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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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