Overview of Collection
Finding Aid to the Morris Area Genealogy Society Records
HM1 MSS Gene Rec
1988-2023
4.5 linear feet in 9 MSS boxes
History of the Morris Area Genealogy Society
The Morris Area Genealogy Society (MAGS) was founded in 1988 to bring together people interested in family history and genealogy. MAGS had its beginnings when Diane Solomon, then head of the North Jersey History
and Genealogy Center of the Morristown and Morris Township Library (MMT), developed an awareness of patron interest in the formation of a genealogical society. Although there was considerable interest in forming
a society in the mid-1980s, the decision was made to wait until a meeting room in the proposed addition to the Library was completed. Three years later in the fall of 1987, the Library sponsored a series of four
programs about various aspects of genealogy. The organizational meeting of the Morris Area Genealogical Society, attended by over 60 enthusiastic genealogists, took place on Tuesday, February 23, 1988. MAGS
continues to maintain a special relationship with the Library; a group of volunteers led by Linnea Foster indexes material for the Morristown and Morris Township Library, and History and Genealogy Center staff
offer presentations at MAGS General Meetings.
Members assist each other in research, participate in Special Interest Groups (SIG), attend monthly educational programs, and enjoy field trips. Recent general meeting topics have included land and court
records, military research, immigrant ancestors, ethnic topics, helpful internet sites, DNA, and researching common surnames. The MAGS Newsletter is published four times a year and contains information on Society
meetings and programs, as well as abstracts and indexes of various Morris area records. Other features of the Newsletter include; free queries for members, book and resource reviews, histories of local families,
and information on Morris County area resources and research tactics. In 1988 the Newsletter won first prize in the National Genealogical Society Newsletter Competition.
References:
HM1 MSS Gene Rec
Morris Area Genealogy Society Records. North Jersey History and Genealogy Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.
MAGS Website
Provides information on Meetings, Membership, Special Interest Groups, Newsletters, Research Requests, Contacts: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njmags/index.htm
Scope and Content of the Records
The records consist of administrative files, publicity, and photographs and include newsletters; reports from the president, treasurer and Board; meeting minutes; calendars; programs; newspaper clippings; and photographs.
Arrangement of the Records
Materials are organized into three series and arranged chronologically by record type; series I by calendar year and series II and III by fiscal years ending in May.
Series I: Newsletters, Gleanings, and Publicity, 1988-2023.
The series contains over twenty-five years' worth of MAGS Newsletters as well as Publicity and Gleanings, a monthly media survey. Materials are arranged chronologically by calendar year.
Series II: Reports, Minutes, and Yearly Calendars, 1988-2021.
Meeting minutes, various reports, program information and yearly calendars are found in this series. Records are arranged chronologically by fiscal year, which ends May of each year.
Note: Annual reports were not prepared for the years ending 2001 and 2002.
Series III: Administrative Files, Research Groups, 1987-2023.
The files of this series include minutes of the initial organizational meeting, MAGS's By-laws, correspondence and various administrative files as well as Policies and Procedures, Officers
and Committee Heads lists, Genealogy Day, and Special Interest Group information. Records are arranged chronologically by fiscal year, which ends May of each year. Member lists and
selected financial records are currently restricted to MAGS officers and selected board members.
Important Information for Users of the Papers
This collection is open for research under the conditions of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center archives access policy. Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly
or personal research; however, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use material from the collection. Photocopy all items with care, using only the edge copier for bound material.
Only Morris Area Genealogy Society officers and selected board members may access the restricted files – a list of authorized individuals is maintained at the History Center Reference Desk.
Acquisition Information
Historic records of the Morris Area Genealogy Society were transferred to the archives of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center (NJHGC) in 2008. Periodic updates will be made to the finding aid as records are accrued.
Preferred Citation
Morris Area Genealogy Society Records. North Jersey History and Genealogy Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.
Processing Information
Arranged, described and encoded by the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center Archivist, 2011.
Updated by Tara L. Schaberg, August 2015; by Jeffrey V. Moy, October 2019, August 2023.
