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    Schenectady County Historical Society > Collections & Catalog

The Grems-Doolittle Library contains books and manuscripts focusing on genealogy and local history of the Schenectady County area, including the nearby counties in upstate New York from the colonial period to the present day. Appointments are required to visit and do research in the Grems-Doolittle Library. Researchers must contact the librarian at least two business days in advance to schedule an appointment and must provide a list of specific items to view during the appointment. Visit the Research Resources page for more information on research, appointments, and using the materials in our collection.

Contact the librarian: Marietta Carr, librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org, 518-374-0263 x3

Catalog & Digital Collections

Search our catalog online at https://schenectadyhistorical.catalogaccess.com/

Search our finding aids and collection descriptions: https://www.empireadc.org/search/repositories/nschchi

Search our digital collection through NY Heritage at https://nyheritage.org/contributors/schenectady-county-historical-society

Schenectady County History Forge, a new digital mapping project, at https://schenectady.historyforge.net/— (learn more about the project on our blog)

Collections

The following list is an overview of the types of materials found in the SCHS Library and includes links to descriptions, indexes, and contents lists with more details on the materials within each category:  

Finding Aids:

FAMILY AND PERSONAL PAPERS
Family and Personal Papers are the heart of the Grems-Doolittle Library and Archives. These collections give us a glimpse into the lives of Schenectady County residents. In these collections you can find out what Revolutionary War quartermaster Henry Glen was up to, or check out some of the beautiful maps of land surveyor James Frost. If you have a collection that you think would be a good addition, send our librarian an email at librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org. Follow the links below to check out the finding aids for these collections.
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ORGANIZATIONAL AND BUSINESS RECORDS

Our organizational and business records cover a wide range of Schenectady’s entrepreneurial, social, civic, fraternal, and political pursuits. Want to see some photos of the Carl Company? Our Carl Company Collection has that covered. Curious about social and fraternal clubs of immigrants in Schenectady? Check out the Schenectady Liederkranz Records. Our finding aids on this page only cover a portion of the organizational and business records in our collections and we are always working on making these collections more accessible. Follow the links on this page to access the finding aids.

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PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS

Whether you want to know what your house or street looked like in the 1920s, or you’re doing some genealogy and want to find out what your great-great-grandmother looked like, our photograph collections can help you out. These collections cover a variety of topics to give you a glimpse into Schenectady’s past. Follow the links below for finding aids and guides to our photo collections. You can find some of our photograph collection online at our New York Heritage page.

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Further Resources:

FURTHER RESOURCES

Records

People Who Can Help You

Where to Research Genealogy and History

Other Schenectady County Resources

Other Genealogy and History Resources

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