The Genealogical Society of New Jersey presents “Your Roots Pursuits” live virtual presentation that are free and open to the public. Recordings of the presentations are available to GSNJ Members Only as a member benefit for a limited time.
Each webinar is scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard or Daylight Savings time (depending on the date) for approximately one hour.
All 2026 webinars will have the ability for attendees to utilize Zoom’s Closed Captioning feature. The webinar host will explain how to select this option at the beginning of each monthly webinar.
Click the Program Title Headlines below to register
April 15 – Mark Nonestied – History and Historic Preservation in Middlesex County
This illustrated talk covers history and historic preservation endeavors in Middlesex County. It will highlight the preservation and restoration of historic structures, archaeology work,
including surveys of maritime resources, archival collections and recently acquired objects that tell Middlesex County’s story.
May 20 – Larry Kidder – Understanding American Revolutionary Ancestors
This talk focuses on life in New Jersey during the American Revolution War of Independence, especially for those with family members serving in the militia in the general region of today’s Mercer County. Because militia duty was part-time, as opposed to full-time Continental Army service, it had unique effects on daily life. This was especially true because of the very complex and prominent nature of the war in New Jersey. It will also touch on research methods to learn about specific individuals.
The Battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield occurred in June 1780 and were the last major military confrontations in New Jersey before the American Revolution shifted to the southern theatre. British and Hessian forces invaded New Jersey from Staten Island with the intent to capture Morristown, at the time General Washington’s headquarters and encampment of the Continental Army. Faced with fierce resistance from the New Jersey militia, the engagements resulted in victories for the Patriot movement. Through an examination of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications, this project aims to document the experiences of those who witnessed these engagements first hand and to explore how these battles were remembered by subsequent generations. The Battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield are understudied yet significant campaigns. The stories of the battles and their participants are compelling and invaluable, and offer a lens to view how different people experienced and understood the American Revolution.
July 15 – Theresa Martin McEwen – Unraveling a Family Mystery Using DNA
Multiple sources indicated George Derone Martin was born October 28, 1879 or 1880 in Omaha, Nebraska. According to the family and available documents, George was orphaned sometime during childhood. However, genetic genealogical research into his parentage took me to an unlikely place, Virginia, where I uncovered unfamiliar family names of multiple intermarried families tracing back to Colonial America. Further research revealed one of George’s biological parents was also adopted. This presentation will discuss leveraging clustering analysis, pattern recognition, and problem solving skills to unravel these branches and how it helped identify the most likely parents and grandparents of George Derone Martin.
Red Bank Battlefield was more than a single day of fighting—it was a landscape shaped by layered and often conflicting lived experiences. This webinar explores the site through the story of the Quaker Whitall family, the material world of soldier John Burlingame’s powder horn, and the recovered remains of Hessian soldiers. Together, these perspectives reveal Red Bank as a complex Revolutionary landscape where faith, war, memory, and human loss intersected in powerful ways.
In researching our family, we gather extensive amounts of records and information to be compiled. Timelines are a tool that allows us to organize our data, and to visually identify patterns, gaps, themes, and relationships. This program will provide examples of genealogical timelines (migration patterns, research gaps, specific record type, historical perspective, etc.) as well as suggestions on creating timelines in Microsoft Word and Excel.
October 21 – TBD
November 18 – Derrick Johnstone – East Jersey Bound – From Scotland to New Jersey in the 1680s
Between 1683 and 1685 several hundred Scots embarked for East Jersey as part of a colonial venture. This was backed at the highest level and sought to ensure that Scotland had a stake in the development of the American colonies. It brought together Quakers, Episcopalians (Anglicans) and Presbyterians, a tense mix of religious affiliations. Many of the Presbyterians were transported Covenanters and the Quakers too had had their share of persecution.
This talk will set out the background to the venture and address the questions: Who were the immigrants? Why did they leave Scotland? What became of them? Derrick will also introduce his website, East Jersey Bound, which hosts a genealogical database containing details of 600 emigrants and over 2,000 of their kin and associates.
December 16 – Ask GSNJ
TBD