Welcome to the new website of the NYG&B. This website is key to improving benefits and services to NYG&B members and to introducing new people to the rewards of family history research.

Quickstart

Much of the website is viewable by all visitors. And everyone may learn about the eLibrary [1] and the Research Tools [2] section.  All may search the full run of The Record using the  Worden's Name Index [3].  But only members have full access to our rich resources. If you are not a member, you are cordially invited to join us.

The "New NYG&B"

During the last two years, the NYG&B has completed a new office, established a new educational programming platform, redesigned The New York Researcher, and recruited new editorial leadership to The Record.  The launch of the NYGB's new website completes the first round of development of the "New NYG&B."

When we created this new website, we intended to retain all of the benefits of the old one, and that has largely been done. Some pieces remain "under construction" but will be completed shortly.

We also intended to make the website much easier to navigate and to work hard to keep the information contained in it as current as possible.  And some functions previously performed manually are now automated.

And then with that as a starting point, we embarked on making significant improvements.

New Unique Research Resources

The most important part of the new website is the expanded eLibrary and the improved usefulness of The Record.

If you are a member, log in and see that much new unique information is now included: the completed member biographies; the records of the American Bible Society; a new finding aid to the Schneider Baptism archive; a number of volumes in the WPA Historical Records Survey; almost twenty publications issued by the NYG&B, including many still in copyright and only available here; and more pages of the 1855 New York State Census for Manhattan's Ward 17.   

In the Research Tools section, dozens of user guides have been brought up to date and new ones have been added. We have also begun creating a county-by-county guide to research resources, and we will continue working on those guides until all New York State counties have entries. Continual vigilance on the part of NYG&B members and staff will keep them current.

Moving Forward

This website is a point of beginning. We plan to update the site daily, to rapidly expand the eLibrary and Research Guide section, and to continually improve the site's effectiveness. An upgrade to the eLibrary's functionality is expected before this year comes to a close.

We invite you to give us comments, make suggestions, and point out errors and issues with design, content, and navigation. What's exciting about websites is that none is ever perfect, and none is ever finished.  Please forward your comments by sending email to webmaster@nygbs.org [4].

Gratitude

We thank the large number of people who participated in focus groups conducted prior to beginning the work on the website.

We are indebted to a number of people who volunteered to work on the eLibrary. We are particularly grateful to Victoria Boutilier, Nanette Pezzutti, and Jane Tully for extraordinary efforts preparing material for the eLibrary. Stanton Biddle, Danielle Kalan, and Boni Joi Koelliker also contributed generously to the eLibrary project,

The indispensible Harry Macy Jr., FASG, FGBS updated and vetted dozens of Research Aid articles.  Important volunteer contributors to the Research Tools section include Marguerite Adams, Stanton F. Biddle, Paul D. Campbell, Anthony Hunter, Suzanne McVetty, Kieran O'Leary, Lithgow Osborne, Nanette Pezzutti, Richard Roberge, John M. Shannon, and Neal Smith.

A marvelous crew of talented interns worked on the website during the summer of 2011. These include Rebecca Enis, Todd Hirsch, Madeline Kearin, Tim Levin, Kelly Michon, and Becky Miller.

The indexing of ward 17 of the 1855 Census is being accomplished by a team of volunteers that include Ginny Arveson, Maria Baker, Terri Berio, Stanton Biddle, Judy Boehm, Ann Bradburd, Noreen A. Burns-McDonald, Mary Conway, Maryann Diederich, Jerry Klein, J. Douglas Leith, Julia Lovett, Maureen Mahon, William Mitchell, Bob Newman, Nancy Nispel, Robert O’Leary, Nanette Pezzutti, Frank Sloat, Kathleen Tesluk, Suzanne Warnecke , F.J. Wilkes , and Scott T. Zukowski.

The site was designed by Ironpaper, Inc [5]. We thank B. Randall Willis, Jonathan Franchell, and Chris Wallace both for their talents and their patience.

The costs of building the new website were underwritten by a bequest from the estate of long-time NYG&B life-member Muriel French (1920-2010) of San Francisco.  Her generous gift will benefit thousands of people researching New York families for many years to come.