Upcoming GSBC Presentations, Events, Programs, and Classes
Presentations: GSBC General Meetings + GSBC Extras!
The GSBC regularly holds two types of educational meetings:
GSBC General Meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month (except holidays and December) at 7pm. The General Meeting begins with a brief society business meeting before the main presentation begins. The meeting may be help in-person at the Ridgewood Public Library or online—or both!
GSBC Extras! was introduced during the 2020 lockdowns and are presented entirely online. GSBC Extra! presentations most often occur on a Monday @ 2pm (Eastern) and registration for the online presentation is required.
Both the General Meetings and GSBC Extra! presentations are free and open to the public—and researchers of all skill levels are encouraged to join us at our events.
Please see the individual event below for details on day, time, venue, and registration.
GSBC Seminars, RPL-GSBC Lock-Ins, and Special Events
The GSBC holds several special events throughout the year—most often an additional ticket price, and generally discounted for GSBC members.
The GSBC Annual Seminar is often a day-long event where a select speaker, or a few select speakers, will deliver educational presentations organized around a theme or topic.
The annual RPL–GSBC Lock-In is an always-fun event that welcomes family historians to the Ridgewood Public Library after the doors are closed to the general public. At the Lock-In, genealogists can attend talks on a variety of subjects, collaborate on problems, receive one-on-one research assistance, and enjoy a light supper and snacks. It’s always a fun and popular event—and almost always sells out!
Sign-up for the GSBC eNews or watch this calendar or our Facebook page for upcoming events!
GSBC Tech Classes, Workshops, In-Depth Courses at BCC, and SIGs
GSBC Tech Classes are organized in conjunction with the Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library. Please check the full RPL calendar for class information, fees, registration, cancellations, and for classes on other topics.
GSBC Workshops are occasional GSBC Extra! online presentations where experts can share their screen and show you the steps to tackling tech problems or explain specialized software. Watch the GSBC calendar for these events—which are free and open to the public.
GSBC’s in-depth courses are held at Bergen Community College’s Institute for Learning and Retirement (BCC-ILR, for those 55 and older). These courses are multi-week sessions and often focus on a particular aspect of family history research (e.g., DNA and Genetic Genealogy tools, getting started, intermediate skills).
GSBC SIGs (Special Interest Groups) are small gatherings where researchers meet and discuss particular topics and work through problems—and especially popular are our SIGs on technology and DNA.
For more information, see GSBC Genealogy Classes, Workshops, Courses, and SIGs >
GSBC Genealogy Consultants
GSBC Genealogy Consultants offer complimentary assistance to researchers—on-site and online. Consult the calendar below for available times, typically before GSBC General Meetings, and learn more about this service and private consultations under the Get Help section.
Upcoming Events from the GSBC, Ridgewood Public Library, and Events of Note from Other Societies
Use the Category filter below to hide the events in a specific category.
Drop-In Genealogy
6:00–6:45 pm on Evenings of GSBC General Meetings
In-Person at the Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library
125 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Free and open to the public; All are welcome
Drop-In Genealogy offers an opportunity to meet one-on-one with experts who can help you break through those brick-walls. No registration required. Just bring your research notes and your questions and come by the Bolger Heritage Center.
We will wrap-up consultation sessions by 6:45 pm—with plenty of time for you to join the GSBC General Meeting at 7 pm in the Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium.
GSBC General Meeting @ Ridgewood Public Library
Women and Naturalization in the United States
Presentation by Joy Kestenbaum, MA, MLS
Monday, 22 June 2026 @ 7pm Eastern
In-Person at the Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public; Presentation replay available to GSBC Members
This presentation will provide an overview of the history of citizenship acquisition for women in the United States and the records that were generated from the Federal period to post–World War II. It will review key federal and state laws which shaped the naturalization of women and focus on examples of women—married, widowed, and single—who sought, obtained, or lost citizenship. Significant laws pertaining to naturalization for both men and women will be addressed, with a focus on laws specifically affecting women, including the Cable Act of 1922 (also known as the Married Women's Independent Nationality Act). Beginning in the mid–19th century, eligible immigrant women automatically derived citizenship through their American spouses. The presentation will also examine cases of women, both naturalized and native-born, who lost their citizenship after the implementation of the 1907 Expatriation Act due to marriage to non-citizens—and how some were able to regain it in subsequent decades.
Speaker
Joy Kestenbaum, MA, MLS, is a professional genealogist and historical research consultant. She has been the Vice President of Programming of the Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. (New York) since 2015 and is a consulting genealogist at the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. She has lectured on family and local history, Jewish artists and architects, and historical buildings and landscapes at international conferences in the United States, England, and Germany, as well as for organizations in the Northeast. She previously served on the library and teaching faculty at Queens College (CUNY), Pratt Institute, and Purchase College (SUNY), and was also Director of the Gimbel Art and Design Library at The New School.
