GSBC: Show and Tell: Share Your Artifact and Its Story

Monday, 28 July 2025 @ 7 pm In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Summary: We invite you to bring something related to your family history or research and share with the group at our July meeting. Perhaps you’ve inherited your g......More

Monday, 28 July 2025 @ 7 pm In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Summary: We invite you to bring something related to your family history or research and share with the group at our July meeting. Perhaps you’ve inherited your grandmother’s candlesticks. Or maybe you have a portrait of an ancestor or a snapshot taken long ago at a family gathering. You may have found documents relating to your family’s past in Europe centuries ago. Even if you don’t possess any keepsakes from your ancestors, you may be able to show us a printout of their Ellis Island passenger manifest or a picture of the village in which they lived. Please bring your item to show to the group (of course, don’t bring anything that is extremely valuable or fragile), and tell us a little bit about the person it belonged to or how you received or discovered it. Please bring just one item and limit your talk to two minutes!

GSBC: To Be Announced

Thomas A. Edison In West Orange - His Life and Times

Step back in time to  the laboratory and home of Thomas A. Edison in West Orange, NJ with guest speaker Alan Bernstein.  Learn about some of Edison’s 1,093 patents including his success with motion pictures, batteries, sound recording, an electric car and even everyday ......More

Step back in time to  the laboratory and home of Thomas A. Edison in West Orange, NJ with guest speaker Alan Bernstein.  Learn about some of Edison’s 1,093 patents including his success with motion pictures, batteries, sound recording, an electric car and even everyday appliances still used today.  Virtually tour the Edison laboratory and his home Glenmont in the exclusive West Orange Llewellyn Park community through this presentation.Registration encouraged: https://ridgewoodlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/thomas-a-edison-in-west-orange-his-life-and-times/

GSBC: To Be Announced

GSBC: Buried in the Garden State: The Who, What, When, and Where of NJ Burial Records

General Meeting, Monday, 29 September 2025 @ 7 pm Note Date Change Buried in the Garden State: The Who, What, When, and Where of NJ Burial Records with Mark A. J. Szep In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Summary: Explore the m......More

General Meeting, Monday, 29 September 2025 @ 7 pm Note Date Change Buried in the Garden State: The Who, What, When, and Where of NJ Burial Records with Mark A. J. Szep In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Summary: Explore the many burial and burial-related records available to New Jersey genealogists. Records to be discussed include transit and burial permits, burial card indexes, day books, grave registers, plot records, cemetery transcriptions and our ancestors’ headstones and burial markers. Focus will be placed on what types of burial records exist, where those records can be accessed and what information can be gleaned from them.

GSBC: Book Talk: Italians of Newark

General Meeting, Monday, 27 October 2025 @ 7 pm Book Talk: Italians of Newark with Andrea Van Benschoten In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Between1880 and 1924, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States. Tens......More

General Meeting, Monday, 27 October 2025 @ 7 pm Book Talk: Italians of Newark with Andrea Van Benschoten In-person at Ridgewood Public Library Open to GSBC members and non-Members Between1880 and 1924, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States. Tens of thousands flocked to Newark and reshaped a city. In 1887, St. Philip Neri’s Church became the first official Italian parish in Newark, a huge improvement over holding services in the basements of existing churches. Many immigrants settled in the Old First Ward, which once claimed the title of largest Little Italy in New Jersey. It wouldn’t last, however, as the midcentury push for urban housing led to the forcible displacement of more than 4,600 people. Clubs like the Spilingese Social Club sprang up to provide support and camaraderie, and dishes like giambotta made their way into everyone's kitchens. Author Andrea Lyn Cammarato–Van Benschoten traces the roots of Newark’s Italian communities.

GSBC: To Be Announced

Digitize Your History

Digitize Your History

Digitize Your History

German Sabotage and Espionage in the US during WWI

Guest speaker James Calaski Get ready for a gripping dive into the shadows of WWI, right here on American soil! This presentation uncovers the shocking truth about German espionage and sabotage in the US. Discover the clandestine battle waged by Imperial Germany's spy......More

Guest speaker James Calaski Get ready for a gripping dive into the shadows of WWI, right here on American soil! This presentation uncovers the shocking truth about German espionage and sabotage in the US. Discover the clandestine battle waged by Imperial Germany's spy network, designed to cripple American industry and undermine neutrality. The presentation will expose the chilling details of the Black Tom Explosion, a catastrophic blast that rocked New York Harbor, and the Kingsland Explosion, another act of calculated sabotage in the heart of New Jersey. This isn't just history; it's a pulse-pounding tale of undercover agents, daring plots, and the desperate fight to protect a nation on the precipice of war. Don't miss this thrilling exploration of a forgotten front! Registration encouraged.

GSBC: To Be Announced