GSBC Meetings
GSBC Meetings are held every 4th Monday of the month (except holidays and December). General Meetings include a brief business meeting. Meetings start promptly at 7pm in the Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium, 125 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ. Phone (201) 670-5600 (see map, above), unless otherwise noted. Light refreshments and speaker handouts provided. Your membership dues directly supports this programming and allows us to host speakers on a wide variety of topics — thank you!
GSBC Special Events & Seminars
The GSBC holds several special events each year, including our popular day-long Annual Seminar and late-night RPL Lock-In, where genealogists can attend talks on a variety of subjects, collaborate on problems, and receive one-on-one research assistance. Additional event fee may apply. Discount for GSBC members.
Ridgewood Public Library Programs & Classes
The Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library holds events on local history and genealogy-focused computer classes. Ridgewood residents and GSBC members receive a discount on these events. Included in the calendar below are RPL classes of interest to genealogists and local researchers. Please check the full RPL calendar for class information, fees, registration, cancellations, and for classes on other topics. All registration is through the Ridgewood Public Library calendar or by calling (201) 670-5600.
Below is our complete calendar showing all Meetings, Events, Seminars. Library Programs and Classes. Use the Category filter below to hide the events in a specific category.
Military Photograph Exhibit at Lambert Castle
The Passaic County Historical Society would like to announce the opening of its newest exhibit, From the Photographic Archives, The Men Who Served: 1861–1964. On exhibit from Wednesday July 12th until Sunday October 1st, the display showcases some of the military photographs from the Society's permanent collection.
Over thirty photographs have been selected for this exhibit to demonstrate the common experience of American servicemen, from the American Civil War to the conflict in Vietnam. Their uniforms, equipment, and weapons changed over time, but their fears, triumphs and trials remained constant.
Visitors can access the exhibition, which is on display in the changing exhibit gallery on the 3rd floor, during regular museum hours (Wednesday-Sunday July 12-Sept 3:12pm-4pm Sept 6-Oct 1 1pm-4pm). General museum admissions apply (Adults $5, Seniors $4, Children $3, Members free).
For anyone interested in volunteering at Historic New Bridge Landing events as a docent, greeter, operations personnel, or living-history interpreter in period dress, the Bergen County Historical Society sponsors the School of Interpretation to hone communication skills, familiarize volunteers with Bergen’s unique history, provide insight into the material culture of the past, and train volunteers in historical presentation.
While our interpreters may find themselves talking mainly about the Revolutionary War at New Bridge, our visitors often ask questions about what happened in their towns during the RevWar years. This month, historian and BCHS Past President Todd Braisted will field queries about other areas of the county and what battles and skirmishes (if any) took place there. Bring the questions you’ve been asked, or the questions you’ve always wanted to ask about your hometown—this is the opportunity to get answers from an expert! Please meet at the Steuben House, 1209 Main St, River Edge, NJ.
Sunday, October 22, 2017, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Come home to history. Visit Bergen County's Premier Historic Site!
At 1:30 pm: Historian & Author Don Hagist will talk on 6 veterans of the American Revolution through Photos and History (Book-signing opportunity!) in the Steuben House, a State historic site. New BCHS exhibit from the collections: LOOKING AT YOU: Daguerreotypes & Family Trees includes folks from the Zabriskie, Christie, Hopper, Berry, Brinkerhoff, Demarest, Ackerman and Lozier families. Photo enlargements of Bergen County from the 1800s looking back at you. 
Check out Silhouette and Broom making. Pumpkin picking, games, scavenger hunt, cooking and seasonal food preservation in the Outkitchen. Tours in all three 18th century Jersey Dutch sandstone houses that are located along the Hackensack River. Walk across the 1889 Swing Bridge, a County of Bergen historic site, watch for eagles and hawks. The Westervelt-Thomas Barn will be open. Don't forget the New Bridge Donuts & Cider (hot or cold) in the Tavern. Event flyer.
Admission: Adults $10, Students (12-22 yr) $7. BCHS members - Free. 100% goes to our mission.
HNBL, 1201 Main St., River Edge, NJ. Site map & directions: VISIT HNBL PDF.
Site opened by 30 volunteer historians and interpreters. Free parking is available. NJ Transit train service on the Pascack Valley line out of Secaucus to the New Bridge Landing train stop. HNBL is only 7 miles from the GWB. Site map below. No rain date. Info subject to change. Wow!
Specialties:
All computer applications
Advanced Research
Local History
Bergen County
Available by Appointment
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
Monday, 23 October, 7 pm
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium
GSBC General Meeting
Melissa A. Johnson, CG—This lecture covers the various types of New Jersey vital records and the information they provide during different time periods; vital record additions and corrections; delayed vital registration; New Jersey adoption records and recent adoption legislation; and New Jersey divorce records. In addition to the types of records that exist, the discussion will focus on availability and restrictions, present day organization of the records, online and on-site indexes and records, alternatives for restricted or non-existent records, out-of-state resources, and methods for using vital records, adoption records, and divorce records to solve problems.
