Westchester County Genealogical Society Past Programs

Westchester County
Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 518
White Plains, NY 10603-0518

Last Updated: August 29, 2023



Past Programs

This page contains the past programs for Westchester County Genealogical Society. Information on the current year's programs may be found on the Westchester County Genealogical Society web page.

2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
2019-2020
2018-2019
2017-2018
2016-2017
2015-2016
2014-2015
2013-2014
2012-2013
2011-2012
2010-2011
2009-2010
2008-2009
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005
2003-2004
2002-2003
2001-2002
2000-2001
1999-2000
1998-1999

2022-2023 Season

Sep 10, 2022
Melissa A. Johnson, CG Going Paperless: Digitizing Your Genealogical Research
Oct 8, 2022
Janeen Bjork My Go-To Websites for Genealogy
Nov 12, 2022 Susan Olsen Going to Woodlawn Cemetery & Beyond
Jan 14, 2023
Toni McKeen Visas, Passports, Alien Registration, & How to Request Documents
Feb 11, 2023 Judy Russell Don't Forget the Ladies
Mar 11, 2023
Susan Miller Practical Tips for Finding NYC Online Vital Records
Apr 8, 2023
Michelle Dowd Torosian House History
May 13, 2023
Marian Wood Researching Military Records & More on Fold3
Jun 10, 2023 Sarah O'Connor How to Clean A Gravestone

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2021-2022 Season

Sep 11, 2021
WCGS WCGS Needs You to Step Forward to Move Forward
Oct 9, 2021
Susan Olsen Where's the Family From?
Nov 13, 2021 Michelle Dowd Torosian Using DNA Testing in Your Family Tree Research
Jan 8, 2022
Susan Miller Five New York Genealogical Records to Find
Feb 12, 2022 Janeen Bjork Hiring a Pro OR Getting Hired as a Professional Genealogist
Mar 12, 2022
Patrick Raftery Cemeteries of Manhattan
Apr 9, 2022
Marian Wood Ready for the 1950 US Census Release?
May 14, 2022
Toni McKeen Putting Flesh on the Bones of Your Ancestor
Jun 11, 2022 Jeanette Sheliga Navigating FultonHistory.com

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2020-2021 Season

Sep 11, 2020
Toni McKeen Documenting CoVid-19 for Our Future Generations
Oct 10, 2020
Al Fiacre The Collection at the Godfrey Library
Nov 14, 2020 Alec Ferretti Finding the Living!
Jan 9, 2021
Janeen Bjork Write Your Family Story
Feb 13, 2021 Jerry Coleman A Genealogist's Long Journey Home to Ireland without leaving the United States
Mar 13, 2021
Marian Wood The Insider's Guide to Genealogical Cousin BaitL
Apr 10, 2021
Patrick Raftery The Cemeteries of The Bronx
May 8, 2021
Susan R Miller Accessible and Essential Records from Kinship
Jun 12, 2021 Susan Olsen Unusual Places to Research

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2019-2020 Season

Sep 14, 2019
Janeen Bjork Using Newspapers to Track Your Family, Character by Character
Oct 12, 2019
Toni McKeen Naturalization and Women
Nov 9, 2019 Joseph Lieby Your Ancestors Paid Taxes Too!
Jan 11, 2020
WCGS Members Member Share / Member Exchange
Feb 8, 2020 Sara Lyons Davis U.S. Federal Census Held at the National Archives
Apr 11, 2020
Virtual Meeting Open Forum - Open Discussion
May 9, 2020
Susan R Miller NYC Municipal Archives Collections
Jun 13, 2020 Susan Olsen Before the Internet, How 19th Century Genealogists Put the Pieces Together
Jul 11, 2020 WCGS Members Websites - What New Ones? What has Changed? *EXTRA MEETING
Aug 8, 2020 Colleen Fay 100th Anniversary of the Women's Vote *EXTRA MEETING

