Follow your ancestors around the world! While many resources are available online, there's no replacement for the insight you can gain from in-person research. Whether you want to search for records at a large repository or visit the town where your ancestors once lived, American Ancestors can help you start your journey on the right foot. Learn More
Recently on Vita Brevis
Ships' Logs and Genealogy
This unusual ship's log was written by Elizabeth Bray, who accompanied her sea captain husband on several voyages during the 19th century. Elizabeth wrote about the sights she saw, family and friends she visited, and how she felt during her travels. She even pressed leaves from the places she visited between the log's pages. Read More
Upcoming Online Seminar
Writing & Publishing Your Family History
This online seminar, led by writing and publishing experts at American Ancestors, will provide you with a step-by-step approach to turning your raw data into an illustrated narrative, Register-style genealogy, or Ahnentafel book. Topics include organizing your materials, choosing a genealogical format, adding citations, laying out pages, and self-publishing. February 10. 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:
How Many Books Did You Read in 2023?
Total: 2,994 Responses
6%, I did not read any books in 2023.
17%, I read 1 to 5 books.
12%, I read 6 to 10 books.
11%, I read 11 to 15 books.
8%, I read 16 to 20 books.
10%, I read 21 to 30 books.
7%, I read 31 to 40 books.
7%, I read 41 to 50 books.
12%, I read 51 to 100 books.
6%, I read 101 to 200 books.
4%, I read over 200 books.
Readers Respond
Mary Herzog, Napa, California: I have been keeping track of my reading on LibraryThing.com since 2007. In 2023 I read 101 books—a middling accomplishment. My all-time reading record—154 books—was achieved in 2021. Each year I read twenty books as part of the United Methodist Women Reading Program; my participation in two book groups accounts for at least a dozen more. My favorite book category is genealogy—in particular I enjoy methodology, family memoir, mysteries, DNA surprises, and adoption stories.
Kerma Crouse, Jewell, Kansas: This past year I read twenty-seven adult books and hundreds of children's books. I read to my daughter at bedtime. Sometimes we read three or four books a night. I hope many of your survey takers were enthusiastic readers in 2023 and will continue to love reading in 2024.
Linda Wightman, Altamonte Springs, Florida: I read thirty-five books in 2023—half my usual yearly average. Life happens and a couple of projects took priority over reading. I'd like to say that one of those projects was genealogy, but that's another area that got neglected last year!
Elizabeth Ekström Richards, Durham, North Carolina: I borrowed or purchased 114 books in 2023—mostly fiction, plus some reference books. My reading total for the year was 99 books. Since the start of 2020, I have read 502 books—a small benefit from the pandemic shutdown.
Steve Colburn, Cape Coral, Florida: This past year I was preparing to teach multiple classes on different subjects, so I read, borrowed, and bought way too many books. I filled up the "reserve/reference" genealogy bookshelves in my study and had to install an additional bookcase. That new bookcase will soon be filled if I continue reading at this pace. I am never happier than when I can spend a day with a good book, share a book with a student, or share what I have learned from a book when teaching a class.
My Ancestor Was a Salem Witch “When your lineage intertwines with New England’s most infamous era, feelings about family can get tangled.”
A Murderous Gravestone Grudge Carved a New Law into Stone For about 50 years, a stone marking the grave of twenty-five-year-old Lawrence Nelson bore this inscription: “Murdered and robbed by Hamp Kendall and John Vickers, Sept. 25, 1906.”
“In the 1930s, hitchhiking was viewed as an opportunity for generosity on the part of the driver and a way to practice good manners on the part of the rider.”
Spotlight: Putnam County Cemeteries, Florida
by Valerie Beaudrault
Putnam County, seated in Palatka, is located in northeastern Florida. The Putnam County Florida Cemetery Project’s website is home to burials databases for over 100 cemeteries. Click the cemetery name to view the burials list, a brief history of the cemetery, and location information. Data fields include first name, last name, birth and death dates, vocation/trade, marker, and comments. The marker field may contain a link to its photograph. The comments field provides additional information about the deceased, which in some cases includes a link to a transcribed obituary. 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
