Connecticut Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
This online seminar will provide a century-by-century look at the resources and research strategies essential for exploring Connecticut roots. We will also examine the historical context, settlement patterns, and migrations to and from the state both during the colonial era and after statehood. January 5–26 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
Online Seminar
Using Microsoft® Word to Write Your Family History
It can take years to compile and publish your family history research. Microsoft® Word can help! In this online seminar, our authors, genealogists, and publishing experts will demonstrate how you can use Word to streamline your writing process, saving you time and delivering a professional and easy-to-reference finished product. January 15 at 1 p.m. (ET). Register Now
Online Research Tour
Virtual Winter Research Stay-at-Home
Advance your research skills from home! Includes one-on-one consultations, lectures, live demonstrations, extended Q&A with our experts, and access to recorded content and other materials beyond the end of the program. Members save 10%! February 24–26 at 9 a.m. (ET). Register Now
Spotlight: Bucks County Genealogical Society, Pennsylvania
by Valerie Beaudrault
Bucks County is located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The Bucks County Genealogical Society has made an extensive database of transcriptions of original records available on its website. The database comprises more than 400,000 searchable names. The record types include birth and baptismal records, marriage records, death and burial records, and miscellaneous records. The database can be searched by name and/or place. Searches can be limited by date range, record type, and source. The search results include a link to the detailed record. Search Now
Pilgrim Society Virtual Event—December 21
Forefathers Day at Pilgrim Hall Museum
Don't miss this free, festive online program, hosted by the Pilgrim Society and Pilgrim Hall Museum, which will conclude anniversary commemorations of the Mayflower arrival and explore Wampanoag tribal history.
D. Brenton Simons and others will receive the Bradford Award, which recognizes accomplishments in the spirit of Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford’s reflection. The event also includes the premier presentation of the New Visions Award, honoring contributions to significant new perspectives in history.
Researcher Zachary J. Garceau will help you navigate some of the first steps in uncovering and proving your descent from British, French, and German royalty from the 10th through the 17th centuries. December 16 at 3 p.m. (ET).
This virtual preservation roadshow will teach you best practices for surveying, handling, and storing family materials and provide you with expert advice on how to care for items in your collection. January 22 at 2 p.m. (ET).
The Maine Maritime Museum opens a new exhibit Thursday that examines Maine’s complicated and long-buried ties to slavery.
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
Last week's survey asked whether you have instances of many same-sex siblings born in a row in your family history. We received 2,569 responses. The results are:
53%, Yes, I have at least one instance of three brothers or three sisters born in a row.
37%, Yes, I have at least one instance of four brothers or four sisters born in a row.
24%, Yes, I have at least one instance of five brothers or five sisters born in a row.
13%, Yes, I have at least one instance of six brothers or six sisters born in a row.
8%, Yes, I have at least one instance of seven brothers or seven sisters born in a row.
5%, Yes, I have at least one instance of eight or more brothers or eight or more sisters born in a row.
17%, No, I have no instances of three or more brothers or sisters born in a row.
This week’s survey asks if any of your ancestors or relatives lived in a tenement before 1940. 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: Consecutive Same-sex Siblings
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked if you have instances in your family history of multiple same-sex siblings born in a row. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Bob Kenney, Narragansett, Rhode Island: I did not need to look far to find an example of a family with four brothers AND four sisters in a row. I am the oldest of eight siblings. There were three more boys after me in quick succession—my youngest brother was born two days before my fifth birthday. Then came the four girls, though they were spaced out a little more. All of us are still living, ages 73, 71, 69, 68, 65, 61, 59, and 57.
Jane Irish Nelson, Vashon, Washington: My great-great-grandfather, James Henry Sims (1826-1901), was married four times. With his first wife, Miriam (Robison), he had 12 children; the 8th through 11th were all boys, followed by my great-grandmother. With his second wife, Margaret (Chilcote), he had 5 daughters (making 6 girls in a row), before having a son. With his third wife, Elizabeth Jane (Pigott), he had 3 sons. And finally, with his fourth wife, Mary Savannah (Harrelson), he had a son (making 5 boys in a row), before they had twin daughters. A year later James died.
Ann Carroll, New York, New York: I am the second of six sisters born in a row, framed by an older and a younger brother; one more sister, number seven, would follow. Researching my French Canadian heritage, I discovered that my great-great-grandmother Zoé Gelineau (b. 1845) was a seventh daughter, following six older sisters in a row who were sandwiched between two older brothers and one younger brother. Zoé’s parents brought the family to New England soon after her birth, inexplicably changing the family name from Gelineau to Martin. The tangle of sisters’ names in records from both Quebec and Massachusetts was key in following the family.
Elizabeth Ekstrom Richards, Durham, North Carolina: My ancestors, Aaron Lake and Sarah Elizabeth Bosseck, had eight daughters in a row. Their ninth child was a son, followed by one last daughter. George Lake never married—perhaps he was tired of being surrounded by all those girls!
Database News
New volumes for Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920
This week we’re announcing 65 new volumes and 25 updated volumes in Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records,1789-1920. These new volumes come from 21 parishes: St. Lawrence (Brookline), St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge), St. Mary of the Annunciation (Cambridge), St. Patrick (Cambridge), St. Peter (Cambridge), St. Joseph (Ipswich), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (Lawrence), St. John the Baptist (Peabody), St. Joseph (Pepperell), St. James (Salem), St. John the Baptist (Salem), St. Clement (Somerville), Patronage of St. Joseph (Somerville), St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott), St. William (Tewksbury), St. Charles Borromeo (Waltham), St. Mary (Waltham), Sacred Heart (Watertown), Immaculate Conception (Weymouth), St. Francis Xavier (Weymouth) and St. Thomas of Villanova (Wilmington). Search Now
