We wish you and your family members a safe and happy holiday season. Thank you for subscribing to The Weekly Genealogist, and for supporting our mission to promote and advance the study of family history.
Upcoming In-Person Lecture, January 23
7th Annual New York City DiCamillo Companion Rendezvous: J.P. Morgan: Banker, Collector, Renaissance Prince
Join Curt DiCamillo, American Ancestors' Fine Art Curator, for a dive into the amazing story of America's greatest banker and his intense passion for art and beauty. This fun-filled event will take place at Colony Club in New York City, where a new illustrated lecture presented by Curt DiCamillo will be followed by a reception and a book signing of A British Country House Alphabet, Volume 1 (copy included with your admission). Register Now
Free Resource from American Ancestors
Getting Started with DNA
DNA has become an important tool in genealogical research. You can learn about the origins of your family and connect with other DNA matches who are genetic cousins. As more people take the tests, the number of matches increases, making it even more useful to confirm your genealogical research. Our free guide will help you learn the basics of DNA. Download Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Matrilineal (mtDNA) and Patrilineal (Y-DNA) Haplogroups
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.
70%, I eat foods and/or drinks that are traditional in my family.
70%, I have decorations and holiday items (ornaments, nativity sets, menorahs, dreidels) from previous generations.
47%, I observe some holiday customs that originated with previous generations of my family.
23%, I observe some holiday customs that are rooted in my family's ethnic heritage.
14%, I observe some holiday customs that are rooted in my family's regional heritage.
43%, I reminisce and share stories about previous generations.
18%, I give gifts related to family history.
18%, 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
Keith W. Goodwin, Reading, Massachusetts: My dad grew up in Lower Argyle, Nova Scotia, in the 1920s. One of the local traditions that we have passed on to our children and now our grandchildren is putting an orange or an apple in their stockings, along with a few dollars. In my father’s day, it was more like a quarter or fifty cents. They didn't have much back then and any fruit in the winter was a treat.
Joy Metcalf, Northport, Maine: My maternal grandmother's family immigrated from Germany. My grandmother, Julia, made traditional German meals through the holidays—roast goose and spaezle for Christmas, and roast pork with sweet and sour cabbage and knödel for New Year's dinner. The Christmas tree went up on Christmas Eve and came down on Little Christmas (January 6). And throughout the holidays, we ate wonderful traditional German cookies such as lebkuchen, pfefferneuse, and springerle, made by my mother, who was taught by her mother. Now my mother and grandmother are gone, but I continue the traditions, especially the German Christmas cookies, which I give as gifts to remind my family of our rich German heritage.
Laurie Hollingsworth Sisson, Alexandria, Virgina: I enjoy turning my family photos into holiday gifts. I’ve found photos of my great-grandparent couples and turned them into Christmas ornaments, including basic information about them on the backs. I’ve sent them to my grandchildren, and I hope they will enjoy remembering their ancestors each year when the ornaments come out. I have also added family trees to curtains, books, matching card games, and table runners for family members. My favorite project resulted from finding a photo of my mother as a baby and realizing that she was wearing her now-bronzed baby shoes. I added her photo to an ornament that is now displayed with the baby shoes. I used these special items as a holiday centerpiece when my brother and his family visited me.
Nancy Stauffer Johnson, Northwood, New Hampshire: In addition to Christmas, I also celebrate the solstice. The Earth-Centered Spirituality Group that belongs to the Unitarian Universalist church here in Concord, New Hampshire, presents a solstice celebration at the church. I have gone for the last several years, but this year my daughter and her family will come with me. The group puts on a ritual performance and afterward we walk up to the grove that is just above the church. There we gather around a bonfire and sing carols.
Nicky Symons, McFarland, Wisconsin: My grandparents, and then my father, always made oyster stew on Christmas Eve. I still make it every year, but, unfortunately, I am the only one left who will eat it!
Spotlight: Digital Newspaper Archives: Fillmore County Public Library, Nebraska
by Valerie Beaudrault
Fillmore County, seated in the city of Geneva, is located in southeastern Nebraska. The Fillmore County Public Library has made a number of resources available in its Digital Newspaper Archives. The collection comprises more than 200,000 pages from forty-one newspapers including Nebraska Signal (1881-2020), Fillmore County News (1899-1997), Fillmore Chronicle (1897-1957), Milligan Review (1933-1953), and Exeter Enterprise (1877-1909). In addition, the digital collection includes three high school yearbooks (1909-2024), two atlases, and commemorative publications. The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Database News
AM Explorer: Literary Print Culture: The Stationers' Company Archive
The Stationers’ Company Archive is one of the most important resources for understanding the workings of the early book trade, the printing and publishing community, the establishment of legal requirements for copyright provisions and the history of bookbinding. Explore extremely rare documents dating from 1554 to the 21st century in this invaluable resource of research material for historians and literary scholars. You must be logged into your American Ancestors account to view this collection. View Now
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
