Saturday April 20, 2024 
Finding Your Roots: Essential Steps for the DNA Newcomer
The Grafton Historical Society program will be held Wednesday, July 17th at the Grafton Town Hall at 7 PM.
Have you been thinking about having your DNA test done?
If you are a newcomer to the DNA testing world, or have had your results for awhile but just feel lost, this program is for you! Professional genealogist Lisa Dougherty will outline basic steps to help you understand your ethnicity estimates, make sense of your matches, then utilize them to discover more about your family history. This program is designed to bring you from confusion to comprehension in 5 steps!
Lisa Dougherty has been active in tracing the history of her own family and many others for over 20 years. She became interested in genealogy as a teenager when her father began investigating the origins of his Irish great grandparents. A former volunteer at the National Archives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, she now devotes her time to lecturing around the area on family history and assisting family researchers monthly at four capital region area libraries, including the Irish-American Heritage Museum in Albany, where she is the genealogist-in-residence. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, as well as several other area genealogical groups. A subscriber to Ancestry.com for over 15 years, she specializes in online research and the effective use of websites to investigate family history.
It is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Cooking and Creating Summer Camp at FRCW
Camp for the week of July 15 -19 has been cancelled due to low enrollment. The August 5 – 9 week will be modified to accommodate children entering 2nd grade through 8th grade. Please contact First Reformed Church Wynantskill at (518) 283-4420 to register.
Cooking and Creating for a Cause Summer Day Camp
The First Reformed Church in Wynantskill will be holding a Cooking and Creating for a Cause Summer Camp again this summer. This camp is for boys and girls entering grades 2-8 who would like to create food and crafts to be donated to local charities. The camp will be held the week of August 5 – 9 for children entering grades 5-8. The camp hours are from 9 am until 12 pm and will be held at the church on the corner of Main Ave. and Church St. in Wynantskill.
The cost of the camp is $20.00 per week per child. For more information, or to register your child, please contact the church office at 518-283-4420.
Book Nook News
The Book Nook at Transfiguration Parish on Hillview Drive in Speigletown is open on July 20 from 9:00 am until noon. This is our last weekend to be open before the parish-wide Garage Sale on Labor Day Weekend (Friday-Saturday, August 30-31). Be sure to stop by so you don’t run out of books!!! There have been a lot of new donations so please come by and see what’s new! The July half-priced specials are on Fern Michaels, James Patterson and Jonathan Kellerman. As always, the history, biographies, cookbooks, religious, self-help are all 6/$1. School is out so to keep your kids reading, all children and young adult books are 10/$1 this month. Stop by and check us out. We accept all donations but please no VHS tapes, text books or encyclopedias. See you at the Book Nook!
Nassau Village Historian hosting local history presentations
Nassau Village Historian Kurt Vincent will be hosting three “encore performances” of local history presentations at The Nassau Free Library in July and August. Beat the heat in the cool Community Room as the illustrated slideshow “Nassau at 200” traces this history and development of Nassau Village and the surrounding areas in our bicentennial year. Originally presented in March for the Esquatak Historical Society, the Library shows will take place on Tuesday, August 13, both at 6:30 pm. On Tuesday, July 30, also at 6:30 pm, “Trolleys Across the Hudson” will trace how Southern Rensselaer County once was home to the first intermodal light rail system in America. Through period photos, personal recollections and even a few sound effects, take a ride on the trolley from downtown Albany all the way to beautiful Nassau. This show was first presented at the 2018 Nassau Local History Fair. All presentations are free. The Library is located at 18 Church Street (US Route 20) in Nassau Village.
Capital District Genealogical Society
The CDGS ordially invites you to join us Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 1:00 P.M.
Using Original Records for Genealogy Jackie Graziano, Archivist for Westchester County
Colonie Town Library, 629 Albany-Shaker Road, Loudonville
Refreshments will be served following speaker prior to computer resources.
Our speaker will highlight records in the collection that are most helpful for genealogy. Apply what you learn to the local archives in your area.
The archives is the repository for Westchester County’s collection of historic government documents covering the late 17th through early 20th centuries. She will also cover strategies for locating record repositories, and illustrate how original records can help genealogists get past those notorious “brick walls.”
Ms. Graziano holds a MLS from Queens College, with a certificate in Archives and Records Management, and was fortunate to land the job of Archivist with Westchester County.
