It's a new year—the perfect time to take stock of your progress and set new goals. Whether you're a beginning researcher or a seasoned family historian, American Ancestors has resources to help you organize your findings, gather and preserve family papers, and "get in shape" for a new year of family history research! Learn More
Recently on Vita Brevis
Catalogs for Genealogists
From old-fashioned card catalogs to their modern digital counterparts, catalogs have always been an essential tool for genealogists. In this post, Researcher Jennifer Shakshober discusses how to use catalogs to navigate vast repositories and find the information you need.
Join Us for an Event Honoring British Historian and Author Lucy Worsley
Join us as we honor British historian, author, curator, and television presenter Lucy Worsley at a virtual event. Worsley will be in conversation with President Emeritus And Chief Stewardship Officer D. Brenton Simons. Simons will present Worsley with a Lifetime Achievement Award in English Heritage and Culture. January 25. 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:
Genealogical Resolutions for 2024
Total: 2,696 Responses
60%, I will organize research papers, files, and photographs that I have accumulated.
42%, I will write up some of my family history.
11%, I will publish a genealogy, family history book, or article.
56%, I will share genealogical information with other members of my family.
8%, I will interview and/or record family members for posterity.
29%, I will seek out new relatives.
36%, I will share and/or preserve family photographs and/or movies.
9%, I will join a genealogical society.
31%, I will attend an in-person or virtual lecture, program, or conference.
20%, I will take a trip to a research repository.
24%, I will take a research trip to a location where my ancestors lived.
4%, I will take a DNA test for genealogical purposes.
30%, I will make better use of resources on the American Ancestors website.
35%, I will investigate new online resources.
14%, I have other genealogical resolutions not listed above.
12%, I am not making any genealogical resolutions this year.
Readers Respond
Betty Kosicki Forristall, Bluffton, South Carolina: Since 1980, I have stored my research papers and notes in file cabinets. Now that I am 78 years old, it is time for me to organize these materials and to recap my thoughts on my research for the next generation.
Donna Tyler Hollie, Baltimore, Maryland: This year I will donate some of the documents I've accumulated over forty years of research to local historical societies. I promised to haunt my daughter for the remainder of her days if she discarded my “junk pile” when I die. By donating these documents to organizations that can preserve and share them I will spare both my daughter and I that fate.
Maureen Swift, Medford, Oregon: As we are planning a physical move this coming year, I am working to gather my research materials in one place and organize everything in carefully labeled boxes. Much work has gone into this process!
Kristal Shepherd, Salt Lake City, Utah: In 2024 I will focus on written histories—some new, some old. I'm working on my personal history and on a history of my father-in-law. I am expanding a small cookbook I wrote in college to include recipes from other branches of my family. I'm also improving accessibility to existing histories written by others by transcribing photographed documents into a single PDF that can be read visually or through a screen reader.
A Page from North Quabbin History: Working Women in Greenfield In 2015, Sara Campbell noticed two books in the Greenfield, Massachusetts, town clerk’s office that piqued her interest. Labeled “Married Woman’s Business Certificates,” the books were created in response to Massachusetts’s 1855 Married Woman’s Property Act.
Spotlight: Newspaper Database: Knox County Library, Indiana
by Valerie Beaudrault
Knox County, seated in the city of Vincennes, is located in southwestern Indiana. The website of the Knox County Library hosts a newspaper database comprising more than 460,500 pages from thirteen local titles, including The Vincennes Sun-Commercial(1930-2021), The Vincennes Commercial(1906-1931), Vincennes Commercial(1886-1909), The Western Sun(1882-1919), The Vincennes Weekly Sun(1856-1878), and The Western Sun and General Advertiser(1835-1924). Search by keyword or browse individual newspapers. Search Now
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
