Don't miss this evening of art, true crime, and intrigue as we welcome author and art theft expert Anthony Amore. Amore, Director of Security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, will discuss his most recent book The Woman Who Stole Vermeer (2020), which profiles Rose Dugdale, the 33-year-old British heiress who in 1974 orchestrated the largest art heist at the time: the theft of 19 works from Russborough House in Ireland. Join us Thursday, July 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Register Now
Includes Two, 30-minute One-on-One Consultations!
Virtual Summer Research Stay-at-Home
Are you eager to work on your family history, but don’t know where to start? Are you trying to tackle a brick wall and need more guidance? Don't miss our Summer Research Stay-At-Home program, a three-day online experience featuring consultations, expert lectures, and more! Live sessions August 12–14. Register Now
Free Online American Inspiration Author Event
Dorothy Wickenden with The Agitators
Learn about fascinating stories of abolition, the Underground Railroad, the early women’s rights movement, and the Civil War, told from the perspective of three remarkable and impactful women – Harriet Tubman, Martha Wright, and Frances Seward. Dorothy Wickenden will present her new book The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights. Join us Tuesday, July 27 at 6 p.m. ET. Register Now
Spotlight: Vespasian Warner Public Library
by Valerie Beaudrault
The Vespasian Warner Public Library is located in the central Illinois city of Clinton, which is the seat of DeWitt County. The library has made several local history resources available through its website. Scroll down on the home page to access the material. The Civil War Collection contains an Order Book and a Morning Report Book from Company E of the 20th Illinois Regiment. The Clinton Area Yearbooks collection comprises yearbooks from Clinton, Heyworth, LeRoy, Kenney, Maroa-Forsyth, and Wapella. Researchers will also find the DeWitt County World War I Collection, with links to service records, letters, and photographs related to the war service of county residents. Search Now
Catching up with Vita Brevis
Two new contributors made their Vita Brevis debuts in July: Diana Beltrão reviewed some of the resources available for St. Augustine Chapel and Cemetery in South Boston, while Rebecca Carpenter offered a short history of beer, noting that brewing was one of the few occupations generally open to women. Sheilagh Doerfler considered the diaries of Simeon Perkins as a resource for New England Planter research in Nova Scotia; Jeff Record recorded the sad, brief history of "Three Sages"; Scott Steward marked Independence Day with a look at the date in the lives of various ancestors; and Christopher C. Child completed a review of his Paine family connection, noted the sometimes imperfect connection between surname and membership in a family, and explored his ancestors' apparent preference for southern New England.
Analyze records and make sound genealogical conclusions using the same method applied by Robert Charles Anderson for the Great Migration Study Project!
Quincy [Illinois] Man Finds 87-year-old Family Tree in Home Jeremiah Green wants to give the 1934 ancestral charts he found in his attic to descendants. The focus of the tree is Andrew Park (1798–1858), who was buried in Henry County, Illinois.
Hash House Lingo “In cheap restaurants it was customary through much of the 19th century and early in the 20th for servers to convey orders to the kitchen by shouting them out from the dining area.”
Last week's survey asked if your family owned a business for two or more consecutive generations. We received 2,700 responses. The results are:
32%, Yes, my family owned a business for two generations.
13%, Yes, my family owned a business for three generations.
5%, Yes, my family owned a business for four generations.
3%, Yes, my family owned a business for five or more generations.
18%, I am not sure if my family owned a business for multiple generations.
34%, No, my family did not own a business over multiple generations.
This week's question asks if any of your ancestors had a nickname. 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: Family-Owned Business
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked if your family owned a business for two or more consecutive generations. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Jeff Martin, York, Maine: My wife’s family has been operating the Nunan Fishing Fleet of Cape Porpoise, Kennebunkport, Maine, for seven generations. The fleet was started by Charles F. Nunan of Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland, who arrived in Boston in the 1830s and settled in Provincetown before moving to Kennebunkport during the Civil War. Charles’s son William died on a fishing voyage off Cape Haitien in the 1880s. William’s son Howard survived a shipwreck in 1912 when the Mildred V. Nunan ran onto the rocks in Mildred's Cove in Kennebunkport during a snowstorm. Charles’s descendants now run the business, which has expanded to include lobstering, a fish market, and Nunan’s Lobster Hut.
Anne Kaufman, Wayzata, Minnesota: My ancestor Charles L. Mull immigrated from Germany in 1842 and founded the Chas. L. Mull & Sons wholesale grocery business in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1864. One of his sons in the partnership was Charles A. Mull, who passed the business to his son William L. Mull, who passed it to his son (my father) William L. Mull, Jr. Chas. L. Mull & Sons was the oldest wholesale grocery establishment in the city under one continued proprietorship, celebrating 100 years in 1964. It operated until 1975.
Anne Orsi, Little Rock, Arkansas: My family owned a bank for five generations and had a hardware/farm supply store for three generations. We have farmed the same land for seven generations, and the first (future) farmer of the eighth generation was born this spring.
Gail Gruetzman, Roswell, Georgia: My great-grandmother, Delia (Teevan) Lewis, was an Irish immigrant who opened a millinery business in Richland Center, Wisconsin, in 1886. Delia and her daughter, Nellie, were proprietors of the shop. They travelled to Chicago a couple of times a year to obtain the latest styles in hats and they employed millinery “makers” and “trimmers” to personalize hats for customers. The shop was sold in in 1940—but in 1955, Nellie’s daughter Doris bought the business back. With help from her mother, Doris ran the business for the next 11 years.
Summer Sale!
It’s the perfect time to catch up on reading and family history projects. The Bookstore at NEHGS is making it easier by offering 20% off on all titles. This includes all the best sellers, the Great Migration Collection, the Expert Choice Collection, and many more. But act soon, because these prices won’t last forever! *Some restrictions apply. Shop the Sale
New volume added to American Ancestors magazine database!
We have updated our American Ancestors magazine database to include Volume 21, covering the year 2020. This update contains more than 280 pages and 2,400 searchable names. Published by American Ancestors/NEHGS since 2010, American Ancestors magazine contains a wealth of information for family historians. Search Now
*Offer valid through July 31, 2021, while supplies last. Savings will automatically appear at checkout and cannot be combined with any other discount, including the American Ancestors member discount. This discount applies to all books, e-books, charts, and gift items. Does not apply to the Mayflower Descendant, services, or course-related materials.