Container List
Series I: Newsletters, Gleanings, and Publicity, 1988-2023
1
1
Newsletter Queries Index, 1988-1995
1
2
Newsletter Subject Index, Vol 29, 2016
1
3
Newsletters (Volume 1 issues 1-4; Volume 2 issues 1-4;
Volume 3 issues 1-4; Volume 4 issues 1-4), 1988-1991
1
4
Newsletters (Volume 5 issues 1-4; Volume 6 issues 1-4), 1992-1999.
1
5
Newsletters (Volume 7 issues 1-4; Volume 8 issues 1-4), 1994-1995
1
6
Newsletters (Volume 9 issues 1-4; Volume 10 issues 1-4), 1996-1997
1
7
Newsletters (Volume 11 issues 1-4; Volume 12 issues 1-4), 1998-1999
1
8
Newsletters (Volume 13 issues 1-4; Volume 14 issues 1-4), 2000-2001
1
9
Newsletters (Volume 15 issues 1-4; Volume 16 issues 1-4), 2002-2003
1
10
Newsletters (Volume 17 issues 1-4; Volume 18 issues 1-4), 2004-2005
1
11
Newsletters (Volume 19 issues 1-4; Volume 20 issues 1-4), 2006-2007
1
12
Newsletters (Volume 21 issues 1-4; Volume 22 issues 1-4), 2008-2009
2
1
Newsletters, (Volume 23 issues 1-4), 2010
2
2
Newsletters, (Volume 24 issues 1-4, with Index), 2011
2
3
Newsletters, (Volume 25 issues 1-4), 2012
2
4
Newsletters, (Volume 26 issue 1-4), 2013
2
5
Newsletters, (Volume 27 issues 1-4), 2014
2
6
Newsletters, (Volume 28 issue 1-3), 2015
2
7
Newsletters, (Volume 29 issues 1,4), 2016
2
8
Newsletters (Volume 30 issues 1-4), 2017
2
9
Newsletters (Volume 31 issue 3), 2018; (Volume 32 issues 1-3), 2019
2
10
Newsletters (Volume 33, issues 1-4), 2020
2
11
Newsletters (Volume 34, issues 1-4), 2021
2
12
Newsletters (Volume 35, issues 1-4 [No 4 is a 1/2 size photocopy]), 2022
2
13
National Genealogical Society, Genealogical Newsletter Competition Award, 1988-1989
3
1
Gleanings, 1988-1992
3
2
Gleanings, 1993-1995
3
3
Gleanings, 1996-2002
3
4
Gleanings, 2003-2008
3
5
Gleanings, 2009 - May 2013
3
6
Gleanings, December 2014 - May 2019
3
7
Publicity, 1987-1998
3
8
Publicity, 1999-2001
3
9
Publicity, 2002; 2003; 2005
3
10
Publicity clippings, 2004-2009
3
11
Publicity clippings, 2006
3
12
Publicity clippings, 2007
3
13
Publicity clippings, 2008
3
14
Publicity clippings, 2009-2011
3
15
Publicity clippings, 2013-2019
3
16
Publicity clippings, 2020-2023
Series II: Reports, Minutes and Yearly Calendars, 1988-2021
4
1
Annual reports, Years ending May, 1988-1995
4
2
President's annual reports, Years ending May, 1996-2000. (Note: No Reports written for years ending 2001 and 2002)
4
3
President's annual reports, Years ending May, 2003-2008
4
4
President’s Annual Report, Years ending May, 2009-2015
4
5
President's Annual Reports,
2015-2021
4
6
Treasurer Audit reports, 1989-1990; 1996-1998; 2002-2010; 2013-2014
4
7
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1988-1996
4
8
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1997-1998
4
9
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1999-2005
4
10
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2006-2008
4
11
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2009-2013
4
12
Board meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2014-2018
4
13
Board Meeting Minutes,
2015-2016
4
14
Board Meeting Minutes,
2017-2020
4
15
Board Meeting Minutes [includes budget and board member contact information],
2020-2021
5
1
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1988-1990
5
2
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1991-1992
5
3
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1993-1996
5
4
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 1997-2000
5
5
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2003
5
6
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2006
