This four-session seminar will help you research difficult-to-track ancestors who moved to new places, 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
Upcoming Virtual American Inspiration Author Events
With Authors Camper English and Dan Bouk
On Monday, August 22, don't miss Camper English on the linked history of alcohol and medicine, as explored in his book Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails. On Tuesday, August 30, Dan Bouk will share insights from his book Democracy’s Data: The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them. Learn More
Spotlight: Union County Genealogical Society, Arkansas
by Valerie Beaudrault
Union County, seated in El Dorado, is located on the southern border of Arkansas. The Union County Genealogical Society has compiled records from the Rumph-Owers Funeral Home of El Dorado, spanning 1940-1948. You can browse the records alphabetically by last name. Data fields provided include full names, age at death, date and place of birth, date and place of death, spouse, place of interment, parents' names and birthplaces, and survivors and other notes. Search Now
Program in Boston
Come Home to New England
Work closely with our experts to advance your family history at our Research Center in Boston. In-person program includes a tour, daily lectures, consultations, and more. Discount for members.
See examples of family registers from the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, find out what you can learn from these heirlooms, and learn about preserving such items in your own collection. August 11 at 3 p.m. (ET).
Learn from epitaph expert John Hanson about how to interpret early New England gravestones and what they can tell us about our ancestors' lives. August 25 at 3 p.m. (ET).
15 Amazing Facts About "The Year Without a Summer" Mount Tambora, a volcano in Indonesia, produced such a violent eruption in 1815 that it shielded the Earth from the sun's radiation, cooling the Northern Hemisphere and making 1816 “the year without a summer.”
Last week's survey asked about family dollhouses. Please choose all that apply. We received 2,768 responses. The results are:
25%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives made one or more dollhouses.
16%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives made dollhouse furnishings.
17%, At least one dollhouse (either constructed or purchased) was passed on to multiple family members.
44%, I own (or owned) a dollhouse.
10%, I made at least one dollhouse.
13%, I made dollhouse furnishings.
8%, I have another connection to dollhouses not mentioned above.
33%, I did not own a dollhouse and I know of no family members who owned or made one.
This week’s survey asks where you would go if you could visit one place in the world connected with your ancestry. 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: Dollhouses
By Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked about family dollhouses. Thank you to the many people who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Kathleen Oberley, Iowa City, Iowa: My great-uncle Frank Gosselin made a dollhouse for his daughter that was a miniature version of their home in Beloit, Wisconsin. He added a brass plaque: “Elizabeth from Dady Xmas 1919.” Elizabeth collected furniture and accessories for the house throughout her life. When she died in 1989, my father and his sister were her sole heirs. Dad rescued the dollhouse. Stored in a barn, it had become a mouse house. Together we restored it.
He replaced the crumbling stucco exterior with clapboard siding. I recovered the upholstery on some of the furniture, fashioned window treatments, and made needlepoint rugs. The dollhouse is displayed in my family room.
Vicki Alexander, Dryden, New York: In about 1934, my grandfather, George F. Johnston (1894-1975), built a dollhouse made out of cigar boxes for my mother. Modeling it after dollhouses at FAO Schwartz in New York City, he used the standard 1:12 scale. The dollhouse was furnished with Strombecker walnut and Schoenhut wood furniture. Later, when I had daughters, my dad, Robert C. Kingston (1927-2016), used plans from Stanley Tools to construct a 1:12 scale dollhouse. He built it in Florida—then had to purchase a new car that was large enough for him to drive the dollhouse to New York! I still have both dollhouses.
Kathy Dickey, Chesterfield, Missouri: My dad built me and my siblings a red barn similar to Grandpa’s big barn on his farm in Clifton Park, New York. The miniature version had a hayloft, a couple of stalls, a feeding station for the plastic farm animals he provided, and several metal farm implements, plus a red tractor like Grandpa’s. The barn provided the three of us with hours of entertainment. Unfortunately, the barn was lost when our family home was broken up after we lost our mother.
Bill Haas, Sturgis, Kentucky: In about 1910 my grandfather, Charles Christian Haas, took a photo of two buildings in Whitewood, South Dakota: Otto Ulig's dry goods store and an attached bar/hotel called the Turf Exchange. Using the photo as their guide, my father and sister, William Haas and Cindy Griffeth, built a dollhouse. They made everything by hand, right down to roof shingles and turned posts. They used period-appropriate paint colors and wallpaper, created strips of hardwood for the flooring, made some furniture, hung small photos on the walls, and installed miniature lights. They also wrote up a history of the buildings, which were built in 1887 and are still standing. Their creation took first prize at the Los Angeles County Fair in 1980. They then donated the dollhouse to the Adams Museum in Deadwood where it has been displayed for about thirty years.
Database News
New Database: General Society of the War of 1812 Membership Applications, 1854-1979
This database includes all applications and supplemental applications to the General Society of the War of 1812, from their formal founding in 1854. This database can be searched by given name and surname, and includes records for births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials listed for persons in the line of eligibility for membership on the application forms. Search Now
Planning for the Future?
Name Beneficiaries for Your Non-Probate Assets Today
Non-probate assets such as an IRA, 401(k), or life-insurance policy are not covered in your will or trust—you must name beneficiaries separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your assets in one easy place. Preserve your legacy, make sure your loved ones are provided for, and support the causes most important to you—get started today! Learn More
