Join the NYG&B and guest experts for an online exploration of resources and techniques for conducting New Netherland research. Get a historical overview of New Netherland and the essential tools for researching Dutch families who immigrated to the colony.
Program runs from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m. ET each day.
Online sessions include:
- Lectures on a range of topics
- Individual consultation sessions with guest expert genealogists
- Group Q&A periods
- Independent research time
Lecture topics (subject to change):
- Sources for the History of New Netherland led by Deborah Hamer
This presentation introduces attendees to the variety of sources available for the study of New Netherland. It will focus on two distinct bodies of sources: those in the Netherlands and those in New York, with particular attention to digital resources and tools that attendees can access from home. We will also discuss the variety of sources available: administrative/government records, church records, and personal correspondence.
- How to Research Your Ancestors in New Netherland and Beyond led by Yvette Hoitink
Level up your New Netherland research with this practical how-to session. Using examples from different settlements, this presentation demonstrates how to find information about New Netherland settlers and trace them to their places of origin. Learn about important record groups, naming traditions, and research strategies that help you document your ancestor’s life and prove origins and parents. Come away with a workflow and actionable tips you can apply to your own lines.
- Documenting the Underdocumented: Researching Enslaved and Native People in and Around New Netherland
led by Yvette Hoitink
Jaques, a Native American man captured by the Dutch, and Anna van Angola, one of the first Black women to own land in North America, are just two of the Indigenous and enslaved people whose stories were preserved in fragmentary records of the New Netherland colony. Ms. Hoitink explains how she reconstructs these lives and navigates gaps and biases in historical sources.
- Connecting New Netherland to “Old Netherland” led by John Boeren
Many families descended from New Netherland immigrants want to know where they came from. The answer to this question often lies across the ocean, in what is now the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In the 17th century, this was the territory of the Dutch Republic. While the research will begin on the American side of the pond, it will likely end on the Dutch side. This presentation will compare both societies, which were far apart but had close ties, and will demonstrate which sources (in the Netherlands) are available for research.
Prior to this Empire State Exploration program, you will be given special free access to the NYG&B’s on-demand New York State Family History School course Tracing New Netherland Families to help refresh your understanding of processes for conducting family history research in New York State. This online course includes sessions on vital records, census records, religious records, probate records, and more. Access continues through the last day of the program.
Program Fee
- NYG&B Members Early Registration Rate: $399 (ends January 26, 2026; after that registration rate is $469)
- General Registration: $469
Consultant Bios
John Boeren is one of the few full-time genealogy professionals in the Netherlands with more than 35 years of experience. Through his business Antecedentia, he offers genealogical research, heritage trips, and transcriptions/translations. He frequently presents at international events. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Strathclyde (Genealogical, Paleographic and Heraldic Studies) and is a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) and the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).
John Blythe Dobson, FASG, FGBS, is engaged as a consultant on the NYG&B’s New Netherland Settlers initiative, specifically in preparing the initial sample sketches, advising on the preparation of additional sketches by others, and working on adding further sources to the database. Mr. Dobson has been a contributing editor to the NYG&B Record since 2010 and is an expert at identifying the origins of early immigrants to New Netherland. He is also a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, bringing a large network of interested researchers to the project.
Speaker Bios
Dr. Deborah Hamer is Director of the New Netherland Institute in Albany, New York, where she is responsible for initiatives aimed at identifying, preserving, digitizing, and translating Dutch language documents in repositories around the world as well as advancing scholarship on New Netherland and its place in the Atlantic world. Deborah received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University and was a National Endowment for the Humanities Postdoctoral fellow at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. She has also taught at Boston College and the University of Miami and has published articles in a number of scholarly journals.
Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer from the Netherlands. She has a master's degree in family and local history and specializes in research in the Netherlands and New Netherland. As a scholar for the New Netherland Settlers project, she researches settlers, enslaved people, and Native Americans in and around the New Netherland colony. Yvette serves on the editorial board of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.
About Empire State Exploration
The Empire State Exploration program is an ideal interactive experience for tracing New York ancestors online under the guidance of genealogy experts. Participants join a small online group of fellow researchers for three daylong, at-home sessions of guided research and learning. Each online session is held live and features a special guest expert genealogist, lectures, individual consultation sessions, and group Q&A periods. Participants have access to materials for 30 days following the program.