5
7
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2009
5
8
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2012
5
9
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2013
5
10
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2014
5
11
General meeting minutes, Years ending May, 2015
5
12
General Meeting Minutes, Years ending May, 2016
5
13
General Meeting Minutes, Years ending May 2017-2019
5
14
General Meeting Minutes, Years ending May 2020-2021
6
1
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 1988-1996
6
2
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 1996-1998
6
3
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 1998-1999
6
4
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 2001-2004
6
5
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 2004-2009
6
6
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices, 2010–2014
6
7
Programs - List of Programs,
1988-2014
6
8
Yearly calendars, programs, meeting notices,
2015-2016
6
9
Yearly calendars, programs, and meeting notices,
2018
6
10
Field Trips, 1988-1997
Series III: Administrative files, Research Groups, 1987-2023
7
1
Organizational meeting, 1987-1988
7
2
By-laws, 1989
7
3
By-laws, 1990; 2013; 2019
7
4
Corresponding Secretary’s File, 2005
7
5
Correspondence, 1987-2009; 2011-2016
7
6
Correspondence – Acknowledgement of donation, 1987-2017
7
7
Officers and Committee Chairs, 2008; 2010
7
8
Officers and Committee Chairs,
2015-2017; 2018-2023
7
9
Officers Chart,
1988-2021
7
10
Policies and procedures, 2006; 2009; 2014-2020
7
11
Membership applications and Welcome Letters, ca.1992; 2011-2021
7
12
Membership applications, 2011; n.d.
7
13
North Jersey History and Genealogy Center relationship with MAGS
7
14
Special Interest Groups
7
15
Photographs, 1999-2018; 2020-2023
7
16
United States Postal Service bulk mailing authorization, 1989; 2002; 2008-2009; 2011-2013
7
17
United States Postal Service Non-profit Standard Mail Notification,
2016
7
18
Hospitality Collages, 2017-2020
8
1
Genealogy Seminar, 1991
8
2
Genealogy Day, 1999
8
3
Genealogy Day, 2002
8
4
Genealogy Day, 2004
8
5
Genealogy Day, 2006 [1 of 2]
8
6
Genealogy Day, 2006 [2 of 2]
8
7
Genealogy Day Program, 2006
8
8
Genealogy Day, 2008
8
9
MAGS in the News, 2013
8
10
Tenth (10th) Anniversary, 1998
8
11
Tenth (10th) Anniversary correspondence, April-June, 1998
8
12
Tenth (10th) Anniversary photographs, 1998
8
13
Morris Area Genealogy Society History and Special Reports,
2016-2017; 2018-2020
14
A Genealogy Day Scrapbook, with Judy G. Russell "The Legal Genealogist", and Morris Area Genealogy Society 30th Anniversary history, 2018;
Morris Area Genealogy Society 35th Anniversary, 2023
15
Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications,
1976
16
Morris Area Church Survey Records,
1985-1990
17
Migration Pattern Survey,
n.d.
9
[The contents of Box 9 are Restricted to officers and selected board members]
9
1
Membership, Board members, 1988-2011
9
2
Membership, 1997-1999
9
3
Membership, 1989-1996
9
4
Membership, 2000; 2008
9
5
Membership, 2014-2021
9
6
Organizational Meeting addresses, 1988
9
7
Surname research list, 1996; 1999; 2000; 2017
9
8
Ledger, February 1988 – December 2004
9
9
Ledger, December 2004 – August 2008
9
10
Budget, 2015-2016; 2019-2021
9
11
Corporation Documents
9
12
Tax Documents
9
13
Genealogical correspondence files, 2001-2011
9
14
Genealogy Day Scrapbook Addendum,
2018
9
15
Salmon Fund - Funds held at MMT for MAGS,
2017
9
16
MAGS Document Retention and Responsibility,
2021-2023