New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
Name	New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
Abbreviation	NYG&B Society
Formation	1869
Type	nonprofit organization
Headquarters	New York City
Location	United States

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is an American nonprofit organization focused on genealogy and biographical study in the state of New York, with emphasis on documentary research, archival preservation, and public education. Founded in the late 19th century, the Society has interacted with numerous institutions and figures across American history, engaging with archival repositories, historical societies, and scholarly projects. Its activities connect to prominent families, municipal archives, and national research initiatives.

History

The Society was founded in 1869 during an era shaped by the aftermath of the American Civil War, the presidencies of Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, and the urban expansion of New York City, drawing members from circles that included descendants of Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Philip Schuyler, as well as scholars connected to Columbia University, New York University, and the New-York Historical Society. Early efforts paralleled the archival developments at institutions such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, and state-level initiatives in New York State, and intersected with municipal projects like the New York City Municipal Archives and the collections of the New York Public Library. Over decades the Society engaged with genealogists researching families linked to events including the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Dutch colonization of the Americas, and collaborated with organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution.

Mission and Activities

The Society's mission emphasizes preservation, publication, and dissemination of genealogical and biographical records relating to New York State and its people, with activities that reach researchers studying figures like Aaron Burr, Theodore Roosevelt, Fiorello La Guardia, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Jay Gould, alongside investigations into immigrant communities tied to ports such as Ellis Island and institutions like Castle Clinton. Programming has included lectures and conferences featuring scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Rutgers University, and practitioners affiliated with the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the American Historical Association. Public-facing projects have interfaced with municipal entities including New York City Department of Records and Information Services and heritage groups like the Historic Districts Council.

Collections and Archives

The Society maintains manuscript collections, family papers, burial transcriptions, and compiled genealogies that intersect with repositories such as the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Historical Society, and university archives at Columbia University Libraries and New York University Libraries. Holdings include genealogical charts tied to figures like Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams through collateral lines, as well as records relevant to events like the Great Irish Famine migration, the German immigration to the United States, and the Great Migration. The archives routinely reference federal records from the United States Census and military records from the National Archives and Records Administration, and collaborate on digitization with partners including the Digital Public Library of America and regional historical societies in places such as Westchester County, New York and Long Island.

Publications

The Society produces journals, monographs, and transcriptions that have documented lineages connected to families such as the Astor family, Roosevelt family, Livingston family, Van Rensselaer family, and Delancey family, and has published studies intersecting with scholarship on figures like Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes insofar as local biographical context demands. Its serials have featured contributions from genealogists and historians affiliated with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, American Antiquarian Society, and academic presses including Oxford University Press and University of Pennsylvania Press. The Society’s bibliographic efforts have supported projects linked to the Historic New England collections and municipal indexes derived from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene records.

Education and Research Programs

Educational offerings include workshops, seminars, and certification paths that bring instructors from institutions such as CUNY Graduate Center, Fordham University, Syracuse University, and Cornell University, and coordinate with professional organizations including the Board for Certification of Genealogists and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Research programs facilitate use of primary sources like probate records, land deeds, and parish registers from dioceses such as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and congregational records held by groups like Trinity Church (Manhattan), while also offering digital instruction in collaboration with platforms such as the League of American Orchestras—through community outreach—and regional archives.

Members and Governance

Membership historically included amateur and professional genealogists, collectors, lawyers, and librarians from organizations including American Library Association, Society of American Archivists, and civic groups tied to boroughs like Manhattan, Brooklyn, and The Bronx. Governance has featured elected officers and trustees who have worked alongside advisory committees drawing expertise from institutions such as Columbia University, New York University, Brooklyn College, and national entities like the Smithsonian Institution and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Facilities and Locations

The Society has occupied spaces in Manhattan and partnered with archival spaces across the New York metropolitan area, collaborating with facilities including the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Brooklyn Public Library, and county historical societies in Rockland County, New York and Putnam County, New York. Its reading room and digitization suites support researchers traveling from regions represented by entities like the New Jersey Historical Society, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Category:Historical societies in New York (state) Category:Genealogical societies