Genealogy Essentials

"Fifth Avenue, Nos. 4, 6, 8" Berenice Abbott, 1936. The New York Public Library Digital Collections. This event is online only. Have you ever wondered about the history of your home? Who used to live there or what their lives were like? This class will show you how to research the history of your building and the people who owned and lived in it. Looking at censuses, city directories, land conveyances, and photographs, newspapers and local histories you will learn how to construct a narra…

This event is online only. Experienced librarians demonstrate the steps involved in starting your family history research. Discover essential research methods and strategies, identify relevant records and how to locate them, and organize your family research information. Registration is required. REGISTER HERE. Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific accessibility request, please email accessibility@nypl.org at least two weeks before the program date. Woodville, Californi…

This class is online. If you have been collecting the information, now it is time to shape your genealogy research into a cohesive family history for others to read. Learn the different types of family history writing styles and explore the writing manuals that will match your writing style. Explore the history of the places where your family lived, tips for creating a cohesive narrative, and why writing a family history is the ultimate goal of genealogy research. Registration is required. R…

This class is online only. In this class we explore the history of how your ancestors became citizens of the United States of America, the kinds of records they generated when they did so, what information those records contain, and where you can find them. Registration is required. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific accessibility request, please email accessibility@nypl.org at least two weeks before the program date.

This event is online only. Experienced librarians demonstrate the steps involved in starting your family history research. Learn about essential research methods and strategies, how to identify and locate relevant records, and the library’s genealogy resources. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific accessibility request, please email accessibility@nypl.org at least two weeks before the program date. An African American family reading books…

This class is online only. This class will describe how maps in the collections of The New York Public Library and elsewhere can be used to drive genealogical research and illustrate family histories. The focus will be on digitized maps. We will explore fire insurance maps and atlases, military and topographical maps, county maps and atlases, and many more kinds of maps, to locate records, discover where our ancestors lived, and what their lives were like. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REG…

"Pursuit of Happiness" graduate. IMAGE ID: 56806023 This event is online only. From 1565 to 1790, Africans comprised over a third of the roughly one million newcomers to what would become the United States. With little exception, these nearly 360,000 men, women, and children crossed in bondage. Centuries of local and federal laws related to the livelihood of black Americans have created a complex paper trail of genealogical resources. This class aims to provide introductory historical co…

This event is online only. In this class attendees will learn about the basic military record groups used by genealogists, and explore the different options available at The New York Public Library for accessing records, regimental histories, and personal narratives of people who have served in the United States military. This class requires registration. Sheridan & staff CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific accessibility request, please e…

This event is online only. Join librarians from the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History, and Genealogy and the Dorot Jewish Division as they walk you through the initial steps of Jewish genealogical research. This session will focus on genealogy basics, resources in the Local History and Genealogy collection, and utilizing online databases. This class requires registration. PLEASE REGISTER HERE. Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific access…

This event is online only. Join librarians from the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History, and Genealogy and the Dorot Jewish Division as they walk you through the initial steps of Jewish genealogical research. The focus of this session will be on resources located within the Dorot Jewish Division, as well as materials specific to Jewish subjects that could assist in providing context to your discoveries. PLEASE REGISTER HERE. Image: "Needle trades : g…

This event is online only. Experienced librarians demonstrate the steps involved in starting your family history research. Discover essential research methods and strategies, identify relevant records and how to locate them, and organize your family research information. Registration is required. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. The class will take place over Zoom. Live captioning is provided. If you have a specific accessibility request, please email accessibility@nypl.org at least two weeks…