Uncovering Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Family History
Research by American Ancestors experts featured in The Boston Globe
This Sunday, the Globe ran "A Union to Challenge the Past" by politics reporter Emma Platoff, exploring the very different family histories of new Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and her husband, Boston-born Patrick Jackson—a truly unique American story. Our research team put in many hours of hard work on this case, especially to find Judge Jackson’s southern lines. Read the Globe article | View our team's research
NEW! Online Courses on Demand
Now you can enjoy some of our most popular family history courses on demand, including recorded lectures, handouts, activities, and more. Course materials do not expire—access all of your purchased courses through your American Ancestors account, when and wherever you want. Choose a course and start learning today! Learn More
American Inspiration Author Event
Bill Griffeth with Strangers No More
A sequel to the retired CNBC anchor's remarkable first book about a DNA discovery that rocked his world, Strangers No More is an exploration of identity and family, and how DNA testing has forced us to rethink the meaning of these words. Signed book included with event registration. July 14 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
Online Seminar
Tracing Ancestors on the Move in America
This four-session seminar will help you track your ancestors on the move, and give you context for migrations across America from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Live broadcasts: August 3, 10, 17, and 24 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
Spotlight: Washington Parish Library, Louisiana
by Valerie Beaudrault
Washington Parish is located in eastern Louisiana, and its seat is Franklinton. The Washington Parish Library provides several online obituary indexes drawn from the Bogalusa Daily News (1950-2004), the Bogalusa Enterprise and American (1914-1933), The Bogalusa Bulletin (1942-1953), and the Era Leader (1896-2019). There is also an index to obituaries found in some western Florida newspapers (1878-2005). The site includes links to external Washington Parish resources. Explore Now
Online Seminar
Digitizing Your Family History Collections
In this online workshop, our experts will demonstrate how to plan, scan, and manage your own records digitization project at home. July 23 at 2 p.m. (ET).
Work closely with experts to advance your family history at our Research Center in Boston. In-person program includes a tour, daily lectures, consultations, and more.
NH Woman a Part of Effort to Get Connecticut to Exonerate Hanged Witches “Three hundred and seventy-five years after America hanged its first ‘witch’ in Hartford, a multistate coalition of descendants and activists are calling on Connecticut legislators to exonerate the victims of the Connecticut witch trials.”
South to the Promised Land “Before the Civil War, numerous enslaved people made the treacherous journey to Mexico in a bold quest for freedom that historians are now unearthing.”
Why Storytelling Is a Pillar of a Meaningful Life “Through family stories, adolescents learn that life is often about striving for something better, fighting for beliefs, and overcoming the odds.”
Last week's survey asked about your ancestors' connection to boarding houses. We received 3,000 responses. The results are:
61%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives lived in a boarding house.
45%, At least one of ancestors or relatives worked in or owned a boarding house.
3%, I lived in a boarding house.
1%, I worked in or owned a boarding house.
2%, I have a connection to a boarding house not mentioned above.
23%, I don’t think any of my ancestors or relatives ever had a connection to a boarding house.
This week’s survey asks if any of your ancestors or relatives were firefighters. 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: Boarding Houses
By Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked about family connections to boarding houses. Thank you to the many people who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Jeri Moriarty, Manassas Park, Virginia: My great-grandmother, Pearl Johnson, moved to Omaha to take a job as an office worker and discovered that available housing was scarce. She tried many boarding houses without any luck, until one landlady told her that although all her rooms were occupied, William Smith, a young police officer with a single room might be persuaded to share a double with another male boarder. If he did, Great-Grandma could take the single room. The young officer got home from work, was quite taken with her, and agreed to switch rooms. That's how my great-grandparents met. I am lucky that my great-grandfather kept a diary that details their courtship!
Amy Kenneley, Chesterland, Ohio: My grandparents, John T. and Dena (Pullins) Goolsby, ran a "hot bed" boarding house in Akron, Ohio, in the 1920s. They catered to shift workers at the busy rubber factories. The rapid expansion of the rubber industry which drew southern migrants to Akron created a housing shortage. So, a man returning from his shift would go to sleep in a "hot bed" still warm from the previous occupant who had just left for work. The 1920 census listed thirteen boarders and eight family members in the house, which my father remembered as really small.
Suzanne Rose, New Castle, Pennsylvania: My great-great-grandmother, Mary Jane Rothermel (abt. 1854-1897), owned a boarding house in Dalmatia, Pennsylvania. According to Mary, a man named Samuel Silverman once arrived in town on the train, spent the night in Mary's boarding house, then left the next day, never to be seen again. As a result of a one-night stand, my great-grandfather, Blaine Webster Silverman, was born on April 2, 1884. We never learned anything more about Samuel Silverman, although my grandmother claimed he was German and perhaps Jewish.
Neysa C. Garrett, Orinda, California: The family of my great-uncle's wife owned a boarding house on Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts. When I looked up the family’s census records for 1920, I found that their tenants included playwright Eugene O'Neill, his wife Agnes, and their infant son, Shane.
Judy Gutierrez, Santa Rosa, California: My Swedish immigrant grandparents, Knut and May Halldin, ran a boarding house in Worcester, Massachusetts, from about 1903 to 1921. They mostly rented to other Swedish immigrants, to help them adjust to American life. They then moved to Los Angeles, bought a three-story Victorian on Magnolia Ave., and ran a boarding house from 1921 to the 1940s. My dad told me stories of them renting to Hollywood hopefuls and how they would roll up the rug in the living room and that he learned how to dance there from the starlets.
Dusti Smith, Greenfield, Indiana: My father’s Aunt Elsie operated a boarding house in Logansport, Indiana, from 1918 until 1970. In the early 1930s, her sister-in-law came with her boyfriend and spent a month there. Not until several weeks after they left did my aunt learn that the boyfriend was the infamous John Dillinger.
American Ancestors Magazine
Summer Issue Now Available
The summer issue of American Ancestors magazine focuses on gravestones, with articles on interpreting old New England epitaphs, grave cleaning, U.S. military gravestones, the history of Mount Auburn Cemetery, and more. Current American Ancestors members can read the issue online for free. Learn More
.jpg?upscale=true&width=240&upscale=true&name=StrangersNoMore-web%20(1).jpg)
