Genealogy Online with Ancestry Library

Senior Librarian Stephanie Barrett will demonstrate the Ancestry Library online database which is accessible at the New York State Library.  Learn how to access Census records, genealogy and history book, maps and other resources included in this database, as well as, the resources on Ancestry NYS page which are freely available to all New Yorkers.  Stephanie will also demonstrate search tips and strategies, how to save records, printing and how to create a family tree via Ancestry. 

Seating is limited and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library, 7th floor computer classroom

Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library

The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for a tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories and more. Cara Janowsky, Associate Librarian in Public Services, will lead the tour.

The tour is limited to 15 individuals and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library 7th floor – meet in front of Genealogy/Local History/Equipment desk

NYS Library Lunchtime Book Talk: Erie Canal Boats, Stagecoaches, and Wagons: Traveling and Living in New York State in 1826

Bring your lunch and enjoy a short, informative, entertaining talk by Paul Schneider, author of Everything Worthy of Observation: The 1826 New York State Travel Journal of Alexander Stewart Scott.

On August 2, 1826, a 21-year-old Canadian law student, Alexander Stewart Scott, set off on a vacation/family visit. The United States was barely fifty years old and the Erie Canal had not reached its first birthday. Traveling south from Quebec City to Albany to Wayne County and as far west as Niagara Falls, Scott experienced travel on steamboats, stagecoaches, and Erie Canal packet boats. Luckily for us, before he set out on his journey, he bought an 8¼ in. x 5 1/8 in. blank book to write down notes on what he saw and did in Saratoga Springs, Albany, Rochester and Buffalo and points in between during his 110-day trip. He had a flair for telling a story and the diary is a good read. Paul Schneider’s research into Scott’s family and on travel in the 1820s has turned the 136-page good read into an even better read.

Books will be available for sale in the museum shop before and after the talk.

SPECIAL NOTE: Alexander Stewart Scott's original travel journal will be on display!

Registration is recommended.

Location: Cultural Education Center, Huxley Theater, first floor

Online Grant Resources from Candid

Senior Librarian Michael Meyer will demonstrate two online products from Candid (formerly the Foundation Center) that are available at the New York State Library. The Foundation Directory Online provides accurate details on over 100,000 US foundations and corporate donors and over 2.2 million recent grants. Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is an online database of over 8,500 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grant seekers.

Space is limited and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library, 7th Floor Computer Classroom

The First Grand Slam

The first grand slam in Major League Baseball history was hit on September 10, 1881, in a game between two long-defunct teams: Troy and Worcester. So how did the home game that was supposed to be in Troy end up being mislabeled as Albany and actually end up in what's now the city of Rensselaer?

Matt Malette has run the Albany Archives, an outlet for local history on social media, for the last seven years. He also has a recurring segment on Spectrum News and is a vice president for The Historic Albany Foundation. In the warmer months he gives walking tours within the city of Albany on a variety of topics. This past spring Malette was able to prove that the first grand slam in Major League Baseball history was hit in Rensselaer, NY. 

Registration is recommended.

Location: New York State Library, 7th floor Librarians Room