Thank you for registering for the online course, New York City Research: Four Hundred Years of History and Genealogy!
New York City has seen tremendous change over the last 400 years, from its colonial roots as New Amsterdam to its current status as the “City that Never Sleeps.” These changes affected its government, its record keeping, and its people, thus presenting unique challenges for researchers wanting to learn more about their NYC ancestors. Whether your ancestors arrived during the colonial period or the 20th century, this four-week online seminar provides a century-by-century look at the records, resources, repositories, and research strategies that are essential to exploring your NYC roots. We will also discuss the historical context, settlement patterns, and migrations into—and out of—the city. Note: This course will cover the five boroughs of New York City.
This course includes four 90-minute classes; exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation; and in-depth q&a sessions with the instructors. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.
COURSE TOPICS
Class 1: Colonial Research: New Amsterdam to New York
Presented by Sheilagh Doerfler
New Amsterdam in the 17th-century was a crossroads for people from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. While there are certainly challenges in researching this time, place, and people (hard-to-read handwriting, different languages, unique surname systems), there are several bright spots as well (record survival, published transcriptions, and knowable naming conventions). This first class will explore the history of New Amsterdam into the early years of New York City, point you to key genealogical resources and references, and demonstrate several research strategies using a variety of case studies.
Class 2: 18th-Century Research: A City at War
Presented by Melanie McComb
Much of New York City’s history in the 18th-century is closely tied with that of conflict: from the base of British operations during the French and Indian War to the center of the New York Campaign during the American Revolution. This session looks at just some of the many records of the era—pre- and post-American independence—including military records, tax lists, census records, newspapers, city directories, and more.
Class 3: 19th-Century Research: Castle Garden to Ellis Island
Presented by Hallie Kirchner
New York City experienced even more transformation in the 19th century, from its role in the Civil War to the industrial revolution to an increase of immigration from across Europe and beyond. This class discusses the age of the passenger list, vital records for the city, insurance maps, pension files, and less commonly used records.
Class 4: 20th-Century New York City: Closing the Golden Doors
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Large-scale immigration characterized much of the early 20th century for New York City, however, changing national policies started to vastly reduce those numbers by the 1920s. This final class will look at expanded passenger lists and immigration files, tips for using the federal census for the city, and other records. We will also discuss the question of “access” and go-to repositories for New York City research.
COURSE HANDOUTS
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Class 1: Colonial Research: New Amsterdam and New York
Live broadcast: November 30, 2022
Presented by: Sheilagh Doerfler
Running time: 1:39:22
Class 2: 18th-Century Research: A City at War
Live broadcast: December 7, 2022
Presented by: Melanie McComb
Running time: 1:24:00
Class 3: 19th-Century Research: Castle Garden to Ellis Island
Live broadcast: December 14, 2022
Presented by: Hallie Kirchner
Running time: 1:51:42
Class 4: 20th-Century New York City: Closing the Golden Doors
Live broadcast: December 21, 2022
Presented by: Rhonda McClure
Running time: 1:32:15
OTHER RESOURCES
Research Guide: New York Genealogy
Archived Webinar: Researching Urban Ancestors in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Archived Webinar: New York Resources at American Ancestors
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
Hallie Kirchner, Genealogist has a B.A. in History with minors in Art History and German Language and an M.A. in Historic Preservation. She joined American Ancestors in 2019 after several years of working in architectural restoration and preservation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her previous work experience includes the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, the West Virginia Railroad Museum, and Bender Library at American University. While at the NYG&B, she was part of the research team who compiled the popular New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. She is also a long-time volunteer for Unclaimed-Persons.org, assisting coroners in locating next-of-kin of deceased individuals. Her areas of expertise include, 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.
Sheilagh Doerfler, Genealogist received her B.A. in History and Communication from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Sheilagh is a genealogist in our Research Services department conducting research for hire. Essentially, her job is to tackle research challenges on a daily basis and knock down genealogical brick walls. Her research interests include New England, New York, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Norway, and Sweden.
Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer. Before joining American Ancestors in 2006, she ran her own genealogical business for 18 years. She was a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine, and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of twelve books including the award-winning The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Genealogy, Finding your Famous and Infamous Ancestors and Digitizing Your Family History. She is the editor of the newly released 6th edition of the Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research. Her areas of expertise include, immigration and naturalization, late 19th- and early 20th-century urban research, missionaries, State Department Federal records, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research as well as Internet research, genealogical software and online trees.
Melanie McComb, Genealogist assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She also provides lectures on a variety of genealogical topics. Melanie holds a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. Her areas of research interest include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Kansas, Prince Edward Island, Québec, and Ireland, and she is experienced in DNA, genealogical technology and social media, Jewish genealogy, and military records.