Family history research calls upon a wide variety of skills, and there's always something new to learn. With free guides, video lectures, online courses, and learning materials covering a vast array of topics, American Ancestors has the resources you need to learn a new skill this year and take your research to the next level.
You might know the name of the town where your central or eastern European ancestors came from—but that's only the beginning! With hundreds of years of shifting borders, figuring out "where" that town actually was at the time when your ancestors lived in it can be complicated. Researcher Kiera Breitenbach explains how to place locations within the correct boundaries, and how this information can help your family history research.
Family History Roundtable: Traveling for Your Research
Many genealogists make trips back to their ancestral homelands to conduct research, see the family homestead, and meet cousins and relatives. Join our genealogists for an engaging panel discussion on the benefits of traveling for genealogy, along with their tips and strategies for making the most of your family history journeys. Wednesday, February 8. 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:
Do You Have a Favorite Ancestor?
Total: 2,997 Responses
43%, Yes, I have one favorite ancestor.
57%, No, I am not able to choose just one favorite ancestor.
Readers Respond
Janice M. Sellers, Gresham, Oregon: I learned about my ancestor Ann (Ridgway) Gaunt when reading Peter Gaunt, 1610–1680, and Some of His Descendants (Woodbury, New Jersey: Gloucester County Historical Society, 1989) by David L. Gauntt. According to Gauntt, "Ann Ridgway was a well known Quaker minister of Little Egg Harbor, N.J. . . . She was a minister for over 60 years. . . . When very old, she could not stand to preach, but would kneel while preaching for an hour or more." I greatly admire Ann’s dedication to her faith and desire to share it with others.
Christine Miniman, Surry, New Hampshire: My great-great-grandfather Charles White (1809-1888) owned boot and shoe factories in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Hudson, New York. Charles was involved with the abolition movement from the 1830s through the 1860s and served as vice president of the Worcester Abolition Society. He was present when Frederick Douglass addressed the group at one of its meetings.
Mari Houghton, Austin, Texas: My great-great-grandfather George F. Chase was born in Canton, Connecticut, in 1846. He worked at Lyman Mills in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and then as an itinerant farmhand in Illinois. George died in 1924 in Florence, Wisconsin. His obituary described him as a “pioneer trapper.” What makes George so real to me is the handful of letters he wrote after his beloved wife Emma (Shedd) died of consumption in 1878. George never recovered from the loss. In one of his last letters, dated 1908, George told Emma’s brother that he “mourned her still.”
Jeffrey Pennell, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida: My great-grandfather Enoch C. Gunnarson grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1900 at age of 22 and served for more than twenty years, retiring at the rank of Chief Gunner's Mate. He worked as a Navy hard hat diver and was in Havana Harbor for the retrieval of casualties from the U.S.S. Maine. He also received patents for inventions, including a patent for improvements to dive helmets. I like to think that my penchant for scuba diving comes from him. I am a marine biologist and have dove all over the world.
Kathryn Greene, Carpinteria, California: After my father died in 1958, my mother had to go to work. My maternal grandmother, Clara Elizabeth (Crofoot) Adams, moved into our house to watch over my brother and me, ages 8 and 10 respectively. Gram was 82 at the time. Through her many stories and photos I became interested in family history. Gram was an important part of my childhood and helped shape my love of genealogy.
“New generations of Black Americans are taking intimate tours that connect them with the lands and cultures their ancestors were forced to leave behind.”
Spotlight: Newspaper Database, Bannock County, Idaho
by Valerie Beaudrault
Bannock County, seated in Pocatello, is located in southeastern Idaho. Pocatello’s Marshall Public Library has compiled a local newspaper database containing over 400,000 pages from eight titles: Idaho State Journal (1949-2023), Pocatello Tribune (1895-1948), The Pocatello Tribune (1900-1949), Idaho Sunday Journal (1950-1980), Semi-Weekly Pocatello Tribune (1903-1917), Tribune Journal (1937-1942), Weekly Pocatello Tribune (1897-1903), and Idaho State Journal and The Pocatello Tribune (1949). Search by keyword or browse individual papers. 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
