American Ancestors Comes to the Midwest Genealogy Center!
Join experts from American Ancestors for a series of lectures, one-on-one consultations, and assisted research at the Midwest Genealogy Center—one of America’s preeminent family history research centers. Access published resources that span all fifty states including published genealogies, local histories, compiled county records, and more. Learn More
The Loyalists of Massachusetts and The Other Side of the American Revolution
Originally published in early 1910, this volume of detailed biographies of Loyalists living in Massachusetts is organized by social standing, beginning with royal governor Thomas Hutchinson. This irresistible and controversial work demonstrates how author James Henry Stark liked to “stir the pot,” but journalists of the day had to admit that the fervor of his critiques was matched by the depth of his research. Purchase Today
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Scottish Ancestry
Share your story! Each week in our Readers Respond column, we publish a selection of reader-submitted stories related to our most recent survey. Submissions must be 150 words or fewer and include your full name, city, and state. Published responses will be edited for clarity and length.
44%, Yes, my family owned a business and/or a family farm for two generations.
28%, Yes, my family owned a business and/or a family farm for three generations.
14%, Yes, my family owned a business and/or a family farm for four generations.
8%, Yes, my family owned a business and/or a family farm for five generations.
8%, Yes, my family owned a business and/or a family farm for six or more generations.
31%, No, my family did not own a business and/or a family farm over multiple generations.
Readers Respond
Ken Bonvallet, Westerville, Ohio: My great-grandfather Pierre Anthenor Bonvallet (born 1829) emigrated from France in 1854. By 1860, he was growing grapes in St. Anne, Illinois. His farm became successful after he started growing asparagus; in 1893, he established a factory for canning. The “Bonvallet Brand” asparagus was used in dining cars of the Illinois Central Railroad. Pierre’s sons Albert, Paul, and Louis, continued and expanded the business, which passed to their sons Edgar, Harry, and Maurice; and later to grandson Gilbert. The P. A. Bonvallet’s Sons company folded around 2005.
K. Alan Wallace, Waterbury, Vermont: I live on a farm that my great-grandparents Sidney and Lavinia Wallace purchased in March 1866. It has mainly been a dairy farm, but has also produced fruit, vegetables, maple syrup and sugar, eggs, alpaca fiber, and saffron. Next summer we will hold a family reunion to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the farm’s founding.
Janelle Asselin, Madison, Wisconsin: My great-grandfather Joseph Asselin owned and operated Asselin Meat and Grocery in Calumet, Michigan, and many of his sons were involved in the business. One of Joseph’s sons inherited the original location and another son owned and operated a second location in a nearby town. Joseph’s brother Noe Asselin founded a dairy business that his son Urgel expanded until it was sold in the 1950s. At one point, there was an Asselin's Dairy next to Asselin's Meat and Grocery store in Calumet.
Karyl Hubbard, Spokane, Washington: As of March 1, with the retirement of my son, the family trucking business that my father, Dan Keeney, founded in 1946 in Los Angeles will be under the control of the fourth generation of Keeneys. The business has had its ups and downs, but it has supported the family well over the years.
Lynn Hotchkiss, Canyon, Texas: In 1935, my grandmother started Stevens Floral Company in our town of Canyon, Texas. Ninety years later, after passing from grandmother to granddaughter to 2nd great-granddaughter, the company is now owned and run by my (female) cousin.
Kathleen Bird, Kansas City, Missouri: My great-grandfather Burt N. Lafler started B. N. Lafler Dry Goods in North Ridge, Niagara County, New York, in 1892. The store sold food, cloth and sewing notions, boots and shoes, seed, and glass panels for greenhouses. Burt’s son Huey ran deliveries for the store using a horse-drawn delivery wagon (later, a motorized one) over a seven square mile customer route until World War II rationing of tires and gas made the service unfeasible. Burt’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren worked at the store stocking items, cleaning, and waiting on customers. The store closed in the 1960s.
Joanne Crane, Frederickburg, Virginia: In 1720, my eighth great-grandfather Nathaniel/Nathan Knight began farming land in Westbrook, Maine. In 1974, Roger Knight gave Knight Farm a new name: Smiling Hill Farm. Twelve generations after its founding, Smiling Hill dairy farm is still operated by the Knight family.
Union Township, known as Connecticut Farms during the eighteenth century, is located in Union County, New Jersey. Connecticut Farms Cemetery was established by 1732. Many Hessian and British soldiers who died in the Battle of Connecticut Farms on June 7, 1780, are buried there. The cemetery’s burials database can be searched by first and last name. The data fields in the search results include full name, names of relatives, dates of birth and death, age, and location of the grave. In addition, researchers will find gravestone images and links to transcribed epitaphs. Search Now
Visit the Family Heritage Experience in Boston for FREE!*
Are you curious about your family history? We invite visitors to explore our interactive exhibits and family heirloom displays for free on Thursdays through March. Learn about your family’s place in history from American Ancestors, a trusted leader in genealogy and historical research. *Free admission on Thursdays through March 31.
Drawing on census data, vital records, and genealogical sources, researcher Zachary Garceau traces the ancestry of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and highlights the relatives who influenced and contributed to King's legacy. Read More
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.
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
