Did you know that there are many lineage and heritage societies meant specifically for youth and young adults? These organizations provide great opportunities for young people to get involved with family history.
Stephen Puleo with The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union
Learn about the influence of Charles Sumner, a US senator and one of our forgotten civil rights heroes, in an illustrated presentation by author-historian Stephen Puelo. Then join him on screen for a Q+A discussion about the Civil War-era and his new biography of Sumner, which the critics are calling "required reading” (Kirkus, starred review).
Get started today with $20 off your new American Ancestors membership. Gain access to more than one billion searchable names, family tree software, world-renowned genealogical resources, and hundreds of online educational tools to help you become a better family historian. Use code April0424 by April 30, 2024.
Today, there are an estimated 25 million Americans of Scottish descent. This four-session online seminar will provide you with key historical context, strategies, and resources to set you on the right path to trace your ancestry back several generations in Scotland. 10% Member Discount.Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Ancestors Who Worked in a Factory or Mill
Share your thoughts about the survey!Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Your submission may be featured in an upcoming newsletter or shared on social media; please note in your email if you do not want your story to be shared. Published responses may be edited for clarity and length.
46%, At least one hereditary disease or condition has run in my family.
13%, I think that at least one hereditary disease or condition has run in my family, but I am not positive.
27%, I am not aware of any hereditary disease or condition in my family.
13%, I have a hereditary disease or condition.
Readers Respond
Bob Kenney, Narragansett, Rhode Island: My maternal grandmother, Elsie (Underhill) Oakley, died at age 89 from Alzheimer's. Her mother, Nellie (Spencer) Underhill, also suffered in her later years from what was then called dementia. Nellie's paternal grandmother, Samantha (Morgan) Spencer, was committed to the Washtenaw County Farm and Asylum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1886 and likely died there. Her older sister wrote that, “during her last years she was evidently afflicted with the changes in mind and body that often accompany aging.” My seven siblings and I (aged 59 to 75) all start to panic every time we can't remember something.
Dorcas Aunger, Arcadia, California: Many women in my direct mitochondrial line have suffered from goiter, a swelling in the neck caused by an enlargement of the thyroid gland. It has affected my great-grandmother's sister (but not my great-grandmother), my grandmother's sister (but not my grandmother), my mother, and me (but not my sister).
Elizabeth Daley-Croft, Salt Lake City: My grandmother began losing her eyesight in her eighties. Her youngest son—my father—was diagnosed with macular degeneration in his 60s. Their symptoms were very similar. I am in my late 60s and am showing early indicators of the disease. Because my eye doctors have been aware of my family history, I have been receiving preventative treatment for about a decade and my condition is stable.
Karen Fisher-Nguyen, Millersville, Maryland: We have Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AD) in our family. This genetic disorder can lead to lung disease and/or liver disease. Research from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has indicated the Vikings were carriers of this genetic disorder across Europe. In 2020, I was diagnosed with A1AD and moderate emphysema, though I never smoked. Both my parents died before we knew of this condition in our family. One must receive a mutated gene from each parent to be diagnosed with A1AD. Since my diagnosis I have gone back to my family tree, paying particular attention to cause of death where it is known, to try to trace A1AD's path into our family.
George C. Bentley, Nashville, Tennessee: My grandfather Hugh B. Bentley died of a heart attack in 1936 in Duluth, Minnesota, at age 56. His father, George C. Bentley, died of a heart attack in Hancock, Michigan, in 1919, at age 66. George’s father, Levi Bentley, died of a heart attack in Cambridge, Vermont, in 1867 at age 58. I had a heart attack while living in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 2010, at age 61. Fortunately, emergency services have vastly improved, and I am still kicking.
Why New England’s Stone Walls Are Unlike Any Others “Bigger than the Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall, and the Pyramids of Giza combined, the region’s ubiquitous stone walls are also a unique ecological habitat.”
Spotlight: Community History Archives, Sargent County, North Dakota
by Valerie Beaudrault
Sargent County, seated in Forman, is located in southeastern North Dakota. The Sargent County Community History Archive is a digital newspaper collection comprising nearly 130,000 pages from 19 local titles, including the Sargent County Teller (1883-2021), The Sargent County News (1918-1968), Cogswell Enterprise (1903-1949), The Prairie Press (1909-1968), The Havana Union (1911-1925), and The De Lamere Mistletoe (1903-1916). The databases can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Do you have ancestors who lived in Colonial America? The Colonial America collection from AM Explorer contains 1,450 volumes of Colonial Office manuscript files held at The National Archives in London—a treasure trove of searchable primary source material. If you are a paying member of American Ancestors, you already have access to AM Explorer and many more databases from our partner organizations. Learn More About External Databases
Planning for the Future?
Name Your Beneficiaries 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 non-probate assets. Learn More
