Find Out How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Are Distantly Related
There's been plenty of buzz lately about singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who will be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend. But did you know that the couple are actually tenth cousins once removed? Find out how one of our expert genealogists identified their common 17th-century ancestor. Read More
Upcoming Conference—September 24-28
Join Us at the 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences
Registration is now open! Please join us in Boston this September for the first ICGHS to be held in the United States. We'll have speakers presenting research on topics across heraldry and genealogy, a special exhibit of heraldic artifacts, a vendor hall, and much more. Day passes and full weekend passes available. We hope to see you there! Register Now
New Publication
Now Available—The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1636–1638, Volume 1, A–Be
Introducing the third series of the Great Migration Study Project! This volume features 129 new biographical sketches of immigrants who arrived in New England between 1636 and 1638. Sketches include places of origin, occupations, migration information, freeman status, marriages and children, and much more. Get the latest volume in this essential genealogical resource today! Purchase 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:
Artists in the Family
Total: 2,950 Responses
30%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was a professional artist (who was employed as an artist or was paid for artwork).
57%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was an amateur artist.
31%, No, I am not aware of any ancestors or relatives who were artists.
Readers Respond
Anneliese Ullrich, Oxnard, California: My great-grandmother Clara Elizabeth Baird was a prolific painter of oils on canvas. She taught painting classes in her home studio. She gave her artwork to family and friends and refused to accept any form of payment. As a child, I was allowed to select two of Clara’s paintings for myself. Since then, I’ve inherited several others. I plan to dedicate a wall in my house to their display.
Cathy Garcia, Santa Clarita, California: My great-grandfather William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) was an artist, archaeologist, anthropologist, and museum director and curator for the Smithsonian. He drew the iconic 1881 topographic renderings of the Grand Canyon. His wife, Kate Clifton Osgood, was also employed there as an artist. They left many paintings to the Smithsonian. Those paintings are now in the public domain, and some are even available as jigsaw puzzles!
Bob Hall, Nantucket, Massachusetts: My paternal great-uncle Herman Winslow Spooner of Gloucester, Mass., was an architect, civil engineer, graphic artist, wood carver, and photographer. His works include renderings of the Gloucester water supply tunnels. The Cape Ann Museum has most of his collection. Herman’s most famous photo depicts a fisherman holding a net and smoking a pipe.
Randy Muller, Roseville, California: My parents were professional commercial artists who met when they were working at the same studio shortly before World War II. They enjoyed painting watercolors together. It's been fun for me to compare aspects of their personalities expressed in their paintings. My mom’s work was very abstract, and my dad was more of an illustrator.
Cynthia Nielsen, Isanti, Minnesota: My paternal grandmother was an amateur artist who worked in several mediums. She had a woodshop in an old school bus, and she sold her wood crafts at fairs. I’ve found a few of her pieces at garage sales and flea markets. She also worked with clay and painted with oils and watercolors. I have three of her paintings. My siblings and I spent many Saturdays with her learning how to draw and paint, work with clay, and use a scroll saw.
Ann Watson, New Haven, Vermont: My grandfather Ernest William Watson graduated from Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Mass Art) and Pratt Institute. He then taught freehand, instrumental, pencil, and perspective drawing, and commercial illustration at Pratt, in addition to supervising general art and evening classes. He cofounded the Berkshire Summer School of Art in 1915 and served as Art Editor at Scholastic Magazine. In 1937, Ernest cofounded American Artist magazine and Watson-Guptill publishers. His wife, Eva Auld Watson, was a professional painter, textile artist, and printmaker. Their son, Aldren Auld Watson, my father, made his living as an illustrator, book designer, author, and painter. Three of my siblings are also professional artists.
Upcoming Free Online Seminar—February 24
Getting Started in African American Family History Research
Want to learn more about your family’s past, but don’t know how to begin? This full-day virtual seminar will guide you through the first steps to tracing your African American roots. We will discuss common challenges and myths, key records and resources, and research strategies. Our instructors will also share how to utilize and get involved with the 10 Million Names Project.
They’ve Lived 100 Years. Here’s Their Advice about Everything Washington Post reporters “asked 14 centenarians from around the world to reflect on what it takes to live a healthy and happy life, and to share the advice they would have given to their younger selves.”
“Variations in names often turn simple research problems into nightmares.”
Mapping Black Cambridge: 1790-1820 Although early census “data is thin and provides only a very rough glimpse into the geography of Black urban life in the early decades of the country, it does give us a starting point from which to explore where—and how—Black people made their homes.”
“Billy Mag Fhloinn located the Altóir na Gréine, thought to have vanished in the 19th century, in southwest Ireland.”
Spotlight: Community History Archive, Juneau County, Wisconsin
by Valerie Beaudrault
Juneau County, seated in Mauston, is located in central Wisconsin. The Elroy Public Library hosts a number of databases on its website. The local newspaper collection comprises more than 113,000 pages from 20 titles, including Tribune Keystone (1982-1996), Elroy Union (1873-1874), Elroy Leader (1898-1922), Messenger of Juneau County (2005-2014), Keystone Reporter (1997-1999), and Elroy Tribune (1881-1920). You can also access Juneau County records (1878-1957), East Lemonweir Lutheran Church records for Juneau County (1854), and U.S. Federal Census page scans (1870-1930). The databases are keyword searchable and can also be browsed. Search Now
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
