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title: The Weekly Genealogist, January 6, 2021
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Every Wednesday, The Weekly Genealogist provides readers with news and information about American Ancestors and the genealogical community.

| View in browser January 6, 2021   Read past issues Feedback? Email us       Database News: Society of Colonial Wars in Massachusetts Membership Applications, 1560-1970 NEHGS has partnered with the Society of Colonial Wars in Massachusetts to offer a database of their membership applications from 1560 to 1970. This update completes the applications, with 470 new applications added. The new material contains over 2,000 pages and 65,000 indexed names. In the future this database will include Supplemental Applications through 1970. This database provides an index that includes the applicant, the colonial ancestor, and the indexed birth, marriage, and death information for each generation of descendants on the application.   Search Now       New Publication: Early Vermont Settlers to 1771, Vol. 2 This second volume of 180 sketches covers northern Windsor County, organized by town and presented in alphabetical order by head of household. These sketches capture the outward migration from southern New England along the northern route to the early westward settlements in New York, Ohio, Michigan, and beyond.    Purchase Now       Catching up with Vita Brevis   During the last month of 2020, Pam Holland used several different databases to build a profile of a 19th-century immigrant to New York; Philip Grover untangled the confusion between Winston Churchill and Winston Churchill; Jeff Record put a first name to the face of "Ma Seal"; Michael Dwyer considered the stormy life and sudden death of Billie Smith; Danielle Cournoyer remembered the sinking of the S.S. Narragansett; Susan Donnelly offered some "Seasonal compromises" for the days before Christmas; Zachary Garceau guided readers through steps to research a Maryland ghost town; Raymond Addison had suggestions for questions to ask the family during virtual holiday gatherings; Amy Whorf McGuiggan recalled the tragedy of the brig General Arnold, lost in a winter gale in 1778; Molly Rogers recounted some of the history of the NEHGS website, from 1996 to the eve of 2021; Chris Child reviewed the unlikely case of Francis Billington's 18 children [sic!], then told the story of the way he traced his ancestry to the Billington family; and Scott Steward triangulated the identities of a named grandson and an unnamed grandmother before publishing the first of two posts on the blog's year in review.       Spotlight: Tuscaloosa Public Library Obituary Indexes, Alabama by Valerie Beaudrault   The city of Tuscaloosa is located in west-central Alabama. It is the seat of Tuscaloosa County. The Tuscaloosa Public Library’s Local History and Genealogy Department has made two obituary indexes available on its website: Tuscaloosa News Obituary Index: This index covers the period from January 1, 1942, through December 31, 1992. There are more than 86,000 records in the database. The index is sorted by year of death. The data fields are last name, first name, death date, obituary date, and death age. The Alabama Citizen Obituary Index: The Alabama Citizen was an African-American newspaper that reported on news and events taking place in western and central Alabama. The obituary index covers the period from June 1944 through March 1947. There are approximately 850 records in the database. The index is sorted by year of death. The data fields are last name, first name, death date, obituary date, and age at death. Search Now       FREE Webinar: What's New at American Ancestors.org? January 14 at 3 p.m. EST Register Now Resolve to preserve your family treasures this year! This free video from Conservator Todd Pattison will show you how.   Watch Now Winter Benefit Honoring Harvard historian Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham  January 28 at 5:30 p.m. EST   Reserve Your Ticket Now       Don't Miss Upcoming American Inspiration Author Events Coming Next Week: An evening with bestselling historian Eric Jay Dolin. Hear his sprawling account of how hurricanes have shaped American history, like the 1609 Jamestown storm that brought both near-ruin and timely relief to the floundering colony. Don't miss this and other inspiring author events!   Learn More       What We’re Reading   Ten New Things We Learned about Human Origins in 2020 “Smithsonian’s archaeologist Ella Beaudoin and paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner reveal some of the year’s best findings in human origins studies.” Author’s Journey Connects her with Maine Veteran and World War II Pilot Loretto Thompson of Niagara Falls, New York, says the more than 500 letters her father wrote during his service in the Army Air Corps led her to Roger Sundin, the man she credits with saving her father's life in May of 1945.   My Post-Brexit Search for an EU Passport Led to Emotional Discoveries About My Family’s History Prompted by Brexit, British-born Jo Kessel researched her grandfather’s origins. Lost and Found: Historical Society Uncovers Document Signed by Samuel Adams The director of the Eastham Historical Society, located on Cape Cod, recently identified a document in the collection signed by Samuel Adams.   