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title: The Weekly Genealogist, December 20, 2023
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Weekly news about genealogy and history, databases, educational resources, and more from American Ancestors/NEHGS.

| View in browser     December 20, 2023   Read Past Issues   Feedback? Email Us Recently in The Boston Globe Boston Tea Party Museum Workers in Awe Over Descendant’s Preserved Documents   "'We would call this the Holy Grail,” said Kristin Harris, research coordinator for the museum as she inspected the papers.'" The binder of documents from the late 18th century was passed down by family to Tucker Smith, descendant of Boston Tea Party leader Lendall Pitts. Read More Recently on Vita Brevis Finding Irish Origins in Newspaper Archives   When vital records don't provide enough detail, newspaper archives can sometimes reveal the specific origins of your Irish ancestors. Researcher Pam Guye Holland gives two examples of articles that contain details about individuals' places of origin in Ireland. Read Now Upcoming Online Seminar Tune in for our Virtual Preservation Roadshow!   Is your closet full of boxes of old family photographs? Is your basement bursting with letters, diaries, and other family documents? 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. Course materials available upon registration; Live Q&A January 27, 2:00 p.m. (ET). Register Now The Weekly Genealogist Survey This Week's Survey: Do You Live in a Place where a Parent or Grandparent Was Born? 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: Winter Holiday Family Traditions   Total: 2,812 Responses 64%, I serve foods and/or drinks that are traditional in my family. 72%, I have decorations and holiday items (ornaments, nativity sets, menorahs, dreidels) from previous generations. 49%, I observe some holiday customs that originated with previous generations of my family. 22%, I observe some holiday customs that are rooted in my family's ethnic heritage. 15%, I observe some holiday customs that are rooted in my family's regional heritage. 44%, I reminisce and share stories about previous generations. 18%, I give gifts related to our family history. 17%, I display or look at photos (or home movies/videos) of previous generations celebrating. 6%, I travel/have traveled to ancestral towns or countries as part of my holiday celebrations. 9%, I celebrate in a way not mentioned above. 4%, I celebrate a winter holiday other than, or in addition to, Christmas or Hanukkah. 2%, I do not celebrate any winter holidays. Readers Respond   Dawn Zarecki-Reidy, Wells, Maine: I enjoy making our family's fruitcake, a.k.a. "English Wedding Cake." My grandmother Elizabeth Lundgren Zarecki gave me the pans and recipe card that her mother, Ethel Sterndale Lundgren, had given her. Ethel got the recipe from her mother, Annie Capes Sterndale, who brought it with her when she and my great-great-grandfather Richard Sterndale emigrated from Ashton-Under-Lyne, England.   Teresa A. Mills, Virginia Beach, Virginia: I put my tree up every year immediately after Thanksgiving! It gets more difficult as I age and fewer people see it, but I do it because I have never been without a tree. My ornament collection is large, and many ornaments have sentimental meaning. My mom gave me an ornament each year after I married, and I saved my children’s handmade ornaments from their school years. I display my nativity set as well—it is a reminder of the reason for the season.   Dorcas Aunger, Arcadia, California: At age 90, I am the last leaf on this generation of my family tree. I have no children of my own, and my family lives in other states. I will make phone calls to my cousins and watch Christmas programs on television. The hummingbirds that have not flown south for the winter will need to be fed. The pair of squirrels living in my deodar tree will appreciate the paper shell pecans I give them. I'm grateful to be alive and still working on my genealogy.   Alys Walker, Center Ossipee, New Hampshire: One of my favorite holiday traditions is making caramels and fudge using my great-aunt's recipes. She lived next door to my family, and my sister and I enjoyed helping her make candy—especially as taste-testers. When the caramels were cooled and cut, we helped fold and cut wax paper squares for wrapping the caramels. I use the same pan Auntie had to make these delights.   Leslie Duszynski Kannus, Homer, New York: My paternal grandmother, Frances Tomczak Duszynski, loved Christmastime, including the decorations. My father made her a ceramic Christmas tree, complete with lights and a music box that plays Jingle Bells. Frances died in 1969, when I was just three years old. This ceramic tree is in my possession now. It has been repaired with glue several times. I put it out every year. Last week I was looking at old family photos with my husband and our seven-year-old granddaughter. She recognized the ceramic tree in the background in one of the 1960s photos! We shared a special moment when I told her how her great-grandfather made the tree for her great-great-grandmother so many years ago. What We’re Reading   Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank “Hundreds of genetic variants carried by Neanderthals and Denisovans are shared by people who like to get up early.”   Descendants of Black Civil War Heroes Wear Their Heritage with Pride “A bold new photographic project asks modern-day Americans to recreate portraits of their 19th-century ancestors in painstakingly accurate fashion.”   250 Years Later, Local Experts Consider the Complex Legacy of the Boston Tea Party This Under the Radar podcast from GBH in Boston features American Ancestors researcher Anjelica Oswald as a panelist.   A DNA Project’s Mission: Connect Holocaust Survivors with Family They Lost “Since its launch a year ago, the reunion project has mailed more than 1,000 kits to 17 countries.”   The Massive Meteor Shower That Convinced People the World Was Ending On the basis of contemporary descriptions, researchers estimate that as many as 240,000 meteors lit up the sky over a nine-hour period on the night of November 12-13, 1833.   Christmas in Maine “Almost 90 years ago, with prose as crisp as a cold winter night and sentiment as sweet as steamy apple pudding, the Pulitzer-winning writer Robert P. Tristram Coffin conjured the timeless pleasures of a yuletide gathering in rural Maine.” Spotlight: South Carolina Newspaper Database  by Valerie Beaudrault   Winthrop University has made a historical newspaper database available in its Digital Commons. The university is located in Rock Hill, York County, South Carolina, which is in the northern part of the state. Titles in the collection include The Chester Bulletin (4 issues), The Chester Lantern (1897-1909), The Chester News (1915-1927), The Chester Reporter (6 issues), The Chester Standard (1854-1857), and The Palmetto Standard (1851-1854). Two student newspapers are also included. Click the title link and then the date link to access and browse the individual issues. Search Now Upcoming Lectures, Courses, Tours, and More January 3–31 (Wednesdays) Online Seminar: Researching American Revolutionary War Patriots   January 5 Free Online Lecture: Classical Shindig: Amateur Artistry From Two New Orleans Gentlemen    January 9 Free Author Event: 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 Educational events brought to you by Vol. 26, No. 51, Whole #1186 Copyright ©2023 New England Historic Genealogical Society. All Rights Reserved.. 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