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2018-2019 Season

Sep 8, 2018
Janeen Bjork DNA Testing for Everyone
Oct 13, 2018
Marian Wood Do the "Write" Thing for Genealogy
Nov 10, 2018 Toni McKeen Finding Your Elusive Female Ancestors
Jan 12, 2019
Guy R. Fairstein The Cartoonist's Ride on Pelham's Toonerville Trolley: Using Genealogical Resources to Identify the Trolley's "Skipper"
Feb 9, 2019 Sara Lyons Davis Genealogical Resources Available at the National Archives
Mar 9, 2019 Patrick Raftery Photos found in Westchester Archives **Meeting at Westchester County Archives
Apr 13, 2019
Jolene Mullens French Canadian Research
May 11, 2019
Angelique Piwinski Patron Saints of Yonkers specifically, the Smith-Cochran family of Carpet Factory Fame
Jun 8, 2019 Susan R Miller What is New in Online Records

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2017-2018 Season

Sep 9, 2017
Jacquelyn Graziano Finding Original Records
Oct 14, 2017
Marian Wood Free or Fee Genealogy: Finding Free Records, Deciding When It Makes Sense to Pay
Nov 11, 2017 Toni McKeen The Immigration Experience
Jan 13, 2018
Guy R. Fairstein The Joy of Cemeteries
Feb 10, 2018 Marcia Case Digging into DNA
Mar 10, 2018 Patrick Raftery Postcards from Westchester Archives **Meeting at Westchester County Archives
Apr 14, 2018
Jolene Mullens Public Use of the Databases of Daughters of American Revolution
May 12, 2018
Cathy Horn How to Use the Family History Center* at the Family History Center, 60 Wayside Lane, Scarsdale
Jun 9, 2018 Philip Hayes More Photo Fixings

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2016-2017 Season

Sep 10, 2016
Marian Wood Planning a Future for Your Family's Past
Oct 8, 2016
Michael Cassara Cemetery Crowdsourcing
Nov 12, 2016
Guy R. Fairstein The Surrogate's Court and its Records
Jan 14, 2017 Michelle Tucker Chubenko Evernote for Genealogy
Feb 11, 2016 Toni McKeen Navigating Ship Manifests
Mar 11, 2017 Patrick Raftery Four Hundred Years of Westchester History **Westchester County Archives
Apr 8, 2017
Jolene Mullens A Prosopography of a Cemetery
May 13, 2017
Gretchen Maresco I "heart" NY--Even for Genealogy
Jun 10, 2017 Philip Hayes Photo Fixings

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2015-2016 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 12, 2015
Maryanne Roy LeGrow French-Canadian Genealogical Research
Oct 10, 2015
Guy R. Fairstein Stuff Happens in Genealogy & How to Cope
Nov 14, 2015
Joe Santacroce Hudson Fulton Celebration of 1909
Jan 9, 2016 Brian Jennings Researching in Rockland: Sites and Sources
Feb 13, 2016 Kari Weis How To Join a Lineage Society
Mar 12, 2016 Patrick Raftery The Cemeteries of The Bronx **Westchester County Archives
Apr 9, 2016
Marian Burk Wood Using Facebook for Genealogy **Flynn Room, Grinton I. Will Branch, Yonkers Public Library
May 14, 2016
Anthony Lauriano Finding Your Ancestor's Occupation
Jun 11, 2016 Philip Hayes Digitizing & Managing Your Treasured Photo Collection

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2014-2015 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 13, 2014
Toni McKeen Tips & Tricks on using Find-a-grave
Oct 11, 2014
Filomena Abys-Smith Share Your Memories - A Bit of Myself** Irvington Public Library
Nov 8, 2014
Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer Getting the Most from an Obituary
Jan 10, 2015 Guy R. Fairstein Portrait of a Musical Russian Jewish Family
Feb 14, 2015 Francoise Lampe French Genealogy in France and in the French Province of Quebec
Mar 14, 2015 Patrick Raftery African-American Cemeteries of Westchester **Westchester County Archives
Apr 11, 2015
Toni McKeen The Immigrant Experience
May 9, 2015
Lance Ashworth Researching and Preserving the Fishkill Supply Depot
Jun 13, 2015 Philip Hayes Getting the Most out of Digital Newspapers Search

