In 1776, 23-year-old Jemima Wilkinson rose from her sickbed and announced that her soul had died and gone to heaven—leaving in her place a genderless holy messenger known as the Public Universal Friend. Read More
Share your thoughts about the survey at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.
Last Week's Survey:
Winter Holiday Family Traditions
Total: 3,352 Responses
63%, I serve foods and/or drinks that are traditional in my family.
70%, I have decorations and artifacts (ornaments, nativity sets, menorahs, dreidels) from previous generations.
39%, I observe some holiday customs that previous generations of my family originated.
22%, I observe some holiday customs that are rooted in my family's ethnic heritage.
43%, I reminisce and share stories about previous generations.
17%, I give gifts related to our family history.
17%, I display or look at photos (or home movies/videos) of previous generations celebrating.
5%, I travel/have traveled to ancestral towns or countries as part of my holiday celebrations.
12%, I celebrate in a way not mentioned above.
3%, I celebrate a winter holiday other than/in addition to Christmas or Hanukkah.
2%, I do not celebrate any winter holidays.
Readers Respond
Dick and Pat Smith, Cape Porpoise, Maine: While we have always celebrated a very traditional New England Christmas, this year our tree will be decorated differently. Rather than using the heirloom ornaments, we are limiting our adornments to 5” x 8” silk flags representing each of the ancestral countries of our two grandchildren, ages 12 and 14. Their other grandparents contributed to the list of countries, resulting in a total of 18 flags. I am certain that this family tree will stimulate lots of interest and discussion.
Sandra Miller, Rock Falls, Illinois: For over 100 years, multiple generations of my family have made popcorn balls together. On Christmas Eve when my dad was little— and he would have been 100 on Dec. 21, 2022—my grandparents used to make popcorn balls, along with divinity and fudge. The tradition continued throughout my dad’s lifetime and after he and my mom died, I took over. Now I host my children and my cousins and their families on a Saturday before Christmas and we get to work. Last week we made 737 popcorn balls in 15 different colors and six different flavors! Everyone takes some home to share with co-workers, neighbors, etc. We want to keep this tradition going in our family, and since the youngest at our last gathering was five years old, we hope it continues for a long time.
Suzanne Sauter, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Christmas would not be Christmas without baking cookies and cakes and steaming puddings. But for fifty years after the death of my grandmother, one favorite treat was missing. Then, in 2020, I downsized my collection of cookbooks. While flipping through one of my late mother's cookie books published in 1936, I spotted a recipe for Basler Lekerli, which seemed right. As soon as I made the dough, I knew this was the cookie my grandmother made every year. She must have made them from memory. What a delight to have a tradition restored!
Patti Wawzyniecki, Vernon, Connecticut: Every year we take a photo of our children lined up on our staircase. When they were young, the kids were usually in their pajamas and on their way to bed on Christmas Eve. Now we continue this tradition with our grandchildren. We gather together sometime over the holidays and new photos are taken. It is wonderful to see the passing of time as everyone grows up. And the grandchildren love seeing their parents in the old photos.
Linda Whitmore, The Villages, Florida: This week has been filled with activities that I could check off for this week’s survey. The Scandinavian Special Interest Group of our area’s genealogy society came to our house for a party for Santa Lucia Day, which is celebrated in Nordic countries. We ate a smorgåsbord. Our family will have Swedish pea soup (made with yellow peas) and Norwegian lefse (potato flat bread) for Christmas Eve dinner, our tradition for more than 50 years to honor my family of origin.
A Wartime Wedding at Versailles This National Archives blog post tells the story of the December 16, 1944, wedding of a couple who worked for General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The groom was his personal orderly and the bride, a WAC, was his driver. (For more information, click the link in the article to the 2017 NPR story.)
Spotlight: Center Street Cemetery, Wallingford, Connecticut
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Wallingford is located in New Haven County, in south-central Connecticut. Center Street Cemetery has been Wallingford’s public burying ground since the town was established in 1670. The website of the Center Street Cemetery Association provides two burial indexes containing more than 4,400 records. One database is arranged alphabetically by surname of the deceased, while the other is organized chronologically by year of death or burial. In addition to the deceased’s name, the name field can include parents’ names, spouse, specific death date, and age at death. Additional data fields are year of death, year of burial, and plot number. Search Now
We've recently added two new sketches and three updated ones to our Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784 database: the Brattleboro and Fort Dummer families of Fairbanks Moore, Thomas Sargent, Joshua Wilder, Tilly Wilder, and Tilly Wilder Jr. This database is available to American Ancestors members. Search Now
Free Resource from American Ancestors
Rhode Island Research Guide
Although Rhode Island is the smallest state in the U.S., it holds a vast treasure trove of genealogical source material. This research guide lists a small selection of important resources available online at American Ancestors and elsewhere. Learn More
Planning for the Future?
Name 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 separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your assets in one easy place. Learn More
