The Capital District Genealogical Society was organized in 1981 with the following purpose:

• To teach members and other interested persons how to trace their family roots, lineage, or heritage.
  

• To provide help to those seeking information via queries on relatives and/or family who in the past had connections to the Capital District and adjacent counties.

• To educate the general public and membership by conducting special programs relevant to the purpose of the Society

• To coordinate the interests and concerns of persons and/or organizations throughout the Capital District area, New York State and the country in the development of information and resources to better serve the purpose of the Society, the membership and the public at large.

In Short: To Help You Open The Doors To Your Family History

The CDGS is positioned to have access to resources critical for genealogical research, being home to many records at the city, county and state levels.

The NYS Cultural Education Center in Albany, home to The NYS Library, NYS Museum, & NYS Archives is considered one of the top genealogy repositories in the country. It houses a variety of records, such as church records, local histories, published genealogies, DAR source publications, military publications, census films for federal and state enumerations, city directories and statewide newspapers. 

The NYS Archives has New York State Department of Health vital records indexes, one of only eight locations at which the indexes may be read in person. It’s also a great place to look for military records, tax records, early wills and even the ledgers that hold Department of Corrections information.

The NYS Library website is available at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/. In addition to microfilm of early NYS newspapers, D.A.R. records, rely church records, etc.; the library is home to the New Netherlands Room a repository of early Dutch Records that date to the founding of "New Netherlands", "New Amsterdam", and "Beverwyck". The Capital District Genealogical Society maintains a genealogy support desk at the Library operated by our volunteers. They are on duty Monday - Friday, as available.  A list of researchers for more extensive research assistance is maintained by CDGS and available upon request.

The NYS Museum is home to artifacts and records . Early family history pages and biographical information is available on their website: https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/pcalhindex.html. You can find early assessment rolls and census records of Albany and sometimes Rensselaerwyck  for the years:1679, 1697, 1714, 1756. There are also many maps available. 

In this historic area at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, several counties are very close together, each with a unique collection of church records, cemetery records, surname files and more. County courthouses are important sources of information, such as probate records, real estate records and sometimes naturalization paperwork.

Within an hour’s drive are the counties of: Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington. Most, if not all, have active Historical Societies or county records offices such as the Albany County Hall of Records.

The NYS Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue in Albany, NY.