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2013-2014 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 14, 2013
Sara Lyons Davis The New NY Archives
Oct 12, 2013
Toni McKeen Tips & Tricks for using Ancestry.com **Greenburgh Library
Nov 9, 2013
Jolene Mullen Five Basic Record Types
Jan 11, 2014 WCGS members "Meet the Ancestors"
Feb 8, 2014 Madeline Kearin, Susan Ross, Laurie Kimsal Mount Kisco Episcopal Cemetery Project
Mar 8, 2014 Patrick Raftery Treasures of Westchester **Westchester County Archives
Apr 12, 2014
Toni McKeen Tips & Tricks for using Family Tree Maker
May 10, 2014
Joseph Coen, C. A. Records of St. Malachy's Home, an orphanage in Brooklyn Diocese
Jun 14, 2014 Philip Hayes Fire Up Your Research… The Digital Genealogist Is Here

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2012-2013 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 8, 2012
WCGS Members Celebration of WCGS 30th Year
Oct 13, 2012
Joe Schiavone A Fond Look Back at the Ol' Put
Nov 10, 2012
Roni Liebowitz Researching Your Jewish Roots
Dec 8, 2012
Kathy Lenerz The Trans-Atlantic Voyages of Our Ancestors
Jan 12, 2013 Melinda Hunt The Hart Island Project: Twenty Years Later For more info on Hart Island visit the site
Feb 9, 2013 Toni McKeen Tips & Tricks for using Ancestry.com **MEETING CANCEL SNOWSTORM**
Mar 9, 2013 Laura H. Congleton Civil War Research
Apr 13, 2013
Philip Hayes Blogging Your Genealogy
May 11, 2013
Tony Lauriano Finding Your Female Ancestors
Jun 8, 2013 Joseph Lieby Kleindeutschland: Researching Your Ancestors in Manhattan's Little Germany

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2011-2012 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 10, 2011
Patrice Kane Preserving Genealogical Documents
Oct 8, 2011
Joe Schiavone The Last of the Old Put - New York Central's Putnam Division
Nov 12, 2011
Toni McKeen 20th Century Military Records
Dec 10, 2011
Patrick Raftery The Cemeteries of Westchester County
Jan 14, 2012 Nora Galvin Special Schedules of the U.S. Census
Feb 11, 2012 Tony Lauriano Overcoming the Brick Walls in Your Research
Mar 10, 2012 Joe Buggy Researching Irish Ancestors in New York City
Apr 14, 2012
Marian Wood Genalogy Web Message Boards & Blogs
May 12, 2012
Maureen Wlodarczyk One Thing Leads to Another: The Continuing Journey of Genealogical Discoveries
Jun 9, 2012 Christopher Zarr Searching the 1940 U.S. Census

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2010-2011 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 11, 2010
Tom Maxson Stone Chambers of Putnam County
Oct 9, 2010
Susan Olsen What can you find at Woodlawn Cemetery
Nov 13, 2010
Joe Schiavone The Ol' Put
Dec 11, 2010
Dr. Nathan Reiss Finding People, Living or Dead, on the Internet
Jan 8, 2011 Janet Butler Munch The New York Catholic Protectory
Feb 12, 2011 Tony Lauriano Navigating Key Genealogy Websites
Mar 12, 2011 Leslie Albrecht Huber The Journey Takers
Apr 9, 2011
Debra Braverman New York City Vital Records
May 14, 2011
Christopher Zarr Exploring the 1940 US Census
Jun 11, 2011 Janice Parker Controlling Your Genealogy Computer Files

