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Recently on Vita Brevis
Interpreting Chinese Family Records
"Although I have always enjoyed stories about my grandparents’ early lives, I’ve longed to see their original Chinese records. A few months ago, my mother acquired some of my grandmother’s old documents, including her marriage certificate and passport." Read More
Online Seminar
Virginia Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
This four-week online seminar provides a century-by-century look at records, resources, repositories, and research strategies essential to exploring your Virginia roots. Live broadcasts: Wednesdays in February.Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Ancestors Who Worked for Schools or School Systems
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:
At What Age Did You Begin Your Genealogical Research?
Total: 5,433 Responses
24%, Younger than 20
18%, 20 to 29
17%, 30 to 39
16%, 40 to 49
16%, 50 to 59
8%, 60 to 69
1%, 70 to 79
<1%, 80 to 89
<1%, 90 or older
<1%, I don’t recall.
Readers Respond
Kristal Shepherd, Salt Lake City, Utah: For my eighth birthday I was given a Book of Remembrance which included pedigree and family group sheets. (Yes, I am Mormon, and, yes, this was a normal gift for an eight-year-old over fifty years ago.) I just loved filling out those charts and asking my parents and grandparents for names and dates. I've been interested in genealogy ever since.
Beth Wheeler Fox, Austin, Texas: When I was 14, I spent the summer in Benson, Vermont, with my grandparents. My grandfather, a lifelong genealogist and probably a bit overwhelmed with what to do with a teenage granddaughter, encouraged me to create a genealogy for a very prolific family in the area. He would drop me off at various farmhouses so I could gather information about family members. By the end of the summer, my paper charts covered the living room floor. Sixty-five years later I still enjoy the process.
Libby Brinton, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: My dad died the year I graduated high school in the mid-1960s, and my mom shortly afterwards in an automobile accident. When I was cleaning out our home, I found a small Dotterer genealogy. (My mom’s middle name was Dotterer.) This started my genealogy journey.
David Flanagan, Loudon, Tennessee: It made a big impression on me when my grandfather took me to see his hometown of Houlton, Maine, when I was 12. I made a photo album of the trip, which later allowed me to reconstruct his story more completely. I really began my research when I was in my early 20s, after I was given a photocopy of a family Bible inscription written by my great-great-great-great-grandfather, along with directions to the family cottage in Donegal, Ireland.
Nancy Miller Gandy, Jacksonville, Florida: In 1980, when I was 36, my mother gave me an ammunition tin filled with papers from my father’s family. The letters, which dated to 1836, were amazing! In one from 1862, Anzolett Taylor Hunt asked her brother, John Daniel Taylor, if he was prepared to die for his country. (He apparently was, since he fought in a New York regiment and survived.) Two letters from 1861 were sent from a Boston attorney who was working on forfeited claims of enlisted soldiers in the War of 1812. He wanted to know if a relative was related to Philo Cobb. These letters started me on a journey to find out who these people were.
Donna Di Lello, Ontario: When I started out, I was 44 and wanted to find my birth family. I waited until my adoptive mother had passed away in 1994. After a long search, I finally found half-siblings on both sides in 2000. Sadly, I learned my birth parents had both died in 1994. By this time, I was addicted to genealogy and ended up researching both my birth and adoptive families, plus the families of my husband and son- and daughter-in-law.
Pat Wallace, Glen Ellyn, Illinois: I awoke to an interest in genealogy when I was 29 and my oldest was born. His birth gave me a powerful sense of connection to those who came before him. But my interest was casual until my mom passed when I was 56. Fifteen years later I am deeply immersed in my research.
London Museum Removes “Irish Giant” Skeleton From Display “The remains of Charles Byrne, a 7-foot-7 man who died in 1783, will no longer be on public view, an effort to address what one official at the Hunterian Museum called a historical wrong.”
Spotlight: Library Resources, Hickory, North Carolina
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Hickory is primarily located in Catawba County, in western North Carolina. The Patrick Beaver Memorial Library provides a number of online genealogy resources. An alphabetical index to obituaries appearing in the Hickory Daily Record (1915-1989) includes date of death, full name, page number, and newspaper publication date. The site also offers two Knox County, Tennessee death record indexes (1914-1925). Search Now
Your support for the American Ancestors Digital Library & Archives helps provide digitized library resources that can be accessed from your home. New funds will help with digital scanning, any necessary conservation work, the creation of metadata to help researchers as they explore collections, and the infrastructure to support public access. Thank you! Consider a Gift Today
Free Video from American Ancestors
Stories from the Archives: Family Registers
This video looks at several family registers in the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections at American Ancestors, discusses what type of information they can reveal, and provides tips on finding examples at other repositories and archives. You will also learn ways to preserve such items in your personal collection. Watch Now
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!
