Calling all K-12 educators! We are pleased to announce a new, free-to-use national curriculum developed by our experts, which teaches critical thinking and research skills to help young students draw meaningful connections between the past and the present. Pass this link along to the teachers in your life! Learn More
Last Chance!
Save $25 off Your New Membership
Now is the perfect time to trace your family history. Save $25 and access over a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, and hundreds of helpful online educational tools. Offer valid through the month of August! Join Now
Use discount code: AUGUST22. Offer expires 8/31/22 at 11:59 PM EST. Not valid on current membership renewals (expiration dates of 6/30/22 onward).
Online Seminar—Last Chance!
Getting Organized: Research, Files, Findings
Staying organized is a crucial part of the genealogical process. In this three-week seminar you will learn tips, tools, and best practices for organizing your research and results at every step of your family history journey. Members save 10%. September 7, 14, and 21 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
Free American Inspiration Author Event
Mark Clague with O Say Can You Hear?
In this fascinating history of our national anthem, you’ll learn why and how an everyday “broadside ballad” about a single event in early American history rose to become the country's one and only anthem. Don’t miss this presentation and discussion illuminating an iconic piece of music, as well as American cultural history from 1814 to the present. September 12 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
The city of Amesbury is located in Essex County, in northeastern Massachusetts. The Amesbury Public Library offers an online newspaper database comprised of nearly 200,000 pages from eighteen newspapers published between 1835 and 2019. Browse or search by keyword, and click the newspaper title and date link to view page images. Other resources in the archive include Amesbury city directories (1872-1998), Amesbury High School yearbooks (1924-2010), valuation lists (1825-1918), town meeting records (1832-1917), vital statistics (1738) and town records (1642; 1738). Search Now
Free Online Lecture
What's New at American Ancestors
Stay up to date with what’s new at American Ancestors with this webinar series covering new databases, projects, and more. September 22 at 3 p.m. (ET).
Historian Eric Jay Dolin will share insights on his research and writing process, and his latest book on privateers in the Revolutionary War. September 20 at 6 p.m. (ET).
Escape to our Research Center in Boston for three days of research, one-on-one consultations, social events and more, led by our expert genealogists. October 13–15.
“That person who looks just like you is not your twin, but if scientists compared your genomes, they might find a lot in common.”
Surveying All of Massachusetts in the Town Plans Collections Garrett Dash Nelson, Curator at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center, writes about two digital map collections from the Massachusetts Archives that capture the geographies of Massachusetts towns in the Early Republic period.
Last week's survey asked if any of your grandparents spoke with a discernable regional, ethnic, or foreign accent. We received 3,774 responses. The results are:
35%, Yes, at least one of my grandparents spoke with a regional accent.
31%, Yes, at least one of my grandparents spoke with an ethnic or foreign accent.
4%, I don’t know whether any of my grandparents spoke with an accent.
42%, No, I don’t think any of my grandparents spoke with an accent.
This week’s survey asks if your ancestors or relatives had a connection to a county or state fair. Take the survey now
Want to share your thoughts on the survey with us? We are always happy to hear from our readers. Email us at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.
Readers Respond: Grandparents’ Accents
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked if any of your grandparents spoke with a discernable regional, ethnic, or foreign accent. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Ros Beaman, Kitchener, Ontario: My maternal grandparents and my great-aunt emigrated from Scotland. I grew up with Scottish quotes and tales—even today I find myself calling small children "wee lass" or "wee pet.” My paternal grandparents came from New Brunswick—their families had lived there since the 1780s. They had an East Coast slang to their words and phrases. I was born in Quebec, influenced by Scottish on one side and the Maritimes on the other. People say I have an accent too!
Maggie Silva, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania: My father’s parents, William L. McCauley (born in Scotland) and Priscella Clark McCauley (born in Ireland), had both Scottish and Irish accents. My father told me of their difficulties with some American words like aluminum—even my dad couldn't say it without getting tongue-tied. And in my area of the East Coast, we pronounce water as “wadder.” My grandchildren correct me constantly.
Robbie Gorr, Petawawa, Ontario: G’Day! My paternal grandparents were first-generation Canadians born to German immigrant parents. German was the first language of home and church and so they—along with my father (now 93) and his siblings—all spoke English with German accentuations. My maternal grandmother was French and spoke English with a French accent and cadence. The English spoken by most of my family members has regional inflections of Canada's Ottawa Valley.
Esther Mansour Leonard, Huntington, West Virginia: My dad's parents, Salim and Maryam Mansour, were Lebanese immigrants who lived in Maine until around 1920, when they moved to West Virginia. My grandfather learned to read, write, and speak English in order to become a citizen, but my grandmother could barely speak English and could neither read nor write English or Arabic. Dad could speak Arabic, but because he rarely did so (except with his mother), he sometimes forgot words. We children never learned Arabic, because my grandfather told my dad "You in America, you speak English. You don't teach your children Arabic."
Judy Roberts, Portland, Oregon: My grandmother, Anna Laura Beatrice Lassen, was born in Denmark to a Danish father and Swedish mother. Danish was the primary language spoken in the home, and Laura was fluent in both Swedish and Danish, adding English when she came to the United States in 1887. Though Laura lived in the U.S. for more than sixty years, she never lost her heavy accent.
Database News
New Sketches: Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784
The new sketches added include five families from Brattleboro. This database is available to American Ancestors members. Search Now
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.
As a family historian, you know that wills are important in your research—but have you created a will for yourself? Free Will, an easy and free online will creation tool, will guide you step-by-step through identifying beneficiaries for your assets, supporting the causes that are important to you, and planning for the preservation of your research.Learn More
