On the Ground: Top Repositories for Researching Upstate New York
Finding information about New York ancestors can be tricky. In this online lecture, Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert will discuss go-to repositories for research in the Empire State—including the New York State Library and Archives, the New York Public Library, and more.
New! The Portable Genealogist: Getting Started with U.S. War of 1812 Records
This laminated four-page guide will help you determine if your ancestor served in the U.S. Army or state volunteers during the War of 1812. This guide also provides information on locating and interpreting relevant records for your research. Purchase Now
Recently on Vita Brevis
The Pope’s French-Canadian Cousins— The Boucher Family of Trois-Rivières
Senior Genealogist Chris Child delves into the French-Canadian roots of Pope Leo XIV, tracing his lineage back to the Boucher family of colonial Quebec. Expanding on research he conducted for The New York Times Magazine, Chris explores how the Pope’s ancestry links him to the early settlers of Trois-Rivières—and to distant cousins like Hillary Clinton, Justin Trudeau, and Jack Kerouac.
Grandparents Who Lived Their Entire Lives in One State or Province
Share your thoughts about the survey! Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Your submission may be featured in an upcoming newsletter or shared on social media; please note in your email if you do not want your story to be shared. Published responses may be edited for clarity and length.
14%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives assumed a false identity.
21%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives used a name that was not their own. (This does not refer to nicknames or married surnames.)
23%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives embellished or changed details about their background or identity.
63%, I am not aware of any of my ancestors or relatives using false identities or names or embellishing or changing details about their background.
Readers Respond
Rachel Dobson, Cottondale, Alabama: My great-great-grandmother Martha Jane Bryan, born about 1862 in Dale County, Alabama, changed her last name (probably when she was a young adult) to Peters. She told her children her father was Tom Peters, and his name was listed on her 1922 death certificate. The only records that exist for her early years are censuses. No records have been found that connect her to a Tom Peters. DNA has shown that her descendants are Bryans, not members of the Peters family. I don’t know why she changed her name or why she distanced herself from her biological father.
Mat Trotter, Ogden, Utah: For many years, I hit a brick wall while researching my great-grandfather Albert Wilford Merriam. Through DNA testing I connected with relatives and learned that Albert left his first wife in California and assumed a new identity by altering and rearranging elements of his names. Now Alferd Wilbert Merrian, he relocated to Nevada, married, and had a child with his second wife. They named the child Wilberta Merrian.
Joy Metcalf, Northport, Maine: My family had many stories about my grandfather Leroy Ferguson, including that he was born on a ship sailing from Scotland to the United States and that his father married the family’s nanny. However, I was unable to find any information on Leroy beyond his military records, which stated that he came from Pennsylvania. I began researching his mother, Elizabeth Welch, and learned that his name at birth was not Leroy Ferguson. He was born Charles L. Cook Jr. Y-DNA confirmed this discovery. For reasons unknown, he left home at 13 and changed his name.
Lynn Thye, Blacksburg, Virginia: About 1787, after serving in the Revolutionary War, my relative Richard Edgerton married 20-year-old Judith Graves in Massachusetts. Shortly after the 1788 birth of their only child, Henry Graves Edgerton, Richard deserted his family. No divorce was recorded. By 1790, Richard was using his mother’s maiden name, “Buell.” He married Mary Wilford, and they had three children. The Buell family settled in Batavia, New York. Richard’s will, proved in 1819, mentions only his second family. By 1817, Judith had settled with her son and daughter-in-law in to Barre, New York—just a few miles away from the Buells. Judith’s gravestone, in Elba, New York, is inscribed: Grandmother / Judith / Wife of Richard Edgerton / Died Oct. 3, 1836 / Aged 69 years.
Bruce Randall, Ottawa, Ontario: My great-great uncle Manford Wilson Inskeep married Ida Mae Croussore, the former wife of an Old West outlaw named Jefferson Davis Hardin, who was himself the brother of the much more notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Sick of life on the lam, Ida left Jefferson Davis Hardin when he was on the run from the law, taking their three children with her. To protect her family, Ida and her children began using the last name Davis. Even after Ida married Inskeep, her children kept the name Davis.
What We’re Reading
We Traced Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry Back 500 Years. Here’s What We Found. American Ancestors researchers contributed to this in-depth look at the complex family tree of the first pontiff from the United States. Among Pope Leo XIV’s ancestors are noblemen, enslaved people, freedom fighters, and slaveholders.
Spotlight: Digital Archive: Jesse M. Smith Library, Rhode Island
by Valerie Beaudrault
The Jesse M. Smith Library is located in northwest Rhode Island, in the village of Harrisville, which is in the town of Burrillville, Providence County. The library has made a variety of resources available in its Digital History Archive. The collection comprises 17,000 pages from five newspapers (1880-1960), deed records (1847-1859), town meeting records (1806), wills (1842-1871), letters of administration (1862), birth, marriage, and death records (1747-1854), probate journals (1806), a council book (1806), and personal property and mortgage records (1863). The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
In-Person Workshop in Boston, July 31–August 2
FREE Workshop for Boston-Area Educators: Genealogy in the Classroom
Genealogy is a powerful tool for teaching history, culture, and geography. This three-day workshop at American Ancestors will provide Boston-area Social Studies teachers, English Language Arts teachers, and school librarians (grades 4–8) with the training and resources needed to implement our Family History Curriculum. Receive free lesson plans, teaching strategies, case studies, and more. Each participant will receive a $200 stipend. Learn More
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
