Regional & National Programs
Regional & National Conferences
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NYG&B: New York State Family History Conference ($)
Sept 19-20, 2025: In person (Kingston, NY)
Sept 3-Nov 16 2025: On-demand recorded sessions
Sessions include topics about genealogy in the New Netherlands, researching Palatines in your family tree, colonial research, Black Loyalists, Jewish genealogy, researching Native American family history, and much more.
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Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)—Virtual Fall Sessions 2025 ($)
Sept-Nov 2025: Virtual
These are generally held weekly over a period of several weeks and are especially for intermediate and advanced learners.
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New England Regional Genealogical Conference ($)
Oct 29–Nov 1, 2025: In person (Manchester, NH)
With over 70 sessions, 3 workshops, special interest groups, consultations, and an exhibit hall, there is something for everyone.
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Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)—1-Week Course ($)
Jan 26-30, 2026: Virtual
These intensive courses are virtual and held all day every day for five days.
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Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)—Virtual Spring Sessions 2026 ($)
Feb-May 2026: Virtual
SLIG offers virtual courses in intermediate and advanced genealogy education held weekly over a period of several weeks between February and May 2026.
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Mar 5-7, 2026
Where: Salt Lake City, UT
Virtual - Free
In person ($)
This annual genealogy conference is the largest genealogy conference in the world. It is a hybrid event, meaning you can participate online or in person. In-person RootsTech includes exclusive classes and personal interaction with exhibitors in the expo hall. Online attendees can enjoy hundreds of virtual sessions in many languages, and online participation is free! Keynote speakers will excite and motivate you in all things genealogy and family history. This conference covers an extensive variety of topics and is appropriate for all levels of genealogy researchers.
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]
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 1:00pm - 3:30pm
Two free 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​
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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​Complete event information here.