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2009-2010 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 12, 2009
Joseph Coen, CA Genealogy Related Records in the Brooklyn Diocesan Archives
Oct 10, 2009
Toni McKeen Acquiring Italian Records from Italy
Nov 14, 2009
Eddie Dee Growing Up in Yonkers
Dec 12, 2009
Holiday Party Special Interest Groups / Study Groups Meeting
Jan 9, 2010 Debra Braverman 20th Century Probate Research: Confirming Relationships & Finding Family
Feb 13, 2010 Dr. Raymond E. Phillips The History of the Hudson River and Henry Hudson
Mar 13, 2010 Patrick Raftery The Cemeteries of Westchester County
Apr 10, 2010
Jo Heffernan What's Up Doc?
May 8, 2010
Joe Lieby Who were the parents of ......?
Jun 12, 2010 Tony Lauriano Writing the Family Narrative

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2008-2009 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 13, 2008
Msgr. Thomas Shelley Slovaks on the Hudson: Most Holy Trinity Church**
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Hall
Oct 11, 2008
Libby McKee Genealogy Opens Doors of Hospitality to the DAR
Nov 8, 2008
Jo Heffernann Gravely Speaking: the Who, What, When, Where & Why of Effective Cemetery Research
Dec 13, 2008
Holiday Party Special Interest Groups / Study Groups Meeting
Jan 10, 2009 Mary Hoar Return of the Ring
Feb 14, 2009 Vincent D'Aquino Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley
Mar 14, 2009 Toni McKeen City Directories
Apr 11, 2009
Gordon L. McDaniel Getting the Most out of the US Census on Ancestry.com
May 9, 2009
Leslie Albrecht Huber
Voyage to America
Jun 13, 2009 Debra Braverman NYC 1890 Police Census

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2007-2008 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 8, 2007
Msgr. Thomas Shelley History of the Catholic Church in NY - 200th Anniversary
Oct 13, 2007
Elizabeth M. Macfarlane Researching Family Roots and DNA
Nov 10, 2007
Leslie A Huber Crossing the Ocean with the Internet
Dec 8, 2007
Holiday Party Special Interest Groups / Study Groups Meeting
Jan 12, 2008 Jean Zimmerman Women of the House*** Philipse Manor Hall, Co-sponsored by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall.
Feb 9, 2008 Laura Lee Keating How We Looked - Who We Were *** Yorktown Museum / Yorktown Community and Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights, NY
Mar 8, 2008 Joe Lieby The Trail Our Ancestors Followed in Becoming Citizens
Apr 12, 2008
Peter Savigny Every Age Has a Story to Tell
May 10, 2008 Vincent D'Aquino The Story of Sybil Ludington - American Revolutionary War Hero - the Female Paul Revere
Jun 14, 2008 Christopher DiPasquale An Object of Great Importance: The Hudson River During the American War for Independence

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2006-2007 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sep 9, 2006
Roselyn Kendrick-Jones Scrap booking - Shaping the Way You Remember
Oct 14, 2006
Bob Boyle An Intro to the Colin T. Naylor Jr Local History Archives at the Field Library
Peekskill-Field Library
Nov 11, 2006
John Lozito Researching 20th Century Military Service
Dec 9, 2006
Holiday Party Interesting Ancestor, Place, or Story
Jan 13, 2007 Jerome Coleman How to Find Your Ancestor's Townland in Ireland
Feb 10, 2007 Katharina Cerreta The Story of the Standard House of Peekskill
Mar 10, 2007 Tom Phelan Ireland's Forgotten Heroes: A Look at Ireland's World War I Soldiers
Apr 14, 2007
Risa Neuwirth Preserving Your Family's Memories on DVD Grinton I. Will Library
May 12, 2007 Elizabeth Vallone Italian Immigration thru the Ports of New York & New Orleans
Jun 9, 2007 Edith Glass Incorporating Memoirs into Fiction

