New York City: Insider's Guide to Research

A CGS Workshop with Steve Harris
Saturday, December 12, 2009
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California

If you are like the majority of Americans, at least one of your ancestors spent time in New York City. Dr. Stephen Harris has an insider's knowledge of the many helpful data sources and indexes that are available for your NYC research. This workshop will focus on techniques for researching New York City ancestors in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries using the Internet, local resources and on-site research in the Big Apple. We will explore the wealth of online material accessible on NYC websites as well as that hidden deep within Ancestry.com and other subscription services.

Steve is also making his personal library of city directories for New York available for use by workshop participants.

Attendees are encouraged to bring laptop computers - the library has free Wi-Fi and the six CGS computers may not all be available for the program.

Bring a brown bag for lunch or, if you prefer, there is a nearby deli where you can buy a sandwich and bring it back to the library.

The workshop is FREE for CGS members but is limited to fifteen people. There is a sign-up fee of $10 for non-members. (This fee is non-refundable and can be applied toward membership on the day of the workshop.) Reservations are required - download the registration flier.

Steve Harris is a consulting genealogist with extensive experience assisting clients with their family histories. Born in Brooklyn, he has deep roots in New York City, but the siren call of California was too strong to resist. Steve is vice-president of the California Genealogical Society and Library. His office and 6,000-volume research library are in Oakland, just down the hall from CGS.


Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, 10/21/2009, Oakland, California.