While researching her family history, New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary uncovered the dark realm of institutionalizations in the early 20th century, inspiring her new novel. Don’t miss her conversation with disability advocate and historian Alex Green about the facts and fiction that still surround the American eugenics movement. June 7 at 3 p.m. (ET) Register Now
Summer Institute for Advanced Researchers
Writing and Publishing Your Family History
Join our writing and publishing experts at the American Ancestors Research Center in Boston for a hands-on seminar which will guide you through turning your raw data into an illustrated narrative, Register-style genealogy or Ahnentafel. Through lectures, group discussions, demonstrations, and activities, you will transform your years of research into words on the page. Offered to current members only. July 14–16 Register Now
Spotlight: Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel, Maine
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Bethel is located in Oxford County, Maine, which runs along the New Hampshire border. The Museums of the Bethel Historical Society have digitized a number of print indexes, which are organized alphabetically by surname. Records include individual databases for Western Maine births, deaths, and marriages, and newspaper indexes for Bethel News and Oxford County Citizen spanning 1895-1950. Bethel News has been indexed by subject as well as alphabetically. Search Now
Free Online Lecture
Julia Morgan: Trailblazing Architect
Join biographer Victoria Kastner as she shares the inspiring story of Julia Morgan, the first renowned female architect in history. June 3 at 4 p.m. (ET)
Join Ellen Rovner, PhD, for a tasty trip into the history of delis in the U.S., and learn and what makes the Jewish deli a unique experience. Dinner provided by Mameleh’s Delicatessen. June 17 at 6 p.m. (ET)
“For Gerda's Cole’s 98th birthday, her 79-year-old daughter flew to Toronto to meet her long-lost mother.”
For Memorial Day, Telling the Stories Behind the Gravestones This article describes Stories Behind the Stars, an effort to research every U.S. soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine who died in World War II and write a brief essay about each one that can be accessed on a smartphone app.
Ronald Emmons Jr. of Richmond, Maine, discovered two hidden locations containing graves of several long-deceased relatives, including a great-great-great-great-great-grandfather who fought in the American Revolution.
After 329 Years, a Woman Accused of Being a Witch in Salem Has Been Exonerated Massachusetts lawmakers have formally exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., who was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death. Johnson wasn’t executed, but she hadn’t been officially pardoned like others wrongly accused of witchcraft.
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
Last week's survey asked if any of your ancestors or relatives got married during a war. We received 2,565 responses. The results are:
60%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives got married during a war.
6%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives was a war bride, a civilian woman who married a serviceman from another country.
12%, Yes, I have family stories or documents that describe how my ancestors’ wedding was affected by wartime circumstances.
10%, I got married during a war.
35%, No, I am not aware of any ancestors or relatives who got married during a war.
This week’s survey asks about matrilineal (mtDNA) and patrilineal (Y-DNA) haplogroups. 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: Wartime Weddings
By Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked if any of your ancestors or relatives got married during a war. We received many interesting stories, and we wish we could have included more. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Anne Skinner, Westminster, Colorado: My ancestor, Archibald Campbell, was a bugler in Wellington’s army when he met 17-year-old MaryAnn Swadling in London. When his regiment was sent to Belgium, she eloped with him and was disowned by her father. Their first child, John, was born near Brussels on May 28, 1815. Barely three weeks later, Archibald was wounded during the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. MaryAnn found him on the battlefield and nursed him back to health. Archibald received the Waterloo Medal from the British government for his participation in the campaign, and he and MaryAnn went on to have ten more children, including three sets of twins!
Paula Petterson, Fort Collins, Colorado: My grandparents, William Hamilton and Frances Clement, were married in 1918 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, when she was ill with influenza, and he was about to leave for military service in World War I. I only learned about the circumstances when I went through the local newspaper and found an article about the bedside wedding.
Robin Comfort, Chesapeake, Virginia: During World War II, my great uncle, Myles, was stationed in England with the U.S. Army. He met the woman who became his wife on a train and shared his Necco Wafers with her. They became further acquainted after that, but he was moved to the front before they could tie the knot. He went AWOL and they got married and had a bit of a honeymoon. A couple of days later, MPs showed up at his new mother-in-law's house to take him back to his unit.
Gladys Boice Tolbert, Denver, Colorado: My aunt got married by telephone at the beginning of World War II, when her fiancé was due to ship out overseas directly after basic training and my aunt couldn’t get to him in time. My grandmother never believed the telephone marriage was legal, so after the war ended, a ceremony was held to please my grandmother.
Cathy Faye, Angola, Indiana: I was 20 when I flew to Hawaii to meet my fiancé, Darryl, for his R & R in Honolulu. I wrote to him before I left Chicago and proposed that we get married during the visit. I arrived three days early and did what had to be done to make it happen; there was a lot of red tape to cut with both the U.S. Army and the Catholic Church. We were married in Honolulu on Christmas Eve. What could be more romantic than that? He had to return to Vietnam for another five months but made it home safely. It's been more than 53 years and we've returned to Hawaii twice.
Database News
New Volumes for Boston Catholic Records
This week we’re announcing the addition of 45 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records,1789-1920 from St. Agnes (Arlington); St. Joseph (Everett); St. Joseph and St. Louis de France (Lowell); St. Joseph (Malden); St. James, St. Joseph, and St. Rafael (Medford); Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Methuen); St. Joseph (Needham); St. George (Norwood); St. Mary (Quincy); St. Anne (Salem); St. Anthony of Padua (Shirley); St. Brigid/St. Eulalia (South Boston); and St. Joseph (Woburn). This update is part of our multi-year collaboration with the Archdiocese of Boston. Search Now
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