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Subject: [APG] New York Times, 1851-1998, via remote access
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2002 14:53:28 EDT

Dear Friends,

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society has now made ProQuest's
Historical Newspapers' *every-word-searchable* database of The New York
Times, 1851-1997, available to members via remote access on their home
computers through the website at www.nygbs.org. There is no extra charge to
members for this extraordinary database.

The database is also available onsite at the New York Public Library and
other major libraries across the country, if you're interested but not a G&B
member. Unlike the G&B, NYPL doesn't have the capability of remote access, so
it must be used there, not via your computer at home. As I understand, the
G&B is the first genealogical society in the country to have the database.

I do want to warn you: this database is HIGHLY dangerous as, for many of us,
it leads to many late nights of exciting research!

You enter a search, then link to and view the articles. The quality of the
images is wonderful and the search engine is one of the best I've ever used.
The onscreen Help is excellent and offers detailed instructions in
structuring a targetted search with a full range of search operators.

You can zip right to a death notice or obituary, without knowing the date of
death, find notices of wills for probate and administrations, property
transfers, engagement and marriage notices, lists of jurors including their
addresses, articles about accidents and other events,
advertisements--everything in The New York Times. I've been excited by one
find after another for clients. I really can't rave about this database
enough!

If you're already a NYG&B member, visit the Members' Area on the G&B website
at www.nygbs.org and sign up for a free username and password. If you're not
a member, but want to become one, you'll find membership information on the
website, too.

More information follows my signature. If you have any questions, please
visit the website or contact Lauren Maehrlein, Director of Education at the
G&B, .

Best wishes,

Leslie Corn
Professional Genealogist
Genealogical Research, Due Diligence, & Missing Heirs
New York, NY
NYG&BS Education & Publication Committee, Library Committee, and Subcommittee
on Collection Development
City Clerk's Marriage Licenses, 1908-37: One of 20th-Century Genealogy's Best
Primary Sources:
http://www.nygbs.org/info/articles/NYC_marriages.html
New York State Supreme Court Naturalization Records in the New York County
Clerk's
Office/Division of Old Records.
Part 1: 1907-1924
http:www.nygbs.org/info/articles/NYS_naturalizations.html
Part 2: Colonial Period through 1906
http:www.nygbs.org/info/articles/NYS_naturalizations2.html



NYG&B Members Receive Remote Access to
ProQuest’s Historical Newspapers’ New York Times Database


Members of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society can now search
and download images via remote access from ProQuest’s every-word-searchable
database of The New York Times. The database includes approximately 3.5
million pages, from the newspaper’s founding in 1851 through 1997.

“We’re thrilled to be able to give each of our members the opportunity to
use this ground-breaking research tool,” said NYG&B Executive Director,
William P. Johns. “The New York Times is a defining newspaper, not only for
New York City, but also for much of the country and the world. The value to
genealogists and historians is incalculable.”

>From their home computers by remote access through a “Members Only” area in
the NYG&B’s website, or onsite at the NYG&B Library, members can search The
New York Times, then save, print, or e-mail the scanned image of the article.
There will be no extra fee to members for remote access to the database.
“This will be one of the privileges of membership in the G&B,” adds Johns.

By entering keywords, researchers can search birth, marriage, and death
notices, property transfers, wills for probate, judgments, advertisements,
ship arrivals, photographs, feature stories, and much more—every word of The
New York Times—in one step.

Said Trustee Librarian Timothy J. Beard, “The search capabilities are light
years beyond those of book indexes, allowing researchers to get information
that was, up to now, buried in the pages of this venerable newspaper. Just
about everyone who has some connection to New York City—and not just those
with well-to-do ancestors—will be delighted to find something of interest in
this database. Just the capability to easily search years of dense pages of
death notices is extraordinary!”

Simple, guided, and advanced search options are available, making this
database useful for novice and skilled researchers. Search results show
citations and hyperlinks. By clicking on one of the hyperlinks, the
researcher will be taken directly to the article or page of interest in
high-resolution PDF format—the Adobe Acrobat Viewer available free online in
both PC and Mac format.

“This is our first venture into remote access,” said Harry Macy, Jr., editor
of the NYGB Record and Newsletter. “We’re looking into adding other
databases for our members. Remote access to digitized text and images is a
vital, exciting element of the future of research.”

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society was founded in 1869. As a
non-profit educational institution, its purpose is to collect and make
available information on genealogy, biography and history, particularly as it
relates to the people of New York State. Among its services, the NYG&B
maintains one of the principal genealogical reference libraries in the United
States, publishes periodicals and books, and conducts educational programs.
The annual fee for membership is $60. for residents of New York City, and
$50. for all others. For more information, visit www.nygbs.org.

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