Upcoming GSBC Presentations, Events, Programs, and Classes
Presentations: GSBC General Meetings + GSBC Extras!
The GSBC regularly holds two types of educational meetings:
GSBC General Meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month (except holidays and December) at 7pm. The General Meeting begins with a brief society business meeting before the main presentation begins. The meeting may be help in-person at the Ridgewood Public Library or online—or both!
GSBC Extras! was introduced during the 2020 lockdowns and are presented entirely online. GSBC Extra! presentations most often occur on a Monday @ 2pm (Eastern) and registration for the online presentation is required.
Both the General Meetings and GSBC Extra! presentations are free and open to the public—and researchers of all skill levels are encouraged to join us at our events.
Please see the individual event below for details on day, time, venue, and registration.
GSBC Seminars, RPL-GSBC Lock-Ins, and Special Events
The GSBC holds several special events throughout the year—most often an additional ticket price, and generally discounted for GSBC members.
The GSBC Annual Seminar is often a day-long event where a select speaker, or a few select speakers, will deliver educational presentations organized around a theme or topic.
The annual RPL–GSBC Lock-In is an always-fun event that welcomes family historians to the Ridgewood Public Library after the doors are closed to the general public. At the Lock-In, genealogists can attend talks on a variety of subjects, collaborate on problems, receive one-on-one research assistance, and enjoy a light supper and snacks. It’s always a fun and popular event—and almost always sells out!
Sign-up for the GSBC eNews or watch this calendar or our Facebook page for upcoming events!
GSBC Tech Classes, Workshops, In-Depth Courses at BCC, and SIGs
GSBC Tech Classes are organized in conjunction with the Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library. Please check the full RPL calendar for class information, fees, registration, cancellations, and for classes on other topics.
GSBC Workshops are occasional GSBC Extra! online presentations where experts can share their screen and show you the steps to tackling tech problems or explain specialized software. Watch the GSBC calendar for these events—which are free and open to the public.
GSBC’s in-depth courses are held at Bergen Community College’s Institute for Learning and Retirement (BCC-ILR, for those 55 and older). These courses are multi-week sessions and often focus on a particular aspect of family history research (e.g., DNA and Genetic Genealogy tools, getting started, intermediate skills).
GSBC SIGs (Special Interest Groups) are small gatherings where researchers meet and discuss particular topics and work through problems—and especially popular are our SIGs on technology and DNA.
For more information, see GSBC Genealogy Classes, Workshops, Courses, and SIGs >
Upcoming Events from the GSBC, Ridgewood Public Library, and Events of Note from Other Societies
Use the Category filter below to hide the events in a specific category.
The Sewing Girl’s Tale
On March 23, historian John Wood Sweet will join us for a discussion of his book, The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America.
On a moonless night in the summer of 1793, a crime was committed in the back room of a New York brothel—the kind of crime that even victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer did what virtually no one in US history had done before: she charged a gentleman with rape.
Her accusation sparked a raw courtroom drama exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the streets, ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and sexual double standards. Based on rigorous historical detective work, this book takes us from the sanctuaries of the city’s elite into the shadows of its brothels and the despair of its debtors’ prison. The Sewing Girl’s Tale shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words 200 years ago, they can be changed again.
Content Note: This topic concerns real-life events stemming from a sexual crime.
This program will be held in-person in Philadelphia, https://www.amphilsoc.org/events/sewing-girls-tale
This program will also be live-streamed, https://boxcast.tv/view/the-sewing-girls-tale-kzddh6bbfvc5dcbunulq
John Wood Sweet, PhD, is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and former director of UNC’s Program in Sexuality Studies. He graduated from Amherst College (summa cum laude) and earned his Ph.D. in History at Princeton University. His first book, Bodies Politic: Negotiating Race in the American North, was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize. He has served as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, and his work has been supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the National Humanities Center, the Institute for Arts and Humanities at UNC, the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale, the McNeil Center at Penn, and the Center for Global Studies in Culture, Power, and History at Johns Hopkins. johnwoodsweet.com
Editor’s Note: See the “Documents and Data” section of Dr. Sweet’s website for interesting New York and New Jersey record transcriptions, johnwoodsweet.com
GSBC General Meeting
Utilizing Ancestry’s Databases: Beyond Search
Presentation by Cari Taplin, CG (online)
Monday, 27 Mar 2023 @ 7pm Eastern
In-person @Ridgewood Public Library and
Online and open to all, but space is limited. Registration is required.
Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8855675985809373783
Many Ancestry.com users rarely search the hidden resources found beyond the initial “Search” feature. Cari will delve into how to extract treasure from some of the lesser-used databases available to all subscribers.
Cari A. Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that’s what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but now lives in Longmont, Colorado. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking services. she also lends help and shares her expertise as an administrator on the highly popular Facebook Group “The Genealogy Squad.” Cari currently works for Ancestry ProGenealogists. Cari’s personal research focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states. When she’s not working on her genealogy, she is a wife, and a mother of two young adults.
