New Jersey’s Donald Arleigh Sinclair Inducted into the National Genealogical Society Hall of Fame

Donald Arleigh Sinclair

At the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2015 Family History Conference, held in St. Charles, Missouri, NGS presented twelve awards to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the genealogical community. The NGS Hall of Fame award was bestowed upon the late Donald Arleigh Sinclair, who contributed greatly to the early genealogical history of New Jersey.

The Genealogical Society of New Jersey (GSNJ) nominated Sinclair based on his body of work, which consists of more than fifty articles, including transcriptions of cemetery and bible records for New Jersey families, many of which were published in The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey. Sinclair’s notable publications include:
– A Guide to Manuscript Diaries and Journals in the Special Collections Department, Rutgers University (Archibald Stevens Alexander Library, Rutgers University, 1980);
– New Jersey Family Index: A Guide to the Genealogical Sketches in New Jersey Collective Sources (GSNJ, 1991); and
– A New Jersey Biographical Index: Covering Some 100,000 Biographies and Associated Portraits in 237 New Jersey Cyclopedias, Histories, Yearbooks, Periodicals, and Other Collective Biographical Sources Published to About 1980 (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993).

Sinclair joins other notable researchers and genealogists, and the honor recognizes excellence in the genealogical community. From the NGS’s website:

“Through annual elections to the Hall of Fame, we honor those individuals of the past who made significant contributions to genealogy and set the high standards by which we work today.

National Genealogical Society affiliation is not required of nominees, nominating societies, or electors. A nominee must have been actively engaged in genealogy in the United States for at least ten years, must have been deceased for at least five years at the time of nomination, and must have made contributions to the field of genealogy judged to be of lasting significance in ways that were unique, pioneering, or exemplary.”

The first award was designated in 1986 and has been bestowed annually since. For a full list of past recipients, please see www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/halloffame_winners .

Sinclair was an active member of GSNJ. The award was accepted on behalf of the Sinclair family by GSNJ Trustee, Melissa A. Johnson, CG.