Great-grandmother Kathleen always wondered: what happened to her little brother Joe. Since Joe disappeared shortly after going west for work as a young man, his family always assumed he died young. Researcher Aidan Walsh set out to solve the mystery once and for all—and discovered a very different story. Read More
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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
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:
Do You Live in a Place where a Parent or Grandparent Was Born?
Total: 2,934 Responses
28%, Yes, I live or have lived in the town or city where my father was born.
27%, Yes, I live or have lived in the town or city where my mother was born.
14%, Yes, I live or have lived in the town or city where both my parents were born.
25%, Yes, I live or have lived in a town or city where one of my grandparents was born.
13%, Yes, I live or have lived in a town or city (or two towns/cities) where two of my grandparents were born.
5%, Yes, I live or have lived in a town or city (or multiple towns/cities) where three of my grandparents were born.
3%, Yes, I live or have lived in a town or city (or multiple towns/cities) where each of my four grandparents were born.
46%, No, I have never lived in a town or city where any of my parents or grandparents were born.
Readers Respond
Kathy Ott Sader, Olean, New York: My husband and I live in the town where his father and grandmother were born—Olean, New York. There is a rich Lebanese community here and all the Lebanese families are connected through birth or marriage. Back in the day, if you were of Lebanese descent, you married a person of Lebanese descent. What I love about this community is that so many people can answer my questions about relatives and family history.
Bonnie Larson, Bothell, Washington: Last month I learned that my great-grandfather Andrew [Christiansen] Lawrence was born September 25, 1841, in Asker, Akershus, Norway—the town where my granddaughter Cindy moved in 2014. She lived in Asker for eight years, not knowing she was in the town where her great-great-grandfather was born and his parents, Christian Loringsen and Ginnild Tolline Gudmudsdtr, were married in 1837.
Bill Ewalt, Bureau County, Illinois: I think your question was too narrow. I was born in a hospital in Princeton, the Bureau County seat, while my father was born at home on the farm near a town about fifteen miles from the hospital. Our family lived about five miles from where my father was born and just a few more miles from the hospital. The question has a city bias. I consider that being born and living in the county where my parents and grandparents lived was special.
Leslie Wickham, Jackson Heights, New York: I was born in the same hospital as both of my parents. The city boundaries had changed, though, so I was born in Johnson City, New York, while my parents were born in Binghamton. My father and I also graduated from the same high school in nearby Vestal, New York. My paternal grandmother's family has deep roots there. Only in the last ten years did I discover that my Revolutionary War ancestor, Jabish Truesdale, bought land in my hometown in 1806. He is buried just four miles from my high school. Sadly, I left the area for a job opportunity, but still visit my parents and extended family there when I can.
Jack Parker, Danvers, Massachusetts: My father was foreign service, his father army, and HIS father finished our family line’s migration to the west coast (Seattle). For me, “home" has always been a transitory thing. From 1643 to the present, it is rare to find two generations of my patrilineal line ancestors who lived out their lives in the same place. Where did I settle down? Massachusetts—seventeen miles from where my eighth great-grandfather James Parker started and twelve miles from where my Cogswell immigrant ancestor first settled.
The Brown Brothers Had a Sister Although the Brown Brothers of eighteenth-century Providence, Rhode Island, are well-documented, their sister, Mary Brown Vanderlight (1731–1795), is not.
Searching for Sanborn Maps The Library of Congress’s Worlds Revealed blog offers advice on how to research using the library’s collection of Sanborn maps.
Spotlight: Community History Archive, Worcester County Library, Maryland
by Valerie Beaudrault
Worcester County, seated in Snow Hill, is located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Maryland. The library has made a variety of resources available on its website. The newspaper database comprises nearly 100,000 pages from 27 local newspapers, including the Salisbury Times (1927-1945), Democratic Messenger (1881-1973), Evening Times (1923-1927), Salisbury Times And The Wicomico News (1938-1939) and Worcester Democrat (1922-1973). Other resources include area census records, registers of wills, land survey records, registers of lighthouse keepers, court proceedings, marriage licenses, and church records. The databases are keyword searchable and can also be browsed. Browse Resources
Upcoming Research Tour in Washington, D.C.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Research Tour
Discover the wealth of family history records held at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. Our week-long guided research trip will present you with a goldmine of genealogical resources. March 24–30. Register 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
