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

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.

1:00 - 2:30  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! 

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Erik Schlimmer, Resident Author, Beechwood Books

Cradle of the Union: Albany History Uncovered

The City of Albany has 800 streets, and thus as many street names. In this program, Erik takes audiences on a virtual tour of street names, weaving among war heroes, criminals, founding fathers, and Dutch settlers. This presentation is based on his recently-released book, Cradle of the Union: A Street by Street History of New York's Capital City.

Erik is the author of six books and has written for The Trek, Mountain Biking Magazine, National Geographic Explorer, and a dozen other publications. His passion for education has been honored with the State University of New York's Merit Award for Teaching, awarded three times, and their Outstanding Instructor of the Year Award.

April 27, 2019

Family History Research Day

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Do you have a brick wall you'd like to break through or wish to get started on your family history research? Bring your questions to experienced family researchers who will assist you in your research at no charge. It will be helpful if you can provide names, dates, and locations of your relatives (as much as you know.)

May 18, 2019 (note that this is the 3rd Saturday)

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

Finding“Unfindable”Ancestors

The failure of common research practices to identify ancestors does not mean they are unfindable. This session will describe and demonstrate nine approaches to locating difficult- to- trace ancestors.

Tom has been pursuing his ancestry since 1963. For the first twenty years he was clueless about what he was trying to accomplish and how to do it. When he started climbing the genealogy learning curve he repeatedly experienced the challenges, joys, and rewards of tracing ancestors reliably and fully understanding their lives. Tom eventually became an award-winning writer, board-certified genealogist, editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, recipient of honors from genealogical organizations, and author of the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation. Using his nearly lifelong career in education as a springboard, he enjoys teaching at weeklong genealogy institutes, weekend seminars, and local, national, and international genealogy conferences.

June 22, 2019

Bryna O’Sullivan

Quebec Genealogy

Quebec Genealogy is designed to be an introductory program on researching in Quebec. Focusing primarily on French Quebec, it touches on the Canadian Census, civil and religious record keeping, and notarial records, with an emphasis on working with French language records when you don’t speak the language. It mentions some of the logistical differences in researching the Anglo-Quebec community, most especially the issues faced in delving into Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

Bryna O’Sullivan is a Middletown, CT based professional genealogy researcher, teacher, and French to English translator. Holder of a Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies – Canadian Records from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and a B.A. in French Literature from Tufts University, she can trace her roots back to the Filles du roi. As part of her work with Charter Oak Genealogy, she assists clients in documenting their Revolutionary roots through both French and English Quebec.

July 27, 2019

Jackie Graziano

Using Original Records for Genealogy

Using Original Records for Genealogy, highlighting records in our collection that are most helpful for genealogy. We are the repository for Westchester County’s collection of historic government documents, covering the late 17th through early 20th centuries. I also cover strategies for locating record repositories, and illustrate how original records can help genealogists get pst those notorious “brick walls.”

After spending several years in publishing and advertising, I decided to go into library work, received my MLS from Queens College, with a certificate in Archives and Records Management, and was fortunate to land the job of Archivist with Westchester County. The Archives is a resource for all county departments, as well as the general public. I handle all research questions, oversee the Reading Room, and am in charge of preservation for our collection, which includes digitizing records.