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
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
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
For Which Family Connection Do You Know the Most Family History?
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
