This week, American Ancestors announced 10 Million Names, a new project that will recover the names and restore information to families of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in America between the 1500s and 1865. The project debuted onGood Morning Americato more than three million viewers across the country!
The end result of 10 Million Names will be a centralized repository of genealogical and historical information about enslaved people of African descent and their families on a free website. This will take years to accomplish, but we’re already underway.
To do the work, 10 Million Names is engaging a collaborative network of expert genealogists, cultural organizations, and community-based family historians. Together we will amplify the voices of people who have been telling their family stories for centuries, connect researchers and data partners with people seeking answers to family history questions, and expand access to data, resources, and information about enslaved African Americans.
On November 5–2, navigate the resources of the world’s largest genealogy library with American Ancestors. Our experts have more than 40 years of experience leading researchers of all levels to Salt Lake City. You will benefit from special orientations and tutorials, one-on-one consultations, informative lectures, and more. Register Now
The Summer Issue of American Ancestors Magazine Now Available!
The summer issue of American Ancestors magazine introduces our 10 Million Names Project, a significant endeavor that focuses on reclaiming the names and stories of men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in America. View Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Do You Use the First Name Listed on Your Birth Certificate?
Share your thoughts about the survey! Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Responses featured in a future newsletter may be edited for clarity and length.
Last Week's Survey:
Your Ancestors' Involvement in the American Revolution
Total: 5,167 Responses
88%, At least one of my ancestors served as an officer, soldier, or sailor on the American side.
6%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives participated in some capacity in the Boston Tea Party
6%, At least one of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.
47%, At least one of my ancestors supported the American side through patriotic activity (providing aid, serving as a government officer, etc.)
5%, At least one of my French or French-Canadian ancestors, or my ancestors of another nationality supported the American side.
10%, At least one of my ancestors served as an officer or soldier for the British side (including mercenary soldiers serving on the British side).
23%, At least one of my ancestors was a Loyalist.
20%, I have ancestors on both sides of the conflict.
31%, I joined a lineage society based on my ancestor's involvement in the Revolutionary War (on either side).
8%, At least one of my ancestors has an American Revolution connection not mentioned above.
3%, I don’t think any of my ancestors were involved in the American Revolution.
4%, None of my ancestors were involved in the American Revolution.
Readers Respond
Julee Durkee, Hastings, Michigan: My ancestor Jeremiah Batcheler served in the Continental Army. Family lore has it that while on picket duty one night, Jeremiah stopped an officer who was unable to provide the correct responses. That officer was General Washington. After Washington’s identity was confirmed and he passed the picket, he patted Jeremiah on the shoulder and remarked that he was a good soldier.
Melynda Brenton, Aztec, New Mexico: While researching my lineage for membership with the Daughters of the American Revolution, I discovered that my ancestor Seth Warner was personally recommended by Benedict Arnold to command the galley Trumbull and patrol the waters of Lake Champlain. Captain Warner participated in the Battle of Valcour Island. Naval records contain letters from Brigadier General Arnold mention Seth by name.
David Fuller, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: My maternal ancestor Fleming Smith fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War, participating in the battle at Cowpens, South Carolina. My paternal ancestor Titus Finch fought on the British side and was taken prisoner in the same battle!
Patty Malgieri, Bronxville, New York: My great-great-great-grandfather Alden Washburn fought in the Battle of Harlem Heights, and later helped construct West Point. For his efforts Alden was awarded a land grant in 1789 for land in Tamworth, New Hampshire.
“Two Canadian men who were switched at birth to families of different ethnicities are now questioning who they really are and learning how racial heritage shapes identities.”
Since the founding of the Vermont Old Cemetery Association in 1958, dedicated volunteers have crisscrossed the Green Mountains to “encourage the restoration and preservation of neglected and abandoned cemeteries in the State of Vermont.”
Spotlight: Georgetown County Digital Library, South Carolina
by Valerie Beaudrault
Georgetown County, seated in the town of Georgetown, is located in coastal southeastern South Carolina. The Georgetown County Digital Library comprises more than fifty collections related to people and places associated with the county’s history. The collections include newspapers, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, family history materials, and high school yearbooks. The Georgetown County Historical Newspapers Collection is a searchable database of eleven titles published from the early 1800s through 1899. In the Southern Foodways Cookbook Collection there are local cookbooks, many collected and printed by church groups and other organizations from the 1930s to the 1960s. Start your exploration by selecting a collection, then click Browse to begin. Search Now
This collection was created from The Book of Negroes: African Americans in Exile After the American Revolution, edited by Graham Russell, Gao Hodges, and Alan Edward Brown. The collection contains transcriptions of Brigadier General Samuel Birch’s inspection roll of black and mixed-race Loyalists who, at the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783, emigrated to Canada, the UK, the West Indies, Sierra Leone, and Germany. This database is available to all members, including guest members, as part of 10 Million Names. Search Now
American Ancestors Membership Promotion
$25 Off a New Membership!
Now is the perfect time to trace your family history. Get started today with $25 off a new American Ancestors membership. Gain access to more than a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, hundreds of online educational tools, and advice and guidance from our experts. Let us help you discover and share your family story. Enter code August823 at checkout. This special offer ends August 31, 2023.
At American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society, we are dedicated to telling the stories of the individuals who built our nation, and to helping future generations understand how our past shapes our present. Any size gift makes a difference and helps us further our mission. Thank you for your generous support! Learn More
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
