GSBC Meetings + Presentations
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. 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, including our 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.
GSBC Classes + Ridgewood Public Library Programs
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.
Additionally, the GSBC holds in-depth courses, for those 55 and older, at Bergen Community College, Institute for Learning and Retirement (BCC-ILR). Please check our calendar for registration dates, visit the BCC-ILR website, or contact BCC-ILR at 201-447-7156.
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.
Tech Class: Using Land Records
How to find and use land records to tell your family story. Deeds reveal a lot about location, financial status, neighbors, and family that sometimes can be found nowhere else. Beginners and experienced genealogists are welcome.
Registration and small fee required: $5 Ridgewood residents and GSBC members; $10 for visitors.
http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=5615&EventID=398349
Saturday, 11 April @ 2pm
Belcher Auditorium, Ridgewood Public Library
Historian Phil Jaeger
Sponsored by the Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library
Historical Highlights of New Jersey Counties
Historian Phil Jaeger focuses on historical highlights of New Jersey's 21 counties. Sites and events include: deserted villages, a castle, the country's oldest seaside hotel, canals, railroads, America's first coast-to-coast highway and “the trial of the century.”
All welcome, no registration required.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions on gatherings, the 2020 Seminar has been postponed—with a new target date of Fall 2020. Those who have signed-up will be contacted about refunds or receive refunds directly. Questions? Contact the Seminar Chair Lauren Maehrlein, MA, at heirlines@aol.com. Thank you for your understanding and stay healthy!
GSBC 2020 Seminar
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective: A Three-Lecture Program
Saturday, 18 April 2020, 9:30 am–3:00 pm
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium, Ridgewood, NJ
Join the GSBC as we welcome internationally known photo expert and speaker Maureen Taylor for a full day of talks about family photos: how to identify, understand, and preserve them. Whether you are organizing photos as part of your family research or enjoy old photos—this day and these talks are not to be missed!
9:30 am—Coffee and Welcome
SESSION 1:
Identifying and Dating Family Photographs
An interactive lecture on discovering who’s who in family pictures. Learn 10 easy steps for naming those unidentified pictures tucked away in shoeboxes.
SESSION 2:
Buns, Beards, Bodices, and Bustles: Understanding Ancestors Through Clothing
Ancestral fashions and the industry that produced them left behind a fascinating legacy of images and information.
SESSION 3:
Preserving Family Photographs—1839 to the Present
From daguerreotypes to digital imaging dilemmas, this in-depth seminar covers everything a family photographer needs to know about caring for photographs. Topics include printing and sharing digital images, and how to safely label your grandparents’ pictures.
Seminar includes beverages and light refreshments, an option to add a box lunch, chance to win one of our wonderful door prizes, and a Q&A session with Maureen Taylor!
| Type of Registration | Per Person |
| GSBC Member Early-Bird (Registration before 18 March*) | $40 |
| Non-Member Early-Bird (Registration before 18 March*) | $50 |
| GSBC Member (Registration after 18 March) | $45 |
| Non-Member (Registration after 18 March) | $55 |
| ADD Boxed Lunch—Choice of Sandwich (Beverages will be available.) Turkey and cheese, chips, fruit Ham and swiss, chips, fruit Roast beef, chips, fruit Roast vegetables and mozzarella, chips, fruit Gluten-free wrap (specify filling from above choices)
| $10 |
| ADD GSBC Membership Join and select the GSBC Member Registration price! | $20 |
* Online sale or postmarked mail-in form.
Location
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium
125 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 670-5600
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/QRNSB1KwS55FvUbU9
Free parking is available in the lower parking lot. Meters in effect for street-parking.
The Ridgewood Public Library and Auditorium are handicap-accessible.
Early-Bird Pricing, Refund, and Cancellation Policy
Early-Bird Pricing is in effect before 18 March, one month before the Seminar. Mail-in forms must be postmarked on or before 18 March. Online pricing will change midnight, 18 March.
Refunds for cancelled registrations will be issued up to one month before the event, or 18 March 2020. Refund requests after this date are at the discretion of the GSBC and Seminar Chair.
In case of a speaker or venue cancellation, refunds will be issued for paid event fees.
Questions? Contact the Seminar Chair Lauren Maehrlein, MA, at heirlines@aol.com or (201) 446-9642.
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:
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.
GSBC General Meeting
Monday, 27 April 2020 @ 7pm
ONLINE WEBINAR
Michelle Tucker Chubenko
Online Webinar
Jersey Roots Genealogy: Using the New Jersey Room, Special Collections & University Archives, Rutgers University
An introduction to the New Jersey source material and available research tools for collections on deposit at Alexander Library, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Free and open to the public—all are welcome!
Watch this presentation from the comfort of your home computer—live as it happens. Check this page a week before the event for the link to the webinar. Logging-on is easy and free, but capacity may be limited. Watch this page as details evolve.
Michelle Tucker Chubenko is a professional genealogist who has over 27 years experience in researching families in New Jersey, Maryland, southwest Virginia, and Oklahoma/Indian Territory, and countries in Europe including Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Austria and Germany. She is the founder of Jersey Roots Genealogy.
Specialties:
AncestryLE
Canadian Records (French and English)
State and Federal Census
Advanced Research
New York City Research
City Directories
For July 2018: 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:
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.
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.
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:
AncestryLE
Canadian Records (French and English)
State and Federal Census
Advanced Research
New York City Research
City Directories
For July 2018: 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:
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.
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.
GSBC General Meeting
Monday, 22 June 2020 @ 7pm
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium
Bill Ervolino, Former columnist for The Record
The Importance of Stories
An informative and entertaining program about preserving your family's history with an author who has written about his family for 43 years. This is also an interactive program, audience members encouraged to share their own experiences with genealogy and their favorite family stories. Free and open to the public!
Bill Ervolino is a professional author and for 28 years was a humor columnist and features writer at The Record. He is the author of Some Kind of Wise Guy: Stories about Parents, Weddings, Modern Living, and Growing Up Italian, and often draws upon his own family's stories and his personal experiences in his writing. Join his email list at billervolino.com.
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:
AncestryLE
Canadian Records (French and English)
State and Federal Census
Advanced Research
New York City Research
City Directories
For July 2018: 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.
