Regional & National Programs
Regional & National Conferences
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Sept 19-20, 2025:
NYG&B: New York State Family History Conference
Virtual & In person ($) (Old Dutch Church in Kingston, NY)
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Western New York Genealogy & History
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
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Monthly Special Collections Tour
[In-person event]
Take a guided tour of the Grosvenor Room, the Central Library’s Special Collections Department. Learn about the history of the library and get an inside look at our Local History, Genealogy, Map and Rare Book Collections, as well as the Mark Twain Room and other exhibits.
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Join library staff on the 4th Saturday of each month, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Meet in the Grosvenor Room, the Library’s Special Collections Department, located on the main floor of the Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203
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An Afternoon with Erie Canal Expert Pamela J. Vittorio
[In-person event - Ring of Knowledge, Central Library]
https://buffalolib.libcal.com/event/14907095
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Join us for two lectures by Erie Canal expert Pamela J. Vittorio!
A Mighty Chain of Unfortunate Events: The 1825 Opening of the Erie Canal
1 pm - 2 pm
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On October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal commissioners and dignitaries celebrated the canal's grand opening with a ride on a flotilla of the finest packet boats. It ended in NYC with a lavish spread, but only for a select few. Along the route, a series of unfortunate events took place: as cannons boomed, men were killed; canal laborers and boatmen were excluded from the festivities; some canal towns boycotted the event entirely. This presentation brings the passengers of the Seneca Chief and the events of the day to life, with eye-witness accounts from participants and residents along the canal corridor, and recognizes the "unsung" heroes of the day, including the first driver of canal boats.
The Erie Canal and the Peopling of Western NY State
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
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Did your ancestors arrive in the port of NY from 1820 to 1850? How did they travel? Discover more about the rise of boomtowns, early canal passenger lists, records of businessmen, farmers, mill or factory owners, and how our early nineteenth-century families took up residence along the canals.
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