We wish you and your family members a wonderful new year ahead! Thank you for subscribing to The Weekly Genealogist. We look forward to helping you discover more about your family in 2023!
"A single photograph shook itself free: Mrs. Grace Dixon, a woman none of us in the family had laid eyes on before, waiting buried deep within our archives for one of us to uncover her story." Read More
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:
Genealogical New Year's Resolutions
Total: 3,322 Responses
59%, I will organize research papers, files, and photographs that I have accumulated.
41%, I will write up some of my family history.
11%, I will publish a genealogy, family history book, or article.
55%, I will share genealogical information with other members of my family.
9%, 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.
21%, I will take a trip to a research repository.
22%, I will take a research trip to a location where my ancestors lived.
4%, I will take a DNA test for genealogical purposes.
31%, I will make better use of resources on the American Ancestors website.
36%, I will investigate new online resources.
15%, I have other genealogical resolutions not listed above.
13%, I am not making any genealogical resolutions this year.
Readers Respond
Peg Werner, Fergus Falls, Minnesota: I will respond to a repeated request from family members to create a medical genealogy and share it online. Their interest is in serious and life-threatening family illnesses. Since I have copies of death certificates and records for ten generations, I will create a simple family tree listing cause of death and underlying medical conditions for each person. This project moved to the top of my to-do list recently when my brother was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and had no idea that three of his recent ancestors have this listed as their cause of death.
Nancy Tidrick, Bradenton, Florida: Last fall Hurricane Ian passed just south of our home. We were safely away at the time and, fortunately, did not suffer any damage. But I worried about my research, photos, and artifacts. Consequently, my resolution is to scan as much as possible, write up as much as I can, and disseminate copies of what I have to other family members. Often, we don't think of planning for a disaster until it is too late.
Tracy Gibbons, Los Altos, California: In 2019, I had knee surgery that interrupted my research, and I haven’t been able to find my way back to it. My initial research goal was to find the ancestor of each of my four grandparents who was the first to immigrate to America, and I believe that I’ve done that. On my mother’s father’s side, his ancestors came largely from what is now the Czech Republic and surrounding areas. In order to trace earlier generations of the family, I’ll first need to find a bilingual genealogist who can find whatever records are still available in an area that has been affected by wars and boundary changes over many years. So, locating such a researcher is my first goal for 2023.
Clark Bagnall, Nashua, New Hampshire: I am a software engineer and had been working on a project to develop software that would present genealogical information in new ways. Unfortunately, the computer I was using crashed, and the backup proved to be unusable. I was able to salvage the hard drive from the crashed computer. My resolution is to install the hard drive in another computer, recover my files, and complete my software project.
Karyl Hubbard, Spokane, Washington: Having just "downsized" I have to do something with about 20 bankers boxes of 3-ring binders, organized only by family lines. I only have room for eight binders, so my New Year's resolution is to sort through them and pare the collection down to legal documents and very important news clippings--engagement announcements, obituaries, and the like. Less important articles, like one on a distant cousin’s buggy accident, will have to go!
Ninety-Six Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2022 “The year’s most exciting discoveries included hidden portraits by Cézanne and van Gogh, sarcophagi buried beneath Notre-Dame, and a medieval wedding ring.”
Spotlight: Community History Archive, Grundy County Library, Missouri
by Valerie Beaudrault
Grundy County, located in northern Missouri, is seated in Trenton. The Community History Archive of the Grundy County Library comprises more than 370,000 pages from 26 local newspapers, including Trenton Republican Times (1927-2016), Trenton Republican Tribune (1904-1927), Republican Times And Grundy County Gazette (1952-1964), Daily Evening Republican (1884-1902), Trenton Weekly Republican Tribune (1903-1926), Grundy County Gazette (1901-1950), Trenton Tribune (1891-1897), and Trenton Times (1902-1927). Search by keyword across all titles or within a single newspaper, and limit your search by date range. You can also browse individual newspapers. Search Now
This research guide provides a list of essential resources such as vital records, census records, how-to guides, and periodicals to help you trace your ancestors from Nova Scotia. Learn More
Planning for the Future?
Name Your Beneficiaries Today
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 separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your assets in one easy place. Learn More
