Americans are well known for their tendency to relocate—especially for religious reasons. In this post, Genealogist Chris Child traces his ancestors from New England to the Midwest and uncovers the unexpected religious motivation behind their migration. Read More
Upcoming Conference
Register Now for ICGHS 2024!
Join us September 24–28 at the American Ancestors Research Center in Boston for the 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences. This renowned conference will feature a keynote address by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., more than 58 sessions with speakers and experts from around the world, special exhibits of heraldic & genealogical treasures, a vendor hall, and more! Learn More
Get Your Signed Copy of Curt DiCamillo's New Book!
A British Country House Alphabet, Vol. 1
Tour the country houses of England without leaving your home! This high-quality hardback volume is packed full of beautiful illustrations and fascinating tales from the long histories of these famed buildings. Flip through the pages and discover for yourself why author and acclaimed tour guide Curt DiCamillo has devoted his career to British country houses and the beguiling stories hidden behind their walls. Purchase Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Special Summer Vacation Spot
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.
Ancestors Who Were Involved in the American Revolution
Total: 3,698 Responses
86%, Yes, I have at least one ancestor who served as an officer, soldier, or sailor on the American side.
5%, Yes, I am a descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
49%, Yes, I have at least one American ancestor who supported the American side through patriotic activity (providing aid, serving as a government officer, etc.)
5%, Yes, I have at least one French or French-Canadian ancestor, or an ancestor of another nationality, who supported the American side.
10%, Yes, I have at least one ancestor who served as an officer, soldier, or sailor on the British side (including mercenaries).
24%, Yes, I have at least one ancestor who was a Loyalist.
15%, Yes, I have ancestors who were involved on both sides of the conflict.
31%, Yes, I joined a lineage society based on an ancestor's involvement in the American Revolution (on either side).
6%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors have an American Revolution connection not mentioned above.
6%, No, none of my ancestors were involved in the American Revolution.
4%, I am not sure if any of my ancestors were involved in the American Revolution.
Readers Respond
Nathan Ticknor, Columbus, Ohio: My ancestor Samuel Ward, a Rhode Island politician, was the only colonial governor to not enforce the Stamp Act. He was selected as a representative to both sessions of the Continental Congress. When smallpox broke out in Philadelphia, he refused inoculation because he did not want to take the time away from the duties of the Congress for the recovery. In March 1776 he died of smallpox, just months before he would have signed the Declaration of Independence.
Kathy Astrom, Wheeling, Illinois: My ancestor George Pepperell Frost enlisted in the New Hampshire 2nd Regiment a day after the Battle of Bunker Hill. George went on to participate in the Canada campaign and the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga. He endured the winter at Valley Forge and lastly fought at Monmouth Courthouse. George went on to marry the daughter of a Loyalist who had refused to swear the oath to the cause until tossed onto a prison ship for three weeks. We are fortunate to have George’s memories of Washington at Valley Forge as he shared them with his granddaughter, whose grandson transcribed them.
Sandra Lazaroff, Parker, Colorado: My ancestor Joseph Emanuel Lyon, a jeweler, came to the colonies as a British soldier. He was captured October 4, 1777, during fighting in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Joseph took the oath of allegiance and joined the colonial army. He was wounded and left for dead at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, on January 17, 1781. A good Samaritan saw that Joseph was alive and brought him home, caring for him until he recovered. Joseph lost an arm as a result of his wounds. After the war Joseph became a teacher. He is buried in the Macedonia Baptist Church cemetery in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Lora Pallatto, Dallas, Texas: My ancestor Timothy Cady was issued his kit (gun, blanket, cartouche, and knapsack) on July 4, 1776, in Canterbury, Connecticut. He served in Chester’s Regiment. Timothy was captured at Ft. Washington in New York that November and held on a British prison ship. He survived his ordeal and married Lois Harrington in 1778. They settled in Stephen Town, New York. But Timothy suffered from health complications due to his imprisonment and died in 1782—at just 28 years old, leaving a young daughter and pregnant wife.
Terrie Cornell, Fort Collins, Colorado: According to family legend, my relative Lydia (Warren) (Barnard) Spofford of Watertown, Massachusetts, was about 30 years old on April 19, 1775, when she heard her neighbors calling out that “the Regulars are coming!” According to Lydia’s own transcribed account, “The able-bodied men had all gone to the battle, leaving only women, children, and a few old men, at home. … I looked up the street, and saw a redcoat riding toward us on a horse. He came up and inquired if that was the road to Boston. I stepped to his side, took the horse by the head with one hand, and the soldier by the collar with the other, saying, ‘You villain; you’ve been killing our folks, and deserve death yourself.’” Lydia, described in Jeremiah and Aphia Tenney Spofford’s 1888 genealogy as “a woman of strong mind and massive physique,” “pulled him to the ground, while he begged piteously for his life.”
“Thomas Jefferson imagined the waterway as the heart of his ‘empire of liberty’ as he dispatched surveyors to measure a land already occupied by Native Americans.”
“You probably remember Barack Obama’s ‘Yes, We Can.’ But do you remember Herbert Hoover’s campaign slogan? How about FDR’s?”
Spotlight: Newspaper Database, Cuming County, Nebraska
by Valerie Beaudrault
Cuming County, seated in West Point, is located in northeastern Nebraska. West Point’s John A. Stahl Library keeps a community history archive with a digital newspaper collection comprising over 172,000 pages from 7 local titles, including The West Point News (1976-2021), West Point Republican (1870-1974), Cuming County Democrat (1899-1974), and West Point Republican And Cuming County Advertiser (1900-1916). The databases are keyword searchable and can also be browsed. Search Now
Database News
Leisure, Travel & Mass Culture
Were your ancestors world travelers? Leisure, Travel & Mass Culture from AM Explorer brings together a rich collection of tourist ephemera, promotional material, visual imagery, memorabilia, and tourist accounts from c. 1850 to 1980. Search for primary documents and find out what tourism and travel were like during your ancestors' lives. Members of American Ancestors can search this database as well as many more from our partner organizations.
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
