2026 New York State Family History Conference — Watch
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Livestream Programs · September 18–19, 2026
Join the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) for New York’s largest statewide gathering of family history researchers, genealogists, and history enthusiasts:
September 9–November 16, 2026 (On-Demand Access)
September 18–19, 2026 (Livestreaming Programs from the NYG&B Headquarters in New York City)
This year’s conference, New Perspectives, Best Practices, will feature livestreaming presentations* from the NYG&B headquarters in New York City as well as additional on-demand sessions for all conference registrants. Whether you are just starting to build up your genealogy skills or are ready to tackle more advanced issues in your search, you will learn from the experts and connect with others in the field. Session topics will cover crucial resources like New York records and repositories; methodology; migration and settlement; immigration and immigrant communities; New Yorkers of color and others whose stories have been historically underrepresented; and much more.
Livestream
Day One · September 18, 2026
Featuring the opening keynote by Jeanette Sheliga, plus livestreamed sessions from Susan R. Miller, Rich Venezia, Anna Gardner, Elizabeth Murray Vargas, Paula Stuart-Warren, and more.
Day Two · September 19, 2026
Featuring D. Joshua Taylor, Annette Burke Lyttle, Kerri Tannenbaum, Jeanette Sheliga, and Jane E. Wilcox, plus the New York Stories community showcase.
On-Demand Sessions · Available September 9 – November 16, 2026
From Vermont to Erie County, New York: Cluster Research Reveals a Community on the Move
Marie Mattson, CG®
Use of cluster research, also known as FAN research, revealed Orange County, Vermont, residents who migrated to southern Erie County…
Jewish New York Networks: Synagogues, Landsmanshaftn, and Burial Societies
Carol Genung
Break Jewish New York brick walls using community- based sources: synagogues, cemeteries/burial societies, landsmanshaftn, newspapers…
Sir William Johnson and the Loyalists of the Mohawk Valley, NY
Marie Mattson, CG®
William Johnson, born in Ireland, immigrated in 1738 to what is now New York. Over time he became wealthy, and his rapport with the…
They Were All Born in New York: Migration of New Yorkers to Michigan
Annette Burke Lyttle, CG®
Michigan was a destination for many New Yorkers in the 19th century. Through a series of case studies we’ll look at some of these New…
Yo soy boricua, pa'que tú lo sepas: Puerto Ricans in NYC and the Homeland (English Version)
Luis Ariel Rivera
This session will highlight the presence of Puerto Ricans in New York City, while identifying strategies and repositories (both online…
Yo soy boricua, pa'que tú lo sepas: Puertorriqueños en Nueva York y la Patria (Spanish Version)
Luis Ariel Rivera
Esta presentación resaltará la presencia de los puertorriqueños en la ciudad de Nueva York y también identificará estrategias y…
Best Practices for Using and Analyzing New York Land Records
Kaitlyn Pauley
Explore New York deed research with practical strategies to determine ownership, relationships, and migration. This session will teach…
Big Y and Discover Made Simple
Janine Cloud
Big Y-700 and its Discover™ reports offer powerful insight into paternal ancestry—but only if you know how to use them. This session…
City Directories: Search Tool Then and Now
Susan R. Miller
When our ancestors and business people of the 19th- and early 20th- century wanted to find others, the published search tool often…
The Evidence Ladder: Reconstructing Enslaved Families When Records Don't Cooperate
Kenyatta D. Berry, JD
Enslavement fractured families and erased names from many record systems, leaving researchers with fragments instead of clear paper…
Legal Barriers and Pathways for Women in New York: A Genealogical Approach
Alina Khuda
This session explains how coverture, widow’s rights, separate property statutes, and guardianship laws affected the traceability of…
The Oblong: A Brief History
Bryna O'Sullivan, PLCGS
The Connecticut-New York border that exists today was not the one that existed in the 17th century. This session will introduce the…
Tracking County Lines: Researching New York County Boundary Changes
Kaitlyn Pauley
Tracing ancestors near shifting county lines is a common challenge in Upstate New York research. This session teaches methods for…
1776–1789: Exploring 'American' British Loyalist Claims for New York Tories and Rebels
Pam Ricciardi Paschke
Former New York residents filed 1,912 claims with the British American Loyalist Claims Commission in the late 1700s, asking for…
Conscription, Conflict, and Class: The Civil War Draft Riots in New York
Michael L. Strauss, MA, AG®, AGL™
The Civil War sparked intense nationwide resistance to the draft, ending in the devastating riot in New York City in 1863. As one of…
More than Paperwork: Genealogical Value in New York Government Documents
Rhonda Hoffman, MLS
What looks like routine paperwork can hold valuable genealogical and historical details. This session explores New York state and…
New York State Archives Records: A Focus on 19th and 20th Century Immigrants
Jane E. Wilcox, FGBS
The New York State Archives holds the records of the state government. With a focus on records that contain 19th- and early…
Parsing the Ocean Voyage: Tracking Emigrants from Europe to the USA
Emily H. Garber, MA
Building immigration stories often starts with passenger manifests. Coupling these with linked European port manifests, we can better…
Recovering NY Synagogue Records to Unlock Family History Mysteries
Ellen Shindelman Kowitt
Synagogue records are not held in central repositories and are difficult to find. Some remain at synagogues while others are held in…
Sugar Houses and the Jersey: Prisons During the American Revolution
Bryna O'Sullivan, PLCGS
Historian Alan Marsh argued that “an estimated 20,000 Americans were held as prisoners of war and 8,500 died in captivity.” With…
10 Essential Resources for Using Genetic Genealogy for Your New York Ancestors
Paula Williams
Learn about essential resources for DNA analysis, education, and research to help you go from skimming match lists for hints to using…