Salt Lake City Research Tour—Last Chance to Register!
Navigate the resources of the world’s largest genealogy library with help from American Ancestors. Our experts have more than 40 years' experience guiding researchers of all levels through the vast resources of the FamilySearch Library. Benefit from our special orientations and tutorials, one-on-one consultations, informative lectures, and more!
Free Guide: Getting Started with Prince Edward Island Research
Learn how to get the most from the many Prince Edward Island resources available both online and onsite at libraries and archives, including at the Brim-DeForest Library at American Ancestors. This guide provides tips on how to search church, civil, and census records, from 17th-century Acadian documents to the 1931 Canadian census. Download Today
August Membership Sale
Get $25 off your new membership at American Ancestors! Our membership offers access to billions of searchable names on our website, a subscription to American Ancestors magazine, discounts on books and research for hire, and more. Use code Aug26 at checkout. Offer ends August 31. Join Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Ancestors or Relatives Named for Notable Figures
Share your story! Each week in our Readers Respond column, we publish a selection of reader-submitted stories related to our most recent survey. Submissions must be 150 words or fewer and include your full name, city, and state. Published responses will be edited for clarity and length.
A Chronic Physical or Mental Health Condition That Affected Multiple Generations
Total: 2,477Responses
40%, Yes
44%, No
16%, I don’t know.
Readers Respond
Laurie Dean Manning, Jacksonville, Florida: I have a daguerreotype of my great-great-grandfather Rial Dean taken about 1851, when he was nearly 50. My great-grandfather George O. Dean (age about 10) stands next to him. In the picture, Rial’s hands, which rest in his lap, are clearly afflicted with severe osteoarthritis. This joint disease affected all subsequent generations, from his son George, his grandson Aurie J. Dean, his great-grandson John A. Dean (my father), and now me.
Charles E. Wainwright, North Andover, Massachusetts: While researchingat the Halifax, Nova Scotia, probate court, I found a document chronicling four generations of mental Illness in my family, beginning with my great-great-great-grandmother Elizabeth (Green) Stawell. The daughter of Hon. Benjamin Green, Jr., a prominent Halifax public official, Elizabeth was adjudged “harmless insane” around 1800. Both her sons were institutionalized (one in Hartford, Connecticut, and the other in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia). One of those sons had two children who were institutionalized; both later died at a county poor farm. Fortunately, their sibling—my great-great-grandmother—was not afflicted by mental illness, but some of her children were.
Denise Blaszynski, Elburn, Illinois: My family has a history of Huntington’s disease, a rare genetic disorder with wide-ranging symptoms that severely impact both physical and mental health. There is no cure. Each child born to a person with Huntington’s disease has a 50% chance of inheriting this fatal condition. Thankfully, I do not carry the gene, so my children are safe.
Adrienne Danke, Houston, Texas: Twenty-five years ago, I was finally able to identify the source of my depression as a brain neurotransmitter deficiency that could be fixed by an inexpensive pill. Seeing my transformation, other family members followed suit. I wish treatment had been available to earlier generations of women in my family, who—according to my mother—suffered from the same condition. But I am thankful that the women in my family can now lead happy, enjoyable lives with the help of modern pharmaceuticals.
Spotlight: Community History Archive of the Seneca Free Library, Nemaha County, Kansas
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Seneca, seat of Nemaha County, is located in northeastern Kansas. The Seneca Free Library has made a number of newspaper resources available in its Community History Archive. The collection comprises nearly 76,000 pages from eleven newspapers including Corning Gazette (1895–1944), Courier Democrat, (1903–1919), Courier Tribune (1919–1963), Seneca Courier Democrat (1884–1903), Seneca Tribune (1879–1919), and Seneca Weekly Courier (1871–1884). The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
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