Meetings

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

Election of Officers - November

Donations Needed

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.

Our inventory is low at the moment so if you have any genealogical journals or books you would like to donate they would be appreciated.

1:00 - 2:00  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

We welcome you to a year of interesting and informative programs at CDGS!

Oct. 26. 2019 – Schuyler Mansion: A Genealogical Presentation

With the arrival of the musical “Hamilton” at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady in August, the “Schuyler Sisters” exhibit at the Albany Institute of History & Art from July to December, and many other events, the Capital District is in a Schuyler Family frenzy. CDGS is very pleased to announce a presentation by Schuyler Mansion staff at the October 26, 2019 CDGS meeting that will be geared towards genealogy.

On the following day, Sunday October 27, 2019 at 1:00, there will be a CDGS day at Schuyler Mansion.  Signups and payment will be collected in advance.  Cost is $4 per person (adults only), with a maximum of 30 attendees.

Nov 23, 2019

Ellen D'Aniello

A Salute to Veterans and a World War I Member Share

We will acknowledge veterans in attendance and then turn our focus to World War I. While the war ended in 1918, most of our service members returned home in 1919 so this is the 100th anniversary of welcoming them home.
Ellen D’Aniello will give a brief presentation on the role of the Red Cross and the YMCA during the war effort. She will also present on her maternal grandfather who was a POW in WWI. The program will then be opened up for members to share about their WWI service members. Signup for the member share will be available starting in September.

BIO
As the eldest grandchild on both sides of her family, Ellen D’Aniello has been investigating her roots since she was 12 years old. While she was lucky to have all four grandparents and a great grandmother living until Ellen was a teenager, those early conversations served to spark her curiosity and begin her journey down the genealogy path.

January 25, 2020

Michael P. Barrett

Anti-Rent War: 1839 to 1869

If you had family in New York State in the mid 1800’s then you won’t want to miss our January presentation on “The Anti-Rent War: 1839 to 1869.” For more than a half-century following the American Revolution, over 10% of the NYS population lived on leasehold property that they could not purchase from members of the landed aristocracy. These owners jealously guarded their rights to perpetual ownership, which traced from original Dutch or Royal land grants, and would allow only rental leases, often on onerous terms, to their farming tenants.
The Anti-Rent movement gained momentum upon the death of leading landlord Stephen Van Rensselaer in 1839. The initial lack of financial and political power led the resisters to adopt the Boston Tea Party tactic of “Indian” disguise in order to stymie law enforcement and eviction. Politicians and liberal thinkers adopted the cause, and it became one of the most important legal and social issues of the turbulent pre-Civil War period. Thirty years of armed resistance, terror, imprisonment and strife swept across 16 counties of upstate New York.
On a national level, the War indirectly led to the founding of the Republican Party and to the passage of the federal Homestead Act, which opened the West to settlement. Ironically, here in NY, neither the landlords nor the tenants could ever claim a true victory, as both sides were forced to eat bitter fruit in the eventual resolutions of the disputes.

Michael P. Barrett earned a B.S. in Criminal Science at Russell Sage College, while working as a police officer for the City of Troy, NY. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the Western New England University School of Law, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is presently employed as Executive Director of the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, and the Burden Iron Works Museum in Troy, NY.
He is a member of many of the local historical societies, and has lectured at, or led historical tours for over one hundred and forty different organizations. Among other positions, he is a Board member of the Lansingburgh Historical Society, a Past President and Editor of the Brunswick Historical Society; a Past Chairman and Editor of the Capital District Civil War Roundtable; a former member of the Board of Advisors at the N.Y.S. Military Heritage Museum; and a contributing author to The Encyclopedia of New York State.

May 30, 2020

All Day CDGS Conference at the Desmond. Stay tuned for more details