36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences
Call for Speakers Now Open!
Are you a historian, scholar, or researcher in the fields of genealogy or heraldry? The 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences is now accepting proposals for speakers. The theme of the congress, which will be held in 2024 at the American Ancestors Research Center in Boston, is "Origins, Journeys, Destinations." Deadline November 15, 2023. Submit Your Proposal
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Crossing Barriers: Barbara May Cameron
In honor of Pride Month, learn about the life and ancestry of Barbara May Cameron—writer, artist, and activist for Native American and LGBTQ+ rights. Read More
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Are (or Were) Any of Your Close Relatives Genealogists?
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:
Did Your Ancestor Drive a Motor Vehicle for a Living?
Total: 3,305 Responses
7%, At least one of my ancestors drove a taxi.
5%, At least one of my ancestors drove a city bus.
1%, At least one of my ancestors drove a long-distance bus.
7%, At least one of my ancestors drove a school bus.
21%, At least one of my ancestors drove a local or long-haul delivery van or truck.
9%, At least one of my ancestors drove an ambulance, fire truck, or other emergency vehicle.
7%, At least one of my ancestors drove a mail truck.
6%, At least one of my ancestors was a highway patrolman or other law enforcement officer who worked primarily from a motor vehicle.
16%, At least one of my ancestors drove a motor vehicle in the military.
2%, At least one of my ancestors was a driving instructor or administered driving tests.
18%, At least one of my ancestors had job not mentioned above that primarily consisted of driving a motor vehicle.
6%, I have or had a job that primarily consisted of driving a motor vehicle.
43%, None of my ancestors had a job that consisted primarily of driving a motor vehicle.
Readers Respond
Barbara Laughlin Adler, Ann Arbor, Michigan: My father, Owen McKean Laughlin (1912-1990), drove “midget” racing cars as a career before and after World War II. After Owen lost his right arm in the Battle of the Bulge, news reports often mentioned his unique ability to win as “the one-armed racer.” One day, Owen was in the "pit" during a race when a car went out of control, hitting him and throwing him into the air. He suffered a large gash on his head and spectators took up a collection that resulted in $300. Owen said it was the most money he ever made at a race. He gave up racing in 1950 when my twin brothers were born, and he and my mother had four children under the age of 3.
Karyl Hubbard, Spokane, Washington: My great-uncle, Ralph Goodhart, began working as a private chauffeur in Venice, California, around 1900. Ralph was passionate about motor vehicles. He taught my grandmother to drive, and she took great pride in being one of the first women in California to obtain a driver’s license. Sadly, in 1913 Ralph became one of the first official traffic fatalities in the state. Ralph was driving his employer’s car to San Francisco on what is now Highway 101. In Monterey County, a construction crew had dug a deep ditch across the road and left for the evening without leaving lanterns or any warnings. Ralph drove into the hole and was killed. He was just 25 years old.
Marianne Adler, Seattle, Washington: At age 18, during World War I, my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Victoria Lamont, began driving a bread truck for the Butternut Bakery in Tacoma, Washington. Elizabeth was one of the first women in Tacoma to drive a truck for a living.
Kathy Meneghin, Croswell, Michigan: My grandfather, Claude Brock, drove a taxi in Detroit, Michigan, between 1931 and 1934 during Prohibition in one of the busiest corridors of contraband liquor in the country. Claude said that the key to his success—and to staying alive—was to not watch what was being loaded in the back of the car, to say nothing, and just drive.
Donna Di Lello, Ontario: My maternal grandfather, Carl “Pop” Spencer, owned Bedford Park Taxi in Toronto, Ontario, from the 1920s to the 1950s. On December 14, 1931, Pop picked up three men who said they wanted to visit relations in the country. Outside the city limits, the men kidnapped him at gunpoint. With Pop bound on the floor of the back seat, the men drove to the town of Aurora, where they robbed the Canadian Bank of Commerce of about $1,200. On the drive back to Toronto, the robbers debated whether to kill or release Pop. They told him, “Keep your trap shut or you’ll get yours for sure.” Pop was able to provide the police with enough information to arrest two of the three men, who were sentenced to 15 lashes and 10 years in jail.
What We’re Reading
Face of Anglo-Saxon Teen Girl from the Seventh Century Revealed Researchers have not only reconstructed the face of the girl, who was unearthed south of Cambridge near the English village of Trumpington in 2012, but also discovered clues to her non-English origins.
Martha Hodes Talks "My Hijacking" with HNN [History News Network] Currently a history professor at New York University, Martha Hodes was twelve when she was on a TWA flight hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1970. In her new book, Hodes applies her craft as a historian to her own memory of those experiences.
Spotlight: Moody County Historical Society, South Dakota, Washington
by Valerie Beaudrault
Moody County is located in southeastern South Dakota and seated in the city of Flandreau. The Moody County Historical Society’s Research Center includes an alphabetical index to all recorded burials in Moody County cemeteries. Data fields include name, dates of birth and death, grave location information, veteran status, and cemetery name. The website also offers a database of veterans in Moody County from the Civil War through the present, compiled alphabetically by surname. Search Now
Understanding Calendar Systems in Family History Research
Learn about common calendar systems you may encounter in your research, how to interpret and record dates, and how to use online conversion tools to represent these dates in familiar terms. Watch Now
June Membership Sale
Get $25 Off A New Membership to American Ancestors
Last chance to save! An American Ancestors membership provides access to more than a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, and extensive educational tools, resources, and videos. Take $25 off a new membership through the end of June using code June623. Join Now
Planning for the Future?
Name Your Beneficiaries 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 non-probate assets. Learn More
