Der Shusterman: Stuart Weitzman and the History of the Jewish Shoe Industry
Join the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center for an exclusive online program in which historian Jonathan Sarna and shoe designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Stuart Weitzman will explore the vital role of the Massachusetts shoe industry in the Jewish immigrant experience of the 19th and 20th centuries. Weitzman will speak about his own family history in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and trace his global success from those roots. Whether attending in your stilettos or your slippers, you won’t want to miss this engaging evening! Learn More
From American Ancestors
Free Download: Getting Started with Researching Loyalist Ancestors During the American Revolution
Our FREE guide will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need for Getting Started with Researching Loyalist Ancestors During the American Revolution.
Seas of Change: Henry B. Freeman's Life and Legacy
Researcher Danielle Rose delves into the life and legacy of Henry B. Freeman, a formerly enslaved Black mariner who settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This story was uncovered through our 10 Million Names project.
Have You Benefited from the Late Robert Charles Anderson’s Research on Great Migration Immigrants Who Arrived in New England Between 1620 and 1640?
If you would like to share how Robert Charles Anderson and his Great Migration work impacted you and your research, please email us. 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. Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer; published responses may be edited for clarity and length.
Family Documents, Photographs, and Artifacts Relating to Funerals or Mourning
Total: 2,671 Responses
82.78%, Yes, I have a program from a funeral service or prayer card.
23%, Yes, I have a post-mortem photograph.
24%, Yes, I have a photograph of an ancestor or relative’s coffin.
52%, Yes, I have condolence cards.
55%, Yes, I have a funeral guest book.
3%, Yes, I have a needlework, painting, or type of art related to mourning.
15%, Yes, I have a lock of hair or hair art made from the hair of a deceased ancestor or relative.
4%, Yes, I have a mourning ring or another piece of mourning jewelry.
13%, Yes, I have a type of funeral or mourning artifact not mentioned above.
8%, No, I do not have any funeral or mourning items from ancestors or relatives.
1%, I don’t know.
Readers Respond
Matthew Shaffer, Seaford, Delaware: The earliest funeral card in my collection is for my great-great-grandmother's nephew Otley D. Wickersham, who died November 7, 1865, aged 15. Otley’s funeral took place in Christiana Hundred, Delaware. I also have 1913 and 1921 funeral cards for my great-great-grandparents. These cards list their names, birth and death dates, and where they were born, as well as the full names and birth places of their parents—great information for a genealogist!
Lynda J. Hylander, Scottsdale, Arizona: My mother gave me a mourning brooch that was passed down to her from her paternal grandmother. The brooch contains a lock of hair from George Henry Feeter (1789–1853) and is surrounded by seed pearls. George was the husband of my 4th great-aunt Margaret Myers Feeter. They were married for thirty-three years. On the back is engraved: "My Husband; Died Feb 18, 1853; Aged 62."
Anne Zumalt, Lincoln, California: My father was the family genealogist. On his death, my siblings and I received his files, which included photos separated into white and brown envelopes. We discovered that while the white envelopes contained regular family photos, the brown envelopes contained postmortem mourning photos. It was difficult to look at these postmortem photos, particularly those of our beloved grandfather.
Alan Wallace, Waterbury, Vermont: I have six mourning and funeral cards from 1890 to 1907. These cards survived a house fire in 2018. One card is for Lavinia Wallace, my great-grandmother; two are for George and Hiram Wallace, brothers of Lavinia's husband; one for Cassandra Wallace, George's Wallace’s wife; one for Edwin Wallace, George and Cassandra Wallace’s son; and one for Lizzie “Dell” (Wentworth) Dodge, the first wife of my grandfather's sister's husband.
Carol-Jeanne Brown Shaw, Eatontown, New Jersey: Our family has kept almost everything. As the genealogist in the family, I have become this generation’s keeper. One unusual item I inherited was a mysterious metal key. After some research, I determined that the key was to the locked coffins of my great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and great-great-aunt! I don’t know why this key was saved, but I will continue the tradition.
Seeking Clues in Cabinet Cards “The poignant images, at once banal and intimate, in the Lynch Family Photographs Collection contain mysteries perhaps only the public can solve.”
Big Pat Bane, The Tallest Soldier in the Civil War Pennsylvanian William Patterson Bane “was almost certainly the tallest soldier in the Civil War, earning an almost mythical place in popular culture of late 19th-century America.”
Spotlight: Community History Archives of the Central City Public Library, Nebraska
by Valerie Beaudrault
Central City, seat of Merrick County, is located in central Nebraska. The Central City Public Library has made a number of newspaper resources available in its Community History Archives. The collection comprises more than 232,000 pages from twenty-eight newspapers, including Central City Republican Nonpareil (1953-2018), Palmer Journal (1914-2017), Central City Republican (1896-1953), Central City Nonpareil (1882-1953), Silver Creek Sand (1908-1964), and Clarks Enterprise (1898-1931). Click the See All link to view the full list of titles. The database can be searched by keyword or browsed.
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
