Jack Palmer tells the story of how a visit to the American Ancestors/NEHGS Research Center when he was ten years old inspired a lifelong love for family history research. Read More
Upcoming Author Event
Alex Prud'homme with Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
Join Alex Prud'homme as he invites readers into the White House kitchen and reveals the sometimes curious tastes of 26 of America's most influential presidents. A signed copy of the book is included with registration. July 11 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
New from Newbury Street Press
Biographies of Original Members and Qualifying Officers: Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut
The Society of the Cincinnati was formed by officers who served together in the Revolutionary War, to maintain their friendships and provide for their widows and orphans. This landmark publication provides fully cited genealogical and biographical sketches for qualifying members of the Society in Connecticut. Learn More
Share your thoughts about the survey at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.
Last Week's Survey:
Are (or Were) Any of Your Close Relatives Genealogists?
Total: 3,664 Responses
5%, Yes, my spouse is (or was) a genealogist.
15%, Yes, at least one of my parents is (or was) a genealogist.
6%, Yes, at least one of my siblings is (or was) a genealogist.
3%, Yes, at least one of my siblings-in-law is (or was) a genealogist.
4%, Yes, at least one of my children is (or was) a genealogist.
1%, Yes, at least one of my children-in-law is (or was) a genealogist.
23%, Yes, at least one of my aunts or uncles is (or was) a genealogist.
4%, Yes, at least one of my nieces or nephews is (or was) a genealogist.
18%, Yes, at least one of my first cousins is (or was) a genealogist.
15%, Yes, at least one of my grandparents is (or was) a genealogist.
7%, Yes, at least one of my great-grandparents is (or was) a genealogist.
21%, Yes, a close relative, in a category not mentioned above, is (or was) a genealogist.
35%, No, I know of no one among my close relatives that is (or was) a genealogist.
Readers Respond
Bob Hall, Nantucket, Massachusetts: One of my relatives, a distant Hall cousin, conducted some field research and hired a genealogist. This cousin created a small fan chart of six generations on 6”x8” paper. Unfortunately, his penmanship was terrible. While visiting NEHGS in 1984, I met genealogist [now senior research scholar emeritus] Gary Boyd Roberts. Roberts identified many of the names and discovered several interesting distant relatives, including Diana, Princess of Wales. This experience started me on my genealogical journey.
Sue Russell Grossman, Kalamazoo, Michigan: My maternal great-aunt, Ruth Odessa Smith Hindes, traced the Doty branch of the Smith family back to Edward Doty, a passenger and likely an indentured servant on the Mayflower. When I began my genealogy research, I used Ruth’s work as a starting point.
Jeri Moriarty, Manassas Park, Virginia: When I began researching our family, my grandmother told me her grandfather, Leander K. Johnson, was also a genealogist, but he quit when he discovered a horse thief in his family tree. None of Leander’s research survived. I wish it had, because I haven't found that horse thief yet!
Dan Kraft, Boston, Massachusetts: My great-great-aunt, Ella Lydia (Arnold) Renisch, was our family's genealogist. Her exhaustive research led her to identify numerous interesting relatives: six soldiers of the American Revolution, two Mayflower passengers, and Charlemagne, King of the Franks. Aunt Ella recorded the results of her research in detail and created typewritten family trees that she organized in three-ring binders. She joined the Daughters of the American Revolution and served as state regent of the Montana DAR. I have been given custody of her extensive genealogical files. Aunt Ella died when I was an infant, but her legacy lives on.
Bonnie Emmert, Grand Junction, Colorado: My mother was the keeper of family stories and photos. I, an only child, had the privilege of listening to her talk about her past and our family. When we were baking, working in the garden, or just relaxing together, my mother would tell me about our family history. About a year before my mother passed away, we went through all the photos together and identified the subjects, and she recounted the stories once more. She sent those precious photos home with me, knowing they would be well cared for. I cherished this time with my mother and digitizing those photos and transcribing the stories has been a labor of love.
What We’re Reading
The Night 17 Million Precious Military Records Went Up in Smoke “Fifty years ago, a fire ripped through the National Personnel Records Center. It set off a massive project to save crucial pieces of American history.” [Closing the two pop-up boxes that appear will allow non-subscribers to read this article.]
Slavery’s Descendants: America’s Family Secret “More than 100 U.S. leaders—lawmakers, presidents, governors and justices—have slaveholding ancestors, a Reuters examination found. Few are willing to talk about it.”
The city of Sidney, seat of Cheyenne County, is located in western Nebraska, just north of the Colorado border. The website of the Sidney Public Library hosts a newspaper database comprising nearly 240,000 pages from 12 newspapers, including Sidney Telegraph (1875-2000), Sidney Sun Telegraph (2000-2022), Telegraph (1912-1951), Potter Review (1912-1942), Sidney Daily Sun (1997-2000), Telegraph News (1930-1943), Sidney News (1926-1930), and Peoples Poniard (1892-1899). Search by keyword across all titles at once or within a single newspaper, and limit your search by date range. Individual newspapers can also be browsed. Search Now
Downton Shabby: One American’s Adventure Restoring His Family’s English Castle
Hear from author Hopwood DePree about his adventures renovating Hopwood Hall, the 600-year-old English manor house which once belonged to his family. Watch Now
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.
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