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
Camp Merritt Centennial
10/25/2017, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Dumont
Old Auditorium
Registration is open
Tom Kelly, Dumont Historian and Tom Sites will share the history of the military base that was used during World War I by more than a million soldiers before their deployment to Europe. This camp covered 770 acres, was composed of 1302 buildings, and was active from 1917-1920. You are probably familiar with the monument at the Cresskill traffic circle and now you will know why it was constructed there.
Registration required
Event Type(s): Special Event, Lecture/Speaker
Age Group(s): Adults
Presenter: Tom Kelly , Tom Sites
Catherine Dodwell, (201) 384 - 2030
Author Howard Bartholf will present a program on the history of Camp Merritt New Jersey for the Bergen County Historical Society on October 26th 2017.
The presentation will cover the period from the beginning of construction in August 1917 to the official final closing of the base in July of 1920 and the status of what was the encampment from its closing to present day.
Takes place in the Steuben House, 1209 Main St, River Edge, NJ. Free, no charge to public.
Camp Merritt: Bergen County’s WWI Army Base
On Thursday October 26, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. Peggy Norris and Joe Suplicki, historians for the Village of Ridgewood will present this lecture. Part of the Mahwah Museum Lecture Series, the lecture will take place at the Ramapo Reformed Church, 100 Island Rd., Mahwah.
Admission is $3, free for museum members. Contact programs@mahwahmuseum.org for reservations or call 201-512-0099. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
Camp Merritt was the transit camp for more than one million soldiers on their way to battlefields in Europe and returning to their homes across the United States. This temporary city leaves few traces on our landscape today, but its history can be told in maps, photos, and stories. The Camp Merritt monument in Cresskill is the most visible reminder today of the important role Bergen County played in World War I. Peggy Norris is the vice president of the Bergen County historical Society and Joe Suplicki is on Ridgewood’s Historic Preservation Commission and the board of the Ridgewood Historical Society. Peggy’s grandfather, a farm boy from Ohio, passed through Camp Merritt. Illustrations come in part from his collection of postcards, now in the Bergen County Historical Society Library.
This lecture is hosted by Mahwah Museum, located at 201 Franklin Turnpike. The Museum will reopen on September 30, 2017 featuring the new exhibits Kilmer: The Man and WWI Sarajevo to Versailles as well as the continuing exhibits Mahwahs Herstory: The Changing Roles of Women in Mahwah’s History, and Medicine in Mahwah. Permanent exhibits are Les Paul in Mahwah and The Donald Cooper Model Railroad, which is open weekends 1-4 pm. The Museum is open weekends and Wednesdays from 1-4 pm.; admission $5 for non-members, members and children are free.Visit mahwahmuseum.org or call 201-512-0099 for information on events, membership and volunteering.
Saturday, 28 October, 4:30–11 pm
Ridgewood Public Library
Genealogists take over the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL) after-hours for a light supper, research, workshops, and sharing. This event is a great way to improve your skills, meet new genealogy friends, or just have a whole evening to research in the Library.
Co-sponsored by the Ridgewood Public Library and Genealogical Society of Bergen County, the 14th Annual Genealogy Lock-In offers genealogists of all levels the chance to:
- Spend the evening researching, learning, & sharing
- Ask the Experts your brick wall questions
- Attend workshops such as Beginning Genealogy, Newspaper Research, Ship Manifests, and Irish Genealogy, DNA & more
- Receive individual assistance from a genealogy expert
Registration—Deadline: October 20, 2017.
Complete the registration form, enclose a $10 fee per person (make check payable to Genealogical Society of Bergen County), and mail it to:
Genealogical Society of Bergen County
P.O. Box 432
Midland Park, NJ 07432
Sign up online at https://squareup.com/
Please arrive by 4:30pm to check-in. Light supper will be served.
Questions: Contact Ridgewood Public Library History Librarian Sarah Kiefer: 201-670-5600 ext 135 or SKiefer@RidgewoodLibrary.o
Specialties:
AncestryLE
Canadian Records (French and English)
State and Federal Census
Advanced Research
New York City Research
City Directories
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
Presenter: GSBC Trustee Fred Voss
The German Genealogy Group meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month from September through June. Orientation begins at 7:00PM. Meetings begin at 7:30 PM. Building doors open at 6:30.
The meetings are open, and YOU are invited to attend! Please feel free to drop by and check us out.
Fred Voss, a GSBC Trustee, tour guide, and researcher at Ellis Island National Park, will join us to share more of his favorite stories of those who arrived in the US through Ellis Island.