A North Dakota Man Traveled 113,000 Miles in 14 Years to Gather Stories from Elders in Every Town in the State After retiring in 2004, Fargo resident Jim Puppe began his quest to interview someone from every town shown on the North Dakota road map.   Toronto Man to Reunite Long-lost Diaries with Mystery Woman After 37 Years Nick Gunz of Toronto found girlhood diaries dating back to 1983 in his home. He posted pictures on Twitter and successfully located the diarist.       The Weekly Genealogist Survey   Last week's survey asked about genealogical resolutions. We received 2,920 responses. The results are:  63%, I will organize research papers, files, and photographs that I have accumulated. 42%, I will write up some of my family history. 10%, I will publish a genealogy or family history book or article. 61%, I will share genealogical information with other members of my family. 5%, I will record interviews and conversations with family members for posterity. 33%, I will seek out new relatives. 41%, I will share and/or preserve family photographs and/or movies. 8%, I will join a new genealogical society. 38%, I will attend a virtual lecture, program, or conference. 13%, I will visit NEHGS (if possible) and/or participate in an NEHGS tour or education program. 14%, I will take a research trip to a distant repository I have been meaning to visit (if possible). 27%, I will take a research trip to a location where my ancestors lived (if possible). 6%, I will take a DNA test for genealogical purposes. 35%, I will make better use of resources on the AmericanAncestors website. 40%, I will investigate new online resources. 14%, I have other genealogical resolutions not listed above. 10%, I am not making any genealogical resolutions this year. This week's question asks about reuniting family history objects, photos, and documents with a descendant or relative of the original owner. Take the survey now    Want to share your thoughts on the survey with us? We are always happy to hear from our readers. Email us at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.        Readers Respond: New Year’s Resolutions by Lynn Betlock, Editor   Last week's survey asked about New Year’s resolutions. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.   Marilyn Meador of Wichita Falls, Texas: I have made a resolution to review my family history research. I began doing genealogy nearly thirty years ago. Now, going back and looking through paper records I accumulated back then, I realize the extent to which I have gained more knowledge and digital sources have increased. I need to review and probably revise some of my earlier data. AmericanAncestors and other websites are great resources to help us "old genealogists" give our dusty old family trees a new look!   Sandy Neder of Camarillo, California: I think there's something missing from the list of resolutions. One option is "taking a DNA test," but I took a DNA test several years ago. I think there should have been an option to indicate ongoing DNA research. I am spending much of my genealogy time on DNA research and plan to continue doing so in 2021. Using DNA in genealogy helped me get past five of my brick walls. I’ve also identified several errors in my family tree and confirmed the validity of other parts of it. One of my New Year's resolutions is to ask a few more relatives to do DNA testing.   Debbi Lawson of Clayton, California: I have been doing genealogy for many years and have filed away so many interesting family stories that I either found online or heard from others. I have two favorites. I learned that the hatchet pin that my great-grandmother wore in all of her photos symbolized the hatchet that Carry A. Nation used to destroy saloons. My great-grandmother would have championed the cause, since she had to send my grandfather to the local saloon each week to get the rent money from my great-grandfather before he drank his paycheck away! I also learned that my cousin’s dog, Little Joe, was wounded at Pearl Harbor. Little Joe lost a leg in the attack and was sent home to live with my great-grandparents for the duration of the war. (Fortunately, no family members were harmed.) My resolution is to finally write these accounts in story form for my grandchildren and future generations.   Roger Barnes of Webster Groves, Missouri: I have a special resolution this year which is to finish documenting my Kenrick line and send it along with a Kenrick Bible from the 1800s to my nephew, who is the only one in the younger generation who has mentioned enough interest in our ancestors. I only hope that he doesn't read your newsletter!   Linda Miller of Hampton, Virginia: All of the resolutions in this survey are worth pursuing for genealogical purposes. However, some I have done in the past and some are not possible for me to pursue this year, or maybe ever. So, making resolutions for 2021 is not in the cards for me this year. But that doesn't mean I won't be giving some of the resolution suggestions a try! I just won't make a resolution to that effect. Happy New Year!       Vol. 24, No. 1, Whole #1033 Copyright ©2021 New England Historic Genealogical Society. All Rights Reserved. American Ancestors, 99-101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, 1-888-296-3447 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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