GSBC July General Meeting
Skeletons in the Family Tree: The Relatives They Didn’t Talk About and the Secrets They Didn’t Tell
Monday, 27 July 2026 @ 7:00 pm
In-Person at the Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public
Every family has them—the mysterious relative who suddenly disappeared, the ancestor whose story never quite added up, or the family secret carefully guarded for generations. In this entertaining and informative program, we’ll explore the “black sheep,” hidden scandals, long-buried secrets, and forgotten stories that often surface during genealogical research.
This open forum invites participants to share stories of these conveniently forgotten ancestors, their secrets, and how families chose to remember (or forget) them. From criminal records and secret marriages to unexpected identities and enduring family legends, we’ll look at how some of the most fascinating branches of the family tree are often the ones left out of the family narrative.
Join us for an engaging discussion about the ancestors they didn’t talk about—and the secrets they thought would never be discovered.
Bring your family stories to share.
Please prepare your presentation to three minutes so that everyone has time to share.
Please limit stories to individuals who are deceased and who have been gone for more than 100 years.
GSBC Summer Meeting
Your Family “Show and Tell”
Monday, 24 August 2026 @ 7:00 pm
In-Person at the Ridgewood Public Library Craft Room
Free and open to the public; Presentation replay available to GSBC Members
Every family has its treasures—photos tucked into albums, documents stored in old boxes, heirlooms passed down through generations, and stories that get retold (and sometimes reshaped) over time. Your Family “Show and Tell” is a relaxed, interactive program where members and guests are invited to share meaningful items from their family history and the stories behind them.
Participants are encouraged to bring objects, photographs, letters, keepsakes, or genealogical discoveries to share with the group. Whether it’s a newly uncovered ancestor, a surprising record, or a cherished object with a story, this program offers a chance to connect personal family history with the broader experience of genealogy.
Join us for an engaging evening of storytelling, discovery, and community as we celebrate the unique pieces that make up our family histories.
Bring your family treasures…
Bring your stories…
Bring your family…
Please prepare your presentation to three minutes so that everyone has time to share.
All are welcome to participate!
Please Note: Due to scheduled construction at the Ridgewood Public Library, this event will be held at a new location.
GSBC General Meeting
The Baylor Massacre
Presentation by Ed Moderacki
Monday, 28 September 2026 @ 7 pm
In-Person at the Old Paramus Reformed Church Fellowship Hall, 660 E Glen Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Free and open to the public; Presentation replay available to GSBC Members
Description
September 28, 1778 saw the bloodiest engagement of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County when a British Column under General Charles Grey attacked the sleeping 3rd Continental Light Dragoons under Lt Colonel Baylor at one o'clock in the morning at houses and barns in what is today River Vale. Historian Ed Moderacki will discuss the events leading up to and after the Baylor Massacre and the discovery of some of the Dragoon remains in 1967.
Speaker
Edmund Moderacki was born in River Vale and has taught in the local schools for thirty-five years. He is a member of the Pascack Historical Society and is the River Vale Township historian.
This event is brought to you by the Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library and the Genealogical Society of Bergen County.
The Turncoat and the Patriot
Guest Speaker: Jim Wright
Monday, October 19 @ 7 pm [RESCHEDULED]
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium, 125 N Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450
Registration encouraged. (Registration for this event opens Monday, July 27 at 9 am.)
William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, was the last royalist governor of New Jersey. John Fell, “the great Tory hunter,” led the local opposition to the British during that time. Although their paths probably never crossed, their dual lives provide a unique look at New Jersey in Revolutionary times. In advance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, noted local author Jim Wright will talk about these two exceptional men, their legacies, and the reason Ridgewoodians should be upset about the name of a certain highway.
The Traitor and the Spy: Benedict Arnold, Major André, and the Plot to Surrender West Point
Friday, November 20 @ 11 am
Ridgewood Public Library Auditorium, 125 N Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450
Prepare for the definitive story of Revolutionary betrayal!
This lecture dissects the stunning conspiracy between American hero-turned-villain Benedict Arnold and British Intelligence Chief Major John André. Together, they hatched the high-stakes plot to sell West Point—the strategic key to the entire American Revolution—to the enemy.
Trace the secret, desperate midnight meetings and coded correspondence between the two men. Explore André's daring undercover mission and the agonizing moments of his capture—when the plans for the fortress were found hidden in his boot. This near-miss not only exposed Arnold as America's most infamous traitor but directly sealed the tragic fate of the charismatic British spy.
Discover how one man's wounded pride and another's dedication to duty led to an act of treason that almost crushed the American cause. This is the pulse-pounding, human drama behind the treason that shook George Washington to his core.
Registration for this event opens Monday, August 3 at 9:00 am. Registration encouraged >
