Access, Collaboration, and Equity in Genealogy Initiative (ACEGen)
ACEGen endeavors to document and make publicly accessible records from communities that have been underrepresented in historical institutional collecting. ACEGen fosters collaboration between repositories, organizations, and the public to improve access and equity in Staten Island’s family history records.
The Staten Island Museum has actively digitized records in its own collection and partnered with local organizations to ensure that documents from communities that have been under-represented in the public record are preserved and made accessible.
Here is a link to digitized records in the Staten Island Museum’s collection, including city directories, that may have valuable information in your family research efforts:
Staten Island Museum Collections on Internet Archive
The ACEGen Initiative was launched in 2022 with initial support from The New York Community Trust to pilot a partnership among the Staten Island Museum, the Richard B. Dickenson Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (SIAAHGS) and Frederick Douglass Memorial Park to digitize burial records dating back to the cemetery’s founding in the 1930s.
Frederick Douglass Memorial Park Records on Internet Archive
Additional work has been undertaken with census research to identify names of Black nurses working at Sea View Hospital who served during the tuberculosis crisis as part of the research for SIM’s 2024-2025 exhibition, Taking Care: The Black Angels of Sea View Hospital.
The Staten Island Museum continues to seek support for further phases of ACEGen as there are more documents that need to be digitized to increase access.
Public Transcription
More than 100 contributors have helped the Staten Island Museum transcribe handwritten records into searchable documents online! Thank you!
From 2022-2024, SIM held Transcrib-a-thons that invited the community members to copy the text of historical documents into a more readable and searchable format. You can watch the video to learn how to become a transcriber!
The Staten Island Museum is grateful for seed funding from The New York Community Trust in 2022-2023 to pilot the ACEGen initiative.
Additional support has been provided thanks to City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and Council Member Kamillah M. Hanks.
Further Reading:
Visit Staten Island Museum’s page on Internet Archive.
Visit Frederick Douglass Memorial Park’s Page on Internet Archive.
How to join the project
To become a volunteer transcriber:
- Watch the introductory video below.
- Sign up for a free account at fromthepage.com.
- Check out our Transcriber Resources.