Rhonda Hoffman, B.A., M.L.S.
ProGen Member Overview
Rhonda Hoffman is the genealogy specialist for the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System in New York. She has a Master of Library Science degree from the University at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from SUNY Geneseo. Rhonda has been researching her own genealogy for more than two decades and serves on the board of the Western New York Genealogical Society. In 2024, Rhonda was honored by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society for her 25 years of service as a genealogy librarian as part of the society's annual Preservation in Action series.
Genealogy presentations: https://www.buffalolib.org/genealogy/grosvenor-rooms-genealogy-classes
Request a presentation: https://www.buffalolib.org/form/genealogy-presentation-request-f
Education
Bachelor of Arts in History, SUNY Geneseo
Master of Library Science, University at Buffalo
Genealogy Institutes and Study Groups:
• Practical Genetic Genealogy, GRIP 2017
• Advanced Genetic Genealogy, GRIP 2018
• Irish Research Part II, GRIP 2018
• Genealogical Institute on Federal Records 2019
• Tackling Tough Research Problems, GRIP 2020
• Mastering Genealogical Proof with Cari Taplin, Summer 2020
• Mastering Genealogical Documentation with Cari Taplin, Summer 2020
• Certification Study Group with Jill Morelli, Fall 2020
• In-Depth African American Genealogy, SLIG 2021
• Law School for Genealogists, GRIP 2021
• ProGen 57, 2021-2022
• Exploring Broad Context for Genealogical Problem-Solvers, AppGen Fall 2021
• Mastering Genealogical Documentation, GRIP 2022
• Using Google Earth Pro to Enhance and Share Your Research, AppGen Fall 2022
• Using US Church Records for Family History, GRIP 2024
• Records After Death: Wills, Probate & the Process, AppGen Fall 2024
• ProGen Practicum 4, 2024
Experience
Select Speaking Engagements:
New York State Family History Conference, 2024, Everything Western New York Genealogy (that we can fit in an hour), co-presenter with Jeanette Sheliga
New York State Family History Conference, 2023, New York State County Miscellaneous Records: They May Be What You’re Looking For - and - The Grosvenor Room: The Gateway to Buffalo Research
New York State Family History Conference, 2022, Government Secrets Revealed: County Supervisors' Proceedings
Chautauqua Region Genealogical Conference, 2021, Finding Your Female Ancestors
New York Library Association Conference, 2018, Genealogy Reference on the Fly
New York State Archives Conference, 2016, Genealogists as Archival Partners
University Express by Erie County New York Department of Senior Services, 2015-present, various topics
Buffalo Family History Conference, 2013-2022, various topics
Publications & BLOGs
State and National Publications:
"County Clerk Miscellaneous Records: They May Be What You're Looking For, " New York Researcher, Spring 2023, p. 9-12.
"Surveying Society Membership: Part 2, Online Surveys," NGS Magazine, Oct/Nov/Dec 2022, p. 55-60.
"Surveying Society Membership: Part 1, Questions," NGS Magazine, Jul/Aug/Sep 2022, p. 60-62.
“County Board of Supervisors Proceedings: A Genealogy Source Revealed,” New York Researcher, Summer 2022, p. 42-45.
"Genealogical Society Publications: Creative and Successful Strategies for Acquiring Content," NGS Magazine, Apr/May/Jun 2022, p. 55-58.
Local Publications:
The Classified column features resources available in the Grosvenor Room, the special collections department of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.
• “Classified: School Days,” The Western New York Genealogist, June 2023, p. 4-7.
• “Classified: Buffalo Magazines: Business, Club, School, and General Interest Publications,” The Western New York Genealogist, September 2022, p. 29-32.
• “Classified: New York State Vital Records Index,” The Western New York Genealogist, June 2022, p. 4-7.
• “Classified: Finding Your Female Ancestors,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, March 2022, p. 100-102.
• “Classified: City Directory Substitutes,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, December 2021, p. 82-85.
• “Classified: Researching Crime and Law Enforcement,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2021, p. 57-60.
• “Classified: Using HeinOnline for Genealogy,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, June 2021, p. 23-25.
“Find Your Ancestor's U.S. Passenger List,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2020, p. 56-60.
“Spotlight on Lesser Known Federal Records,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, June 2020, p. 5-12.
“Adoption Research Part II: Modern Adoption Research,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2019, p. 68-72.
“Adoption Research Part I: Historical Adoptions in Western New York,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, March 2019, p. 165-169.
“Locating Early Western New York Land Plots,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2018, p. 65-76.
“The Case of Unnamed Bootteby: Transcribed Records Can Be the Missing Link,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, March 2018, p. 168-169.
“Do You Go Beyond in FamilySearch?,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2017, p. 58-61.
“Things You Can Do with City Directories,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, September 2015, p. 53-59.
“Breaking Old World: Finding Foreign Places of Birth in American Records,” The Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, December 2014, p. 99-110.