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2005-2006 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept 10, 2005
Judith Berdy History of Roosevelt Island
Oct 8, 2005
Harlan R. Jessup When the Records are Wrong: Identifying Errors in the Sources
Dobbs Ferry Public Library
Nov 12, 2005
Edith Glass Memoir Writing: Rescuing the Past
Dec 10, 2005
Holiday Party Interesting Ancestor, Place, or Story
Jan 14, 2006 Joan Jennings How Yonkers Grew Up Around the Saw Mill River
Feb 11, 2006 Kathleen S. Dodds The Use of Catholic Sacramental Records in Genealogy Research
Mar 11, 2006 Professor Angela D. Danzi Ellis Island and Beyond: Immigration to the United States
Apr 8, 2006
Larry Fermi Uncle Sam Wants You! - 20th Century Military Research
May 13, 2006 Allan J. Warnecke Putnam County History
June 10, 2006 Robert Kornfeld, Jr The Story of the Old Croton Aqueduct

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2004-2005 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept 11, 2004
Jim Logan Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Past & Present
Oct 5, 2004
A'Lelia Bundles Special Meeting Your Story: Discovering Family History - Sponsored by NYS Archives Region 9 RAC's Archives, co-hosted by Westchester County Genealogical Society and Westchester Historical Society.
Oct 9, 2004
Gray Williams National Register Sites of Westchester
Nov 13, 2004
Beth Potter House Tales - Uncovering the History of your House
Dec 11, 2004
Holiday Party Ancestors of Interest
Jan 8, 2005 Anita Lustenberger Land Records - A Gold Mine of Information
Feb 12, 2005 Bill Newell Making History for Your Ancestors
Mar 12, 2005 Larry Fermi Welcome Aboard!- Passenger Lists & Those Annotations
Apr 9, 2005
Christopher Tompkins Changing Faces of the Croton River Valley
May 14, 2005 Heather Ianucci The Philipse Family in America: Lords and Loyalists*** Philipse Manor Hall, 29 Warburton Ave (at Dock Street), Yonkers, NY. Co-sponsored by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall.
June 11, 2005 Donna Moughty Researching in Ireland

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2003-2004 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept 13, 2003
Thomas Casey Bronx Views: A Postcard Collection
Oct 11, 2003
Donna Moughty Irish Research: Where to Begin
Nov 8, 2003
Karen Lamberton Unusual Military Records in the 20th Century
Dec 13, 2003
Holiday Party My Favorite Ancestor
Jan 10, 2004 John Favareau Genealogy Resources at the Yonkers Riverfront Library** Co-sponsored with the Yonkers Historical Society
Feb 14, 2004 John Konvalinka Discovering London's Genealogical Treasures
Mar 13, 2004 Larry Fermi Crossing the Pond - Finding Immigrant Origins
Apr 10, 2004
Patricia Kaufman, Director The New Mahopac Library
May 8, 2004 Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak Real World DNA Testing
June 12, 2004 Susan Rogers Family History Web Page Design

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2002-2003 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept 14, 2002
WCGS Members Celebration of the 20th Anniversay of WCGS
Oct 12, 2002
Brother Harry Dunkak The American Revolution Comes to Westchester
Nov 9, 2002
Judith Ranta Finding Your Roots at the White Plains Library
Dec 14, 2002
Holiday Party My Favorite Ancestor
Jan 11, 2003 Patricia Dohrenwend What is New at the Westchester County Archives
Feb 8, 2003 Arlene Jennings Tracking Westward Ancestral Migrations
Mar 8, 2003 Joe Fibel Tracing Jewish Roots
Apr 12, 2003
John Celardo The 1930 Census
May 10, 2003 Penny Hartzell Baptismal Records Help Trace Your Pennsylvania German Ancestors
June 14, 2003 Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones

