Aided by our 10 Million Names genealogists, Pierre Thomas of ABC News embarks on a journey to uncover his family's history. After tracing his roots to the Jenkins Plantation in West Virginia, Thomas explores the lives of his ancestors and grapples with the harsh realities and legacy of slavery. Watch Now
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Top Tips for Family History Research
The expert staff at American Ancestors has compiled a list of tips to help you advance your research and avoid some common pitfalls. These tips offer a road map for beginners and a valuable reminder for more experienced researchers. Download Now
Upcoming Online Author Event, August 19
The History of America’s Bookshops with Author Evan Friss and Bookstore Owners David Sandberg, Dan Chartrand, and Ann Patchett
Join us for an evening centered on the history and impact of the American bookstore. We'll look at our country’s centuries-old passion for printed works and the central role of the bookshop in our cultural life. Author Evan Friss will share material from his affectionate and engaging new history and then converse with bookstore owners David Sandberg, Dan Chartrand, and Ann Patchett.
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.
August 6 Marked the 250th Anniversary of the Shakers' Arrival in America. Do You Have Any Connections to the Shakers?
Total: 2,358 Responses
4%, I have Shaker ancestors. (These would presumably be people who had children before joining the Shakers, or after leaving them.)
3%, I have other Shaker relatives.
31%, I have visited Shaker historic sites or museums.
4%, I own original Shaker artifacts or furniture.
4%, I have another connection to the Shakers not mentioned above.
71%, I don't have any connections to the Shakers.
Readers Respond
Jane Kivlin, Elm Grove, Wisconsin: My ancestors Solomon Higley (1728-1821) and Lydia Holcombe (1730-1822) had ten children together before joining the Shakers around 1780. Solomon was a member of the Benjamin Ellis family, which was part of the Second Family or "Back Order"—people who had left the Shakers and later returned or were still attached to the world. Three of Solomon and Lydia’s children—Dan, Theophilus and Lydia—remained with the Shakers in New Lebanon, New York.
Jackie Greenwalt, Richmond, Virginia: In the late 1800s and early 1900s, my great-grandfather Charles W. Male lived in the Watervliet, New York, area, near the first Shaker community. Some Shakers visited the Dutch Reformed Church where Charles performed in a band, and he became friendly with them. Charles began selling seeds for the Shakers, and our family still has some of the old Shaker seed boxes.
Christine Osborne, West Newton, Massachusetts: In May 1781, the Shaker founder Mother Ann Lee went to Tucconock Mountain (now Mount Washington), Massachusetts, to visit my ancestor Benjamin Osborn. Benjamin and several of his sons and their wives had already become Shakers. I descend from a daughter, Hannah, who married a Baptist minister. The Benjamin Osborn home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Sadly, it was destroyed in a fire in 2019.
Joseph Smith, Yonkers, New York: My Shaker relatives include several aunts, uncles, and cousins of varying degrees of kinship. My family had ties to the communities at Alfred, New Gloucester, and Poland, Maine; Canterbury, N.H.; and Enfield, Connecticut, from at least 1811 to 1969.
Theresa Brown, Brunswick, Ohio: My ancestor Capt. Charles Kibbe of Somers, Connecticut, was the leader of a group of men who persecuted Shakers to try to force them to relocate. In 1782, the group followed Mother Ann Lee and her followers from Somers to Enfield, where they were sheltering with a man named David Meachem. Charles and about twenty others broke into Meachem’s home and caused considerable property damage. The group was arrested and stood trial in Hartford, where they were invited to settle without trial if they confessed before their own church. They refused and were found guilty and fined.
The Battle of Bennington and Its Aftermath “A German soldier’s firsthand account . . . paints a picture of the tumult that enveloped the battle and then the town of Bennington in the immediate aftermath of the fight.”
Go West, Young Man, Go West This Historic Deerfield blog post describes how the flow of information between western New York and the Connecticut River Valley led a Deerfield tavernkeeper to resettle in New York’s Genesee country in 1805.
Spotlight: Tipton County Vital Records, Indiana
by Valerie Beaudrault
Tipton County, seated in the city of Tipton, is located in central Indiana. The Tipton County Public Library has made a number of vital records databases available on its website. The resources include indexes to county cemeteries, marriages, and obituaries. Click the plus sign to the right of the database title to access the alphabetical index. The data fields for the obituary index include full name, maiden name, age, date of death, date of birth, parents, spouse, newspaper title, date of publication, and page number. Scroll across to view all of the fields. Instructions for searching the indexes have been provided.
New Database: American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists, 1799-1927
We are excited to announce a new database: American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists, 1799-1927. This database covers all known whaling voyages for this time period for four New England ports: Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA, Salem, MA, and New London, CT. There are 6,082 names and records, with port and voyage information provided. The database is searchable by given name and surname.
Name Beneficiaries for Your Non-Probate Assets Today
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