From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. Coming from all corners of the world, these souls—who nearly 40% of Americans can call "family"—left behind possessions and family to reinvent themselves in America. Most were processed through Ellis Island without incident. But some immigrants found themselves detained due to mental or physical illness, because their paperwork was not in order, or because those who were due to receive them did not show. What kind of stories could they tell?
Specialties:
AncestryLE
Internet Research
Advanced Research
Netherlands
Available by Appointment
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
Specialties:
Ancestry
Census
Ireland
Immigration
New York City and New Jersey
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
Emerald Isle Express: Researching Irish Ancestors
Please confirm location with the Society!
Join GSBC for two exciting courses at the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) at Bergen Community College (note that ILR is for registrants 55 and older). Registration opens on 6 September (see links below). Contact the college at 201-447-7156 or ilr@bergen.edu for more information.
Putting Genes in Your Genealogy (IR–724)
More people are using DNA testing as part of their genealogy research. This course focuses on the basics: why you might want to use DNA to research a family mystery, which DNA tests and companies to use, how to interpret your DNA results, and what to do next.
Prerequisite: "Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree" class or practical equivalence; students in this class are assumed to be familiar and experienced with basic genealogy resources and family research methodology.
This course is sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Bergen County.
Tuesdays: 14, 21 November
Room: TBA
Time: 12:00–2:00 p.m.
Instructor: Fred Voss
Online Catalog: http://bergen.edu/wp-content/uploads/ILR-Fall-2017-Catalog.pdf
Registration Opens: Wednesday, 6 September 2017 10:00am; Online registration only; http://bergen.edu/community/institute-for-learning-in-retirement/course-offerings-and-registration/
Information and registration via the ILR web site at http://bergen.edu/community/institute-for-learning-in-retirement/
Saturday, 18 November 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium, 125 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Join the GSBC as we welcome internationally-known author and lecturer, James M. Beidler! Beidler is a prolific author and researcher and is adept at using traditional repositories as well as online resources to break down brick walls.
He will present four talks—with something for everybody.
9:00 a.m. — Doors Open
Headlines to Bylines: Using ALL the Newspaper in Your Genealogy
Everyone turns to newspapers to find obituaries of their ancestors but every section can be valuable in your genealogical search. Learn how news briefs, advertisements, even editorials, and “letters to the editor” might add to your knowledge of your ancestors and their lives.
Secondary Uses for Primary Sources
Learning how to use whole data sets rather than individual records can blast open genealogical roadblocks by exploring the interrelationships of a whole community. Case studies show how this works.
Success Story: Finding a European Village of Origin
The case study of Johannes Dinius, a 1765 immigrant to Pennsylvania, is used to show how scraps of evidence properly deployed can lead to the discovery of a European hometown.
The Lighter Side of Genealogy
Anecdotes and cautionary tales of the people and situations one encounters during three decades of searching for roots on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wrap-Up with a Q&A Session
Seminar Registration
Space is limited, so guarantee your registration and save money by signing up early!
Complete the PDF form and mail with payment to GSBC PO Box 432, Midland Park, NJ 07432
Or, sign up online with a credit card at https://squareup.com/store/njgsbc
GSBC Member / Early Registration (by 30 October) = $40
GSBC Member / Registration (after 30 October)—$45
Non-Member / Early Registration (by 30 October) = $50
Non-Member / Registration (after 30 October)—$55
GSBC Membership—Join or Renew = $20
Membership year runs from 1 November to 31 October. If joining GSBC, select the GSBC Member rate.
Box Lunch (optional, pre-order only) = $10
All sandwiches on wheat bread, bag of chips, cookie and water. Choice of Turkey/American Cheese, Ham/Swiss Cheese, Tuna Salad, Egg Salad. Available on pre-order only.
About James M. Beidler
James M. Beidler is the author of The Family Tree German Genealogy Book as well as writes “Roots & Branches,” an award-winning weekly newspaper column on genealogy that is the only syndicated feature on that topic in Pennsylvania. He is also a columnist for German Life magazine and is editor of Der Kurier, the quarterly journal of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society. He is also an instructor for online Family Tree University.
He was the President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) from 2010 to 2012, and is the former Executive Director for the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. He served as national co-chairman for the 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Philadelphia.
On-Site GSBC Genealogy Consultations at the Ridgewood Public Library (RPL)
GSBC Members and others receive complimentary on-site consultation with our Genealogy Consultants at the Bolger Heritage Center. All our consultants can help beginners through experienced researchers, guide you in the use of the Genealogy and Local History Reference collections at the Bolger Heritage Center, and help you break through your brick-walls. If you need assistance with a specific area not listed, contact us and we will match you as best we can with an expert in that area.
To make an appointment, email contact@njgsbc.org to reserve your consultation window.
