Calling all students in grades 4-12! This year's essay contest asks students to reflect on what they have learned about themselves, the community, and the nation through exploring their personal family history. Students in public, private, parochial, and home schools across the United States are invited to participate. Learn More
Recently on Vita Brevis
Lodgers or Relatives?
Family researchers frequently encounter lodgers or boarders living with their ancestors in 20th century U.S. census records—but how can you tell when these lodgers are actually family members? Read More
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
At What Age Did You Begin Your Genealogical Research?
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:
Ancestors in a Band, Choir, or Orchestra
Total: 3,905 Responses
48%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was in a band.
47%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was in a choir.
23%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was in an orchestra.
47%, I am (or was) in a band, choir, or orchestra.
23%, No, I don’t think any of my ancestors or relatives were in a band, choir, or orchestra.
Readers Respond
Karen D’Agostino, Westford, Massachusetts: My grandmother, Mary Riley Carroll, played the organ at St. Stephen's Church in the North End of Boston. Her future husband attended Mass there as well. After communion she played various hymns and would always work in Let Me Call You Sweetheart.
Carol Miller Voigt, Newark, Delaware: My father, Irving Miller of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was president of the Scranton musician’s union for 40 years. He played clarinet and saxophone in dance bands in the 1930s and 1940s, including with famous names like Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. He insisted I start learning to play piano at age 6. At age 80, I still enjoy playing, especially sight reading the reams of old 1930s and '40s music I have acquired.
Rhoda Justice Garcia, Tampa, Florida: My maternal grandmother played piano for silent movies in Indiana and Kentucky. My maternal grandfather played in circus bands as a young man and in a US Army band in World War I. I played in band in high school and my first two years of college, and in many symphony orchestras and pit orchestras for amateur musicals.
Carole Ashbridge, Mars, Pennsylvania: In 1854, my great great-grandfather, Reverend Karl Weitershausen, formed a German singing society called Teutonia Männerchor. The group began at the Weitershausen Church on Canal Street in Allegheny City (now Pittsburgh) in 1854 and continues to this day.
Mary Beth Norton, Ithaca, New York: My father, Clark Norton, played the saxophone in his high school band in Ludington, Michigan. And some time in the 1920s in an event he would reminisce about, combined Michigan high school bands were once directed in a concert by John Phillip Sousa himself. I don’t know how this happened but Dad recalled it vividly.
Ruth Huggler, Youngsville, New York: My father was a handful as a youngster, so my great-grandfather (who played the concertina) suggested that my father learn an instrument. Dad studied clarinet and piano, and at age 13 became the youngest member of the high school band and orchestra. He also learned to play the saxophone. At 14 he started his own dance band, even recording some 78s. He earned a scholarship to Eastman School of Music but declined when World War II broke out and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He brought his clarinet aboard ship, entertaining his shipmates on breaks. Dad retained his musical ability into his 80s, playing songs from memory for his fellow nursing home residents.
The Doctor and the Confederate “A historian’s journey into the relationship between Alexander Darnes and Edmund Kirby Smith starts with a surprising eulogy.”
She Left New York at Two Years Old on a “Baby Train” to Minnesota “On June 26, 1917, little Sophia was placed on a train at Grand Central Terminal with 75 other children. The Foundling Hospital’s transports were called “baby trains,” and most of the children were aged one to six.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Gourmand Explorers “Jefferson’s government organized several western expeditions. Some carried luxurious supplies of food, some enjoyed local hospitality, and some nearly starved to death.”
Meals along the Way The Restaurant-ing through History blog looks at the 1834 roundtrip journey that Charles Shipman and his two daughters took between Athens, Ohio, and Philadelphia.
Spotlight: Newspaper Database, Montgomery County, PA
by Valerie Beaudrault
The Wissahickon Valley Public Library is located in Montgomery County, in southeastern Pennsylvania. A searchable database for the Ambler Gazette (1894-1944), a weekly newspaper, is available on the library website. Click "Visit eResource" to begin and search the database by keyword. Click the thumbnail image to view the digitized page image. Yellow pins at the bottom of the image indicate the page on which keywords appear. Search Now
We're excited to announce an update to our collaboration with Canadian Headstones, adding 44 cemeteries from Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan. We will continue to release updates regularly over the next few months. Search Now
Free Resource from American Ancestors
New Brunswick Research Guide
New Brunswick was formed as a separate colony from Nova Scotia in 1784, and became a Canadian province in 1867. This guide will give you a comprehensive overview of the materials we have at American Ancestors as well as other online resources to help you with your research in New Brunswick. Learn More
Set Your Intentions in 2023 and Beyond!
At American Ancestors, we’ve helped genealogists of all levels uncover their family histories for over 175 years. Discovering the footprints of your ancestors is invaluable to understanding your place in history, but it’s just as important to look ahead and consider future generations.
That’s why we’ve partnered with FreeWill, a secure, online estate planning resource that allows you to build a legacy for yourself, your family, and future generations—at no cost to you. You can complete your will and set clear intentions for your future in as little as 20 minutes and start 2023 off on the right foot. Build your legacy today!
