Family History Day: Finding your World War One Ancestors

On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I or the “Great War.”  Nearly five million American men served in the armed services during the war.  In addition, many women served as nurses, relief workers, and in other non-combat roles.  As we prepare to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary, now is the time to search for your WWI ancestors or learn more about the ones you have already discovered.

Using a fascinating case study of a common American pilot stationed in France, learn the steps to search for records of your WWI ancestor and the potential sources of information about his or her war experiences.  Digital and print resources available at the New York Public Library and elsewhere will be featured in this presentation.

William J. Forsyth (Bill), is the Senior Product Manager for the Genealogy and Maps product line at ProQuest,with 20 years as an executive or senior manager in the genealogy industry. In 2014, he was the recipient of the American Library Association’s Genealogy/History Achievement Award.

Bill is a regular speaker at national and regional library and genealogy conferences. He serves on the Records Preservation and Access Committee, a joint committee of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. Bill also serves on the American Library Association/RUSA Genealogy Committee and is the past national chair of the Local History Committee, both appointed positions. Whenever he has free time, Bill is doing biographical research for a scholarly book that he is writing for publication.

This program is funded through The New York Public Library's Innovation Project, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation

To register for the event, visit the Family History Day page