Combining her own scholarship with personal reflection, prize-winning Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed explores the public significance of the Juneteenth national holiday and her Texas family history. June 20 at 6 p.m. (ET) Register Now
Seminar in Chicago
Family History Refresh: How to Become a Better Researcher
American Ancestors is coming to Chicago! This in-person seminar will set you on the right path to getting the most out of your family history research and teach you how to tackle brick-walls like a pro. July 9 at 9 a.m. (CT). Register Now
Spotlight: Vital Records from Central Florida Memory
by Valerie Beaudrault
Central Florida Memory is a cooperative project of seven partner institutions, including the University of Central Florida Library, the Orange County Regional History Center, and the Orange County Library System. The project website contains two databases of vital records. Records from the Carey Hand Funeral Home, which served Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, and Hillsborough Counties, include funeral registers (1919-1952), undertaker's memoranda (1891-1946), and funeral home records (1891-1951). Also available are Orange County voter registration records(1912–1930). Search Now
Free Online Lecture
Lakes, Lanyards, and Learning: The Story of New England Jewish Summer Camps
Hear the story of Jewish summer camps in New England from historian Jonathan Krasner, PhD.
Researching enslaved ancestors prior to the end of slavery can prove challenging. This session will help you create a research strategy and organize your records.
Tracing Where Worcester’s “Grit” Comes From Worcester, Massachusetts, is marking its 300th anniversary this month. This article pays homage to “three consequential individuals whose lives stand out as embodying the very best of Worcester spirit”: Daniel Gookin, Timothy Bigelow, and Isaiah Thomas.
Last week's survey asked if you know your matrilineal (mtDNA) and patrilineal (Y-DNA) haplogroups. We received 2,827 responses. The results are:
52%, Yes, I know my matrilineal haplogroup.
41%, Yes, I know my patrilineal haplogroup.
29%, No, I do not know my matrilineal haplogroup.
33%, No, I do not know my patrilineal haplogroup.
9%, I am planning to discover my matrilineal and/or patrilineal haplogroups.
5%, I am not interested in knowing my matrilineal and/or patrilineal haplogroups.
16%, Knowing my matrilineal and/or patrilineal haplogroups has been useful in my research.
33%, While I think knowing my matrilineal and/or patrilineal haplogroups is interesting, it has not played a part in my research.
6%, Knowing my matrilineal and/or patrilineal haplogroups has not been useful or interesting to me.
This week’s survey asks about multi-step immigration journeys. 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: DNA Connections
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked about your matrilineal (mtDNA) and patrilineal (Y-DNA) haplogroups. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Joanna S. Weinstock, Jericho, Vermont: My “brick wall” is my great-great-grandfather John Smith of Virginia. I asked my brother to submit Y-DNA to test, and discovered a few genetically related Smith descendants seeking common ancestors from 18th-century southwestern Virginia. Unfortunately, I had to sort through unsubstantiated claims of a connection to another well-known Smith family and back to English gentry. It is so easy to be beguiled by fame. It was frustrating to try to sort out all the errors. So far, my DNA discoveries have been interesting, but the opposite of useful.
Marisa Palkuti, Scottsdale Arizona: For years we proudly believed that my mother’s paternal family traced to an early governor of Rhode Island. The line seemed to be well established, but I had enough doubt to keep looking for my 2nd-great-grandfather’s true identity. Upon reading a privately published Hopkins family history, I discovered that Stephen Hopkins, who held the key to the story, may have been on his way to Oregon in 1869 when my great-grandfather would have been conceived. By using my uncle’s DNA for a Big-Y study and comparing it to a known Hopkins descendant, we learned that the two men were from distinctly different haplogroups.
Catherine “Casey” Zahn, Pennington, New Jersey: For years, my family was able to trace no further than our third-great-grandmother, Emily Rand. MtDNA opened the door for us to trace another three generations. My first cousin’s MtDNA test led us back to our fifth-great-grandfather, Prince Crosley. Prince, an African American, was enslaved by another ancestor of ours, the Griswolds of Lyme, Connecticut. We discovered that Prince gained his freedom by enlisting in the Revolutionary War and afterwards raised a large family in the East Haddam/Lyme area.
Database News
Norfolk County Probate File Papers—Now Complete!
We've recently updated Norfolk County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1793-1900 to include records from 1895 through 1899. The new update added 129,153 pages and marks the completion of this database. It now contains over 42,600 records and 932,700 searchable names total. We offer this database through our partnership with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Search Now
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind.
Your Free Will.
Family historians know the importance of wills for research purposes—but have you created a will for yourself? A legal will ensures that your hard work will have an impact on future generations and your legacy will be preserved. Identify beneficiaries for your assets, support the causes that are important to you, and plan for the preservation of your research through this easy and free online will creation tool from our friends at Free Will. The step-by-step guided process takes just 20 minutes or less to complete. Learn More
