Weekly news about genealogy and history, databases, educational resources, and more from American Ancestors/NEHGS.
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April 12, 2023

 

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Recently on Vita Brevis

Solving a Technological Nightmare

 

Most researchers know that having a back-up drive for one's files is important—but what do you do when the back-up fails? Genealogist Rhonda McClure tells the story of her technological nightmare, and how she restored her work. Read More

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Get $25 off All New Memberships!

 

Don't miss this limited-time offer! Get started today with $25 off a new American Ancestors membership. Members have access to more than a billion searchable names, award-winning publications, and online educational tools to help you become a better family historian. Take advantage of this special offer through April 30, 2023! Join Now

*Offer valid only with discount code: April0423 if used by 4/30/23 by 11:59 p.m. (ET). Not valid on current membership renewals.

    Upcoming Annual Family History Benefit Gala

    Celebrating American Stories, American Lives

     

    Join us for our annual Family History Benefit featuring Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, in conversation with author and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, about the role of cultural institutions in preserving heritage. April 27 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Register Now

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    The Weekly Genealogist Survey

    This Week's Survey:

    For Which Family Connection Do You Know the Most Family History?

    Take the Survey Now

    Share your thoughts about the survey at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.

    Last Week's Survey:

    Do You Have a Family Quilt or Any Quilters in Your Family?

     

    Total: 3,977 Responses

    • 66%, At least one of my ancestors was a quilter.
    • 58%, At least one quilt made by one of my ancestors still exists.
    • 54%, I own at least one quilt made by an ancestor.
    • 20%, I have quilt scraps from one or more ancestors.
    • 3%, At least of one my ancestors made quilts to sell, or worked in a quilt shop.
    • 31%, I am a quilter and have made at least one quilt.
    • 3%, I have made quilts to sell, or have worked in a quilt shop.
    • 13%, I have a family connection to quilting not mentioned above.
    • 18%. I do not think any of my ancestors quilted.

    Readers Respond

     

    Christine West, Annapolis, Maryland: My grandfather, Adam Murray of Lawrence, Mass., was a tailor. He mostly made men's suits, and he used the leftover wool scraps in crazy quilts for his nine children. He also made baby and children’s quilts for his grandchildren, using the Sunbonnet Sue pattern. My mother (his middle child) kept some of his samples and made a beautiful Sunbonnet Sue quilt for my newborn daughter.

     

    Josie Plyman, Fairmont, West Virginia: My grandma Mary taught me to quilt when I was ten years old. I sat beside her watching her quilt. Then she gave me a needle and green variegated thread and showed me how to conceal knots and control my stitch size. We worked together throughout the weekend, and I came back another weekend to finish the quilt. I received the quilt as a wedding gift ten years later, when my husband and I got married.

     

    Muriel L. Locklin, Teaticket, Massachusetts: About 25 years ago, I brought two quilts to the Rhode Island Quilt Documentation Program. The quilts were made by my French-Canadian grandmother for my hope chest and wedding. One of the quilts—Red Basket on a White background—was selected for a touring quilt show. The quilt was displayed along with one made 100 years earlier by a French-Canadian woman, in a similar style and using similar methods.

     

    Susan Krecker, Scottsdale, Arizona: Snuggling under my grandmother’s quilt on a cold winter night in western Illinois is one of my favorite childhood memories. I am so lucky to have one of her quilts, made of small squares of 1930s fabric. I have made several quilts myself and given them to my children. Although my grandmother would no doubt shudder at my uneven stitches, I'd like to think she would be pleased that her tradition of quilting continues.

     

    Suzanne Garrison-Terry, Long Island, New York: I have a five-generation quilt, begun during World War I for my grandmother’s cousin, who was a soldier. The quilt was worked on by my great-grandmother, her sisters, and my grandmother. Each woman who worked on the quilt signed and dated the backing. Tragically, the young man died and the unfinished quilt was put away. My grandmother intended to finish the quilt for my father, but she decided that its pinwheel design too closely resembled a swastika. When I began learning to quilt, my grandmother gave me the unfinished quilt. My mother sewed the back on it, and I put in the batting. We left a small segment unfinished for the next generation.

    What We’re Reading

     

    Find Out If Your Ancestor Is Among These 19th-Century Silhouettes in This Newly Digitized Collection
    “The itinerant artist William Bache’s portraits are contaminated by arsenic, but now the National Portrait Gallery offers easy access.”

     

    “A Hidden Story”: Women’s Peace Petition Makes Centenary Return to Wales
    A document signed by almost three-quarters of Welsh women in the 1920s was returned to Wales after nearly 100 years in the United States.

     

    Why I’ve Spent the Days After my Mother’s Death Polishing Copper Pots
    “All through that awful week, every time I started to cry, I picked up another piece and began polishing.”

     

    The Reason People Wore Powdered Wigs
    This Mental Floss article explains how perukes—powdered wigs—became popular and remained fashionable for nearly two centuries.

     

    They Thought a Painting in Their TV Room Was a Fake. It Sold for $850K
    When an auctioneer came to a house in northern France to evaluate its contents, he noticed a painting caked in dust and almost entirely hidden by a door. The client told him to ignore it. It turned out to be a masterpiece.

     

    Michigan Family Welcomes First Baby Girl in 138 Years: “She's Finally Here”
    “Carolyn and Andrew Clark have a 4-year-old son but daughter Audrey, born March 17, is the first girl on his side of the family since 1885.”

    Spotlight: Westbrook Historical Society, Maine

    by Valerie Beaudrault

     

    The city of Westbrook is located in Cumberland County, in southeastern Maine. Online resources from the Westbrook Historical Society include church histories, vital statistics, transcribed articles from The Naragansett Sun related to Westbrook’s history, and burial records from more than twenty cemeteries. Under Vital Statistics, researchers will find links to marriages performed by Rev. Caleb Bradley (1799-1861) and the family records from two Bibles in the society’s collection. Descriptions and photographs of some of Westbrook’s old neighborhoods are also available. Search Now

    Upcoming Lectures, Courses, Tours, and More

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    April 13

    Free Online Lecture: Discovering the Past through Digitized Archival Material

     

    April 20

    Free Online Lecture: Spilling the Tea: Researching Boston Tea Party Patriots

     

    April 20

    Free Author Event: Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos with The Pirate’s Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd

    View All Upcoming Events

    Database News

    New Sketches: Boston Tea Party Participant Biographies

     

    We're excited to announce a recent update to our Boston Tea Party Participant Biographies database. We have added 19 new sketches of proven participants and their families, in collaboration with the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Search Now

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    Free Video from American Ancestors

    Altruism and Adaptation: American Jewish Life in the Interwar Period

     

    Dr. Miriam Mora explores how the Great Depression, the rise of American antisemitism, and the immigration restrictions of the 1920s contributed to the redefinition of American Jewish identity. Watch Now

    Planning for the Future?

    Name Beneficiaries for Your Non-Probate Assets Today

     

    Non-probate assets such as an IRA, 401(k), or life-insurance policy are not covered in your will or trust—you must name beneficiaries separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your assets in one easy place. Preserve your legacy, make sure your loved ones are provided for, and support the causes most important to you—get started today! Learn More

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    Upcoming Conference

    Join us at NERGC, May 3–6, 2023

     

    American Ancestors will participate in this year's New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA. Attend lectures by our experts, including David Allen Lambert, Melanie McComb, Ann G. Lawthers, and Judy Lucey. Visit our exhibit booth for special discounts. Learn More

    Educational events brought to you by

    The Brue Family Learning Center

    Vol. 26, No. 15, Whole #1150

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