Weekly news about genealogy and history, databases, educational resources, and more from American Ancestors/NEHGS.
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December 13, 2023

 

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Recently on Vita Brevis

The Unsolved 19th-Century Mystery in the Parking Lot

 

Why is there a lone grave in the parking lot of a former Dunkin' Donuts in Peabody, Massachusetts—and what happened to its occupant? Researcher Jonathan Hill uncovers the unsettling story behind the death of George Washington Flint. Read More

Upcoming Online Seminar

Register Now for 50% off our Virtual Genealogical Skills Bootcamp!

 

Take your research skills to the next level! This intensive three-day online program will teach you how to tackle genealogical problems like a pro and help you get the most out of your family history research. Register by December 31 to get 50% off the course price! January 18–20.

Register Now

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      The Weekly Genealogist Survey

      This Week's Survey:

      Winter Holiday Family Traditions

      Take the Survey Now

      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.

      Last Week's Survey:

      Multi-generational Family Burial Plots

       

      Total: 3,428 Responses

      • 89%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors is buried in a multi-generational family plot.
      • 48%, I have done research to determine who is buried in a multi-generational family plot.
      • 15%, I don't know the identity of everyone who is buried in my multi-generational family plot(s).
      • 66%, I have visited at least one multi-generational family plot for genealogical purposes.
      • 9%, No, I don't think any of my ancestors are buried in a multi-generational family plot.

      Readers Respond

       

      Peter H. Van Demark, Rockport, Massachusetts: My wife, Dr. Kathleen “Kate” Ackerman Van Demark (1948-2023), was buried last April in a plot in Mt Hope Cemetery, in Rochester, New York, that was purchased by my great-great-grandfather Charles Frederick Crosman, a Shaker apostate who lived from 1802 to 1865. Kate’s natural (or “green”) burial was the first burial in that plot since my great-aunt Lillie Louise Crosman Fowler (1885-1979) was interred there. Aunt Lillie’s parents are also buried in the Crosman plot, making four generations buried there.

       

      John Graham, Melbourne, Florida: My great-great-grandmother Alma Taggart (Eveleth) McCulloch is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida. After Alma’s Civil War veteran husband died in Ohio in 1882, she and her three young children moved to Orlando where she ran a boarding house and worked as a dressmaker. She died and was buried in Orlando in 1917. Among those buried in the plot with her are two of her children, three of her grandchildren, and two of her great-grandchildren (including my mother). Also buried there are wives and husbands of her progeny.

       

      Dick Ver Eecke, Peterborough, New Hampshire: When going through my mother's papers several years ago, I came across a letter dated December 4, 1942, from the manager of a funeral home in Brooklyn, New York. The letter listed ten individuals buried in a family plot in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York. The list included my great-grandfather Maurice McNamara, who died in 1887; his father, Maurice, who died in 1889; my great-grandmother Ellen McNamara, who died in 1926; and my grandfather Harry B. Ver Eecke, who died in 1942. Also interred there were four great-aunts and uncles and two close friends of the family.

       

      Marcia Huntley Maloney, Laguna Woods, California: My ashes will be buried in our family cemetery in Langdon, New Hampshire. Five generations are buried there on Walker family land. My mother is buried in another Langdon cemetery with my father and his parents. I now live in California so it will be a long trip “back home.”

      What We’re Reading

       
      In My Yesterday
      In this Canada’s History magazine article, JJ Lee discusses uncovering her family’s immigration stories. 
       
      These Tours Highlight the Hidden History of Black Boston
      Joel Mackall hopes that his tours teach “the hidden histories of the city that we're in... Our inclusion, our belonging, our survival and our humanity is throughout the entire history [of Boston].”  
       
      The Climate Canvases of the Little Ice Age
      Low Country artists of the late Renaissance and Early Baroque eras captured the happiness and hardships of snowy winters—an ever rarer phenomenon now.
       
      Hearth of the Matter | A Timeline of Santa’s Fireplace Challenges
      “Children know it’s magic. For the rest of us, here’s a brief history of Santa’s fireplace escapades.”
       

      The Enduring Legacy of a D.C. Mother Who Fought for Black Deaf Children

      “Gallaudet University has launched a fundraising campaign aimed at honoring Louise B. Miller, whose role in history for too long went unrecognized.”

       
      Silence of the Gym: Indiana Woman Searching for Fights Songs of 600 Forgotten High Schools
      Reta Williams, a retired elementary school principal, is working to track down the lyrics and music to every fight song from every closed Indiana high school. 

      Spotlight: Online Finding Aids, Boothbay Region Historical Society, Maine 

      by Valerie Beaudrault

       

      The town of Boothbay is located in Lincoln County, on Maine’s Atlantic coast. The Boothbay Region Historical Society has made a number of finding aids for their collections available on their website. There are seventeen lists and indexes that detail the contents of each collection. The society’s collections include account books, cemetery lists, family history files, maps, oral history recordings, and photographs. The individual lists and indexes have also been compiled into a Master Index, so that researchers can search all collections at the same time. Use the Find function to perform keyword searches of the indexes and the master list. Search Now

      Upcoming Lectures, Courses, Tours, and More

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      December 14

      Free Online Lecture: What's New at American Ancestors

       

      January 3–31 (Wednesdays)

      Online Seminar: Researching American Revolutionary War Patriots

       

      January 9

      Free Author Talk: Benjamin Taylor with Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather

      View All Upcoming Events

      Looking to the Future?

      Plan 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 for these assets separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to help you plan out your beneficiaries for each of your non-probate assets. Learn More

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        Educational events brought to you by

        The Brue Family Learning Center

        Vol. 26, No. 50, Whole #1185

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