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2001-2002 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept 8, 2001
Alan Benedict Undertakers Aid to Genealogists
Oct 13, 2001
John Konvalinka What's New & Hot on the World Wide Web
Nov 10, 2001
Rhoda Miller Organizing Your Genealogical Materials
Dec 8, 2001
Holiday Party My Favorite Ancestor
Jan 12, 2002 Sharon Mills St Paul's Church; Mt Vernon, NY
Feb 9, 2002 Leslie Corn Marriages Made in NY; Finding Certificates, Licenses, and Elusive Marriage Records
Mar 9, 2002 Gray Williams Sacred to the Memory
Apr 13, 2002
Anita Lustenberger Research in Upstate NY; There is Hope
May 11, 2002 Tom Riley The Orphan Train
June 8, 2002 In-House Meeting Stories from WCGS members

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2000-2001 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept. 9, 2000
Business Meeting The Upcoming Year for WCGS?
Oct. 14, 2000
Carolyn Graham Stifel Research at the NY G&B Society Library
Nov. 11, 2000
Gail M. Parzyck & Walter Storms Colonial Societies & Their Genealogical Relevance
Dec. 9, 2000
Holiday Party My Favorite Ancestor
Jan. 13, 2001 John LaBarre , Alycia Mellgren,John Conley Military Records
Feb. 10, 2001 Lisa Lipkin How to Tell Your Story
Mar. 10, 2001 Kristin Liddle Doing Research in Westchester County
Apr. 14, 2001
Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer Are Your Ancestors in an Archive?
May 12, 2001 John Konvalinka How to Find Living Relatives
June 9, 2001 Col. James M. Johnson The American Revolution Along the Hudson River

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1999-2000 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

Sept. 11, 1999
Elder Donald R. Snow www.FamilySearch.com
Oct. 16, 1999
Brian G. Andersson Ellis Island Story
Nov. 13, 1999
Jordan Auslander NYC Voter Registration Records
Dec. 11, 1999
Holiday Party My Favorite Ancestor
Jan. 8, 2000 In-House Meeting Study Groups
Feb. 12, 2000 Brent Belnap Writing a Personal History
Mar. 11, 2000 Leslie Corn Genealogical Resources at the NY County Clerk’s Office/ Division of Old Records
Apr. 8, 2000 Laura DeGrazia

Kathleen McGee

Standing on a Stray Sod: Irish Genealogical Research for Beginners

Ireland’s National School Records: Their Use as a Census Substitute

May 13, 2000 Susan M. Rogers A Journalist’s Approach to Family History Web Page Design
June 10, 2000 Thomas F Howard Class Yearbooks: The Class of 20th Century Overlooked Genealogical Resources

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1998-1999 Season

Date
Guest Speaker
Topic

12 Sept 1998
Art Sniffen
Home Sources: It May be Time to Revisit Your Records

17 Oct 1998
Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer Has Someone Already Done Your Research for You?
14 Nov 1998
John F. Walter
Grandpa was a Drummer Boy

12 Dec 1998
Holiday Party
Show and Tell About a Family Object

9 Jan 1999
In-House Meeting
Study Groups

13 Feb 1999
Jeanne Sutherland
Columbo Makes It Look So Easy! or Tips on Solving Genealogical Mysteries When You Have the Information but Not the Answer

13 Mar 1999
Laura A. DeGrazia, C.G.
A Detailed Look at Griffith's Primary Valuation

10 Apr 1999
all day meeting
Cathy Horn
Using the Internet for Genealogical Research
David Kleiman
Cathy Horn
Designing and Planning Your Own Web Page
David Kleiman
Cathy Horn
Creating Your Web Page
8 May 1999
June C. DeLalio, C.G.
Leaping Across the Atlantic - Using Italian Civil and Church Records

12 Jun 1999
Karolyn Wrightson
Ethnic & Industrial Development in the Westchester's Hudson Valley

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