Michelle Henry, a research historian with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is being recognized by the state’s Genealogical and Biographical Society. The Preservation in Action: The Power of One award honors leaders and trendsetters whose “cutting edge” work inspires, educates and has a lasting impact on the genealogy and family history field.

Michelle Henry began her history career as the director of the Chautauqua County Historical Society in Westfield. In 1996 she was hired by County Clerk Sandra Sopak to organize the historical records maintained by the county. With the help of numerous federal, state, and local grants, a state-of-the-art archival program was established.

Chautauqua County became the first county in the United States to receive an award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society for making historical records available to researchers. In 2000, Henry was named County Historian, a post she held until she retired in 2023.

Henry was the recipient of the Julia Reinstein Awarded for Excellence in the Field of Public History in 2011 and in 2012 she received the Wheeler B. Melius Award for Excellence in Establishing a Records Management Program for the county. Michelle is one of only two historians in Chautauqua County that is a certified Registered Historian. She has served as a consultant for the state’s Museum Collection Assessment Program, working with and advising small museums in Western New York.

The county’s history has been featured in many articles written by Henry, published in state and regional magazines, and she has given talks throughout New York and Pennsylvania on local history and historical records.

Founded in 1869, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in New York State.Researchers can search records on the Society’s website at:  www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org