Please join us! The meetings are free and open to the public. www.capitaldistrictgenealogicalsociety.org
Bennington Battlefield Announces Upcoming Events
The following events will be taking place at Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, located off of NY-67 in Walloomsac, New York. For more information, visitors may contact Site Assistant David Pitlyk by e-mail, at david.pitlyk@nullparks.ny.gov, or by telephone, 518-860-9094. Tours of the battlefield may also be arranged by appointment.
July 20th at 1:00 PM Historic Site Assistant David Pitlyk will deliver a presentation on the Battle of Bennington for the Riders Mills Historical Association at the schoolhouse located at Riders Mills Road and Drowne Road, Old Chatham NY.
July 25th at 4:00 PM the trustees of the Friends of the Bennington Battlefield will be meeting at the Barnett House (30 Caretaker’s Road, Hoosick Falls, NY).July 27th at 7:00 PM there will be a Fireside History presentation. The subject will be cannon at the Battle of Bennington. Visitors will meet near the upper parking area and enjoy an open fire and refreshments.
August 3rd at 4:00 PM there will be a guided hike of the Battle Loop Trail. Visitors will meet under the flagpole.
August 16th at 7:00 PM the Friends of the Bennington Battlefield will host the annual commemoration of the Battle of Bennington. The program will include DAR and SAR representatives and students from Hoosick Falls. The ceremony will take place near the flagpole.
August 17th at 11:00 AM Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer of the Saratoga National Historical Park will present on his new collaboration, Don Troiani’s Campaign to Saratoga – 1777: The Turning Point of the Revolutionary War in Paintings, Artifacts, and Historical Narrative. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The program will be held in the Caretakers House (30 Caretakers Road, Hoosick Falls, NY).
August 18th, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM: Tours of the battlefield will be available to interested visitors. Groups will meet under the flagpole.
August 31st at 12:00 PM the battlefield will host Volunteer Day at the Tory Fort. Volunteers will be arranging small fence rail logs at the Tory Fort. Work gloves are recommended. Refreshments will be served to participants. Parking will be available on the grounds of the Barnett House (30 Caretakers Road, Hoosick Falls, NY).
Tie-dyeing Returns to the Village of Nassau
It’s that time of year again! The Village of Nassau Youth Committee is pleased to announce the 7th annual tie-dyeing workshops at the Village Commons, John Street on Thursday, August 1st and Tuesday, August 6th. Learn the art of tie-dyeing while listening to “groovy” music from the 1960’s. Open to children of all ages, these workshops will start promptly at 6pm—rain or shine—and last approximately one hour. Children must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or older.
Participants need to bring one clean white or very light-colored T-shirt. Tie-dyeing can be messy so an apron to protect your clothes is recommended. To make certain that we have enough dye on hand, reservations are requested. So, choose the date you want to attend and give Judy a call at 518-522-2916 or email judyz_05262@nullyahoo.com. Please leave your name and the number of people who will attend.
There is no charge for the workshop, but we are asking everyone to bring a non-perishable food item (for people or pets) to donate to the Nassau Resource Center.
Lansingburgh Historical Society
Saturday, August 3, 2019, Lansingburgh Historical Society will celebrate Melville’s Bicentennial with an open house from 9 am to 1 pm at 2 114th St., Troy, NY 12182 followed by a one-man play “Sailing Toward My Father”. The play will be held at the Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel, Oakwood Cemetery at 2pm, followed by birthday cake of course! $15.00 pp prepaid reservation required by 7-28-19. Seating is limited! Mail checks to P.O. Box 219, Troy, NY 12182.
Capital Dist. Chapter of the Embroider’s Guild of America
Do you enjoy needlework? Would you like to stitch with others that have similar interests? Whether you are a beginner or have experience, come join us. The NY Capital District Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America meets in various locations and at various times. The Day Group meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month at Blooming Grove Reformed Church in Defreetsville. Evening meetings are offered in two locations: The Community Room at The Terrace at Beverwyck in Slingerlands from 7p-9p on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month and from 6:30p-9p in the Fellowship Hall of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Park on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. In addition, there are specialty interest groups that also meet. For more information, check out our website at http://www.nycapega.org or on facebook.com/nydcega. Come Join Us!