Me and the NYSAPT: Another Deadline Met!

That Big Bridge in Brooklyn

My next article for the New York State Archives Partnership Trust quarterly magazine was sent off today.

It is scheduled to appear in the January 2011 issue.

Since 2005, my articles on genealogy and family history have appeared in every issue of “Archives”, the quarterly magazine sent to all members of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust. The NYS Archives Partnership Trust is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1992 to provide support for the continued preservation of New York State’s historical and archival records.   You can learn more about the Partnership Trust here . 

If you have even a passing interest in New York State genealogy and history, you might want to consider becoming a member. Individual memberships are only $35.00  Membership details can be found here.

The Partnership Trust uses the revenue from memberships to provide educational programs, awards, conferences and archival services in a variety of areas throughout New York State, many of which have a direct impact on the work that genealogists do. In these days of government cutbacks and library closings, it's important to support the institutions we value whenever and wherever we can.

Remember - it's not a one-way street.  Membership has its privileges, as they say.

One of the member benefits - in addition to substantial discounts on titles published by several NYS-based scholarly presses (Columbia University Press, Cornell University Press, Fordham University Press, SUNY Press, and Syracuse University Press) -  is a subscription to the award-winning magazine “Archives”. If you'd like to learn more about the magazine, you can peruse the table of contents and many of the feature articles from past issues of  “Archives” magazine here, all the way back to the Summer of 2001.

That way, you can see just what you’ve been missing. 

Because I’m officially considered a “department” of the magazine (i.e., I'm in every issue), my genealogy columns & articles never get “featured” in these links, so you can’t read them online.  However, the good folks who did the website for the NYS Archives Partnership Trust made a coding mistake a while back.  If you click on this link, you’ll be able to download the entire 36 – page issue of the Summer 2007 issue of “Archives.”

 Shhh! Don't tell anybody, or they're likely to fix it...!!!!

Here, you’ll be able to read my article called “Clues From The Coroner” about using  - you guessed it - using coroner’s records.  I discuss some early colonial records in Albany, back when the mayor was also the coroner, and also a detailed newspaper account of an accident in a New York City school building during the 19th century that resulted in great loss of life and a multi-day coroner's inquest whose proceedings were detailed almost verbatim in the New York City newspapers of the time. Just click on the pdf link ( not the HTML link) to the lead article (Michael Doyle’s “The Forestport Breaks") and you’ll get the whole issue – all 36 pages.  My article is on page 30 – 31.

Michael Doyle’s article on the Erie Canal’s mysterious levee breaks at Forestport around the beginning of the 20th century also has a genealogical twist as well. It's a good read and you’ll find it starting on page 16.

Remember - even things that don't look "genealogical" at first can contain clues we can use in our research.  The genealogist who casts his or her research net widely can often haul in a truly amazing catch!