 pm
Chris Martin, Integrated Resource Manager for the Saratoga National Historic Park will discuss a 2019 archaeological dig led by William Griswold, an archaeologist with the National Park Service. It focused on a short battle in 1777 when 12,000 American soldiers surprised 1700 hungry British and German men in a short battle that changed the course of the Revolutionary War. The dig used aerial survey, metal detecting, digging and ground penetrating radar to help determine where in the old Barber wheat field the different troops fought. The work was carried out by 33 veterans who came from all over the country to participate.
Public is welcome and can request the Zoom link by emailing the organization’s president, Dave Peck, at davepeck208@hotmail.com
Southern California Genealogical Society Genealogy Jamboree
The Genes in Your Family
Online, Virtual Genetic Genealogy Conference
Friday and Saturday June 4 - 5, 2021
and
The Stars in Your Family
A world class virtual genealogy conference with
51 Speakers from the USA, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and the UK
Friday and Saturday, June 11 - 12, 2021
Family History Fanatics
3rd annual Research Your Way to Genealogy Answers
Virtual conference on Saturday, 5th June 2021
Sessions:
Research Over My Shoulder: A Practical Guide to Researching Your Ancestors (Devon Noel Lee)
How To Effectively Research Newspapers For Your Ancestors (Lisa Lisson)
How to Research German Ancestors from the US to their Hometown (Miles Meyer)
Dissecting a Civil War Pension Record-Union & Confederate (Jill Morelli)
The online sessions will begin at 10am Eastern Time on Saturday, 5th June 2021.
As with past events there will be a 5th hour panel discussion where you can ask questions about any of the topics or even anything else related to genealogy and research.
Early bird registration is only $19.99 until May 22nd. The regular registration price is $24.99.
Learn more at the website (https://www.familyhistoryfanatics.com/researchconference) and register today.
May 22, 2021
Genealogy and German Jews: A Success Story in Reconstituting an Entire Family
Michael Tuteur
Jewish genealogy presents multiple challenges: Before 1800, Jews typically had no last names; records were not kept in family bibles or at the synagogue; and tradition dictated that children were to be named after deceased relatives, leading to many relatives having the same name. Despite these challenges, Jewish genealogy in Germany can yield highly successful results, in part because German society excelled in keeping and maintaining records, even of Jews. This presentation will offer tips and tricks for finding your German Jewish ancestors and relatives (and European Jews generally). It will do so through the lens of a 30-year effort to document and connect all persons who descended from two half-brothers with a unique last name: Tuteur.
April 24, 2021
Unlocking Notation Codes on Alien Passenger Lists
This talk will be recorded but be placed on Members Only page for one month.
Elizabeth Williams Gomoll
Late 19th and early 20th century alien passenger manifests often contain cryptic number and letter codes. Learn how to interpret them and what significant details they can reveal about your ancestor’s immigration and naturalization experience.
Elizabeth Williams Gomoll, CG® received her credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She is president of the Association for Professional Genealogists Northland Chapter, co-editor of Minnesota Genealogist, and a director for the Minnesota Genealogical Society. She is also a member of the National Genealogical Society and several ethnic societies. Liz does research professionally as Red Bird Genealogy Services (www.RedBirdGen.com).
Michael Tuteur has been an amateur genealogist for over 30 years. Michael is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and is a practicing litigation partner at a national law firm, residing in Boston. Michael has spent countless hours in the U.S. and Germany researching and documenting his ancestors and relatives, all of whom were Jews from German-speaking locations within Europe. Beginning in 1990, Michael committed to uncovering the roots of his own, very unusual last name – a French legal term that appears to have nothing to do with the original “family business” of boiling and manufacturing soap. Michael ultimately established through his research that every person who carries the name “Tuteur” is a descendant of two half-brothers who, in accordance with a Napoleonic decree, first adopted the Tuteur surname in the tiny German town of Winnweiler in October 1808.
This course will give the participant an overview of forensic genealogy and the role of the genealogist in these types of cases. We will discuss some of the major types of cases in which a forensic genealogist may be involved, such as guardianship, oil and gas, unidentified and unclaimed persons, and probate. The role of the forensic genealogist as an expert witness will also be discussed.
“Wha’s like us? Damn few, an’ they’re aw’ deid!” Although Scotland is currently part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, its historic records and traditions are very different compared to the rest of the UK, with many institutions remaining independent from England at the time of the Union in 1707. These include the Presbyterian based state church, the legal system (Scots Law), the education system, and considerably more.In this session, Ayrshire based family historian Chris Paton outlines the records needed to explore your Scottish ancestry, noting where to find them online and offline, and exploring how they can help to trace your forebears back through time. He’ll discuss church records, civil registration records, censuses, land records, inheritances processes, and along the way flag up some of Scotland’s more interesting historic traditions to help researchers better understand their Caledonian heritage. Originally from Northern Ireland, Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer today based in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he runs the Scotland’s Greatest Story research service at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk. As well as contributing to many of the UK’s best known family history magazines, Chris also writes for his own Scottish GENES news blog at www.scottishgenes.blogspot.com, and regularly gives talks to family history societies across the UK and worldwide. His recent publications include Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd edition), and Sharing Your Family History Online.
July 24, 2021
Researching Your Scottish Ancestry
Chris Paton
August 28, 2021
The Legacy of Kate Mullany
Paul F. Cole
September 25, 2021
A one-day virtual conference with multiple speakers
October 23, 2021
Using Fulton History Website
Dennis Hogan
June 26, 2021
Introduction to Forensic Genealogy
Kelvin L. Meyers
November 20, 2021
Don't Forget the Ladies - A Genealogists Guide to Women and the Law
Judy Russell "The Legal Genealogist"