GSBC Extra! - Online
Telling Your Family’s Story with Google Earth
Presentation by Tamara Hallo (virtually)
Monday, 10 Apr 2023 @ 2pm Eastern
Online and open to all, but space is limited!
Registration required: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/519749469263752717
Google Earth is free computer program for your desktop as well as for smartphones and tablets. Use the documents, pictures and stories you gather to create and share a visual representation of your family’s story using Google Earth.
Tamara Hallo is an educator, librarian, and genealogist. She has over 25 years of experience as an educator and holds a Master in Library Science degree. Genealogy is her passion and a perfect complement to her repertoire. She has earned a certificate of genealogical research from Boston University and has completed ProGen, an 18-month professional genealogy study program.
In addition to client work, Tamara presents on genealogical topics to both in-person and virtual audiences and regularly teaches genealogy classes through her website, www.hallogenealogyservices.com, and in-person throughout the tri-county area of South Florida.
A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS), she specializes in Southern United States and Miami, Florida research and is passionate about sharing genealogy with the community.
GSBC 2023 Seminar
A Day with Jane E. Wilcox
Saturday, April 22nd, 2023
9:30am–3:30pm, doors open at 9:15am
In-person!
Ridgewood Public Library, 125 N. Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Register online with a credit card >
Download a mail-in registration form (payment by check only) >
Please join us for our 2023 Seminar, featuring renowned genealogical speaker Jane E. Wilcox, of Forget-Me-Not Ancestry. A full day, including four lectures, door prizes, conviviality, one-on-one sharing of genealogical hints and tips, and extended Q&A time with the speaker, will be held at Ridgewood Public Library!
Jane’s degrees in history, journalism, and education provide an academic foundation for her work in genealogy, with specialties being researching people and their times and writing their stories. Jane is a member of the NY State Archives Advisory Committee and of the Family History Advisory Committee for the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society. Jane’s lectures provide something for everyone:
Finding American Women’s Voices through the Centuries: Letters, Journals, Newspapers, and Court Records
Women from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries are challenging to uncover, but we may hear their voices in the documents that recorded their lives. With many examples from the speaker’s own New England, New York, and Wisconsin family history, learn where to look for womenfolk in letters, diaries and journals, newspapers, and various court records.
Forget Me Not: Remembering Our Grandmothers’ Stories
Women’s stories are often overshadowed by male-oriented records. Learn where to find and how to tell our women folk’s stories with the sources and everyday objects at hand. A new richness to family history can be had when we bring to life the stories of our grandmothers.
New York State Archives Records: A Focus on 19th and 20th Century Immigrants
The New York State Archives (NYSA) holds the records of the state government. With a focus on records that contain nineteenth and early twentieth century immigrants and their children, this talk will discuss new, as well as familiar, state-level records to assist in your family history research.
You Be the Judge: Was Nicholas Storm Alive during the Revolutionary War?
A family tradition claims that Philipsburg Manor tenant Nicholas Storm hosted Gen. Philip Schuyler at his home during the Battle of White Plains. Fact or fiction? You be the judge using typical and atypical sources for Westchester County including manorial, court, cemetery, Loyalist confiscation, U.S. Army forage, personal papers and accounts, probate, maps, laws, and more.
Registration (Seats are Limited!)
$30 for GSBC Members | $45 non-members
Join GSBC for $20 and pay the member price for the Seminar ($20 Membership + $30 Seminar = $50).
Seminar ticket includes a continental breakfast.
Add a box lunch to your Seminar ticket for $10 (must be ordered by 4/15).
Register online with a credit card >
Download a mail-in registration form (payment by check only) >
Questions? Contact@njgsbc.org | 201-446-9642
If there is sufficient interest, the GSBC hopes to provide a very limited rebroadcast of the lectures to in-person registrants and to others (for a fee). Please email contact@njgsbc.org or text 201-446-9642 if you might be interested in viewing a rebroadcast.
Jane E. Wilcox has been digging around and rooting out ancestors practically my whole life--having learned genealogy on her DAR-researcher grandmother's lap 40+ years ago. Jane is fascinated by who our forebears were--their lives, society, politics, education, religion. Her degrees in history, journalism, and education provide an academic foundation for her work in genealogy, with specialties being researching people and their times and writing their stories. As she researches a family, it seems that the ancestors want their stories to be told. Jane is a member of the NY State Archives Advisory Committee and of the Family History Advisory Committee for the NY Genealogical & Biographical Society.
GSBC Genealogy Consultants
GSBC Genealogy Consultants offer complimentary assistance to researchers—on-site and online. Consult the calendar below for available consultants, and learn more about this service under the “Get Help” section.
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.
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.
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.
