Introducing the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program
In partnership with the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, we are pleased to introduce the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program, a new lineage society for anyone with genealogical connections to participants in the Boston Tea Party and those involved in the making of colonial rebellion in Boston. Learn More
American Ancestors Building Renovations
Our 99-101 Newbury Street building will be closed to visitors as of Saturday, March 25, 2023 in order to renovate, improve, and expand our facilities. We are planning to reopen our space in 2024. During this time, our staff will still provide full service to members through virtual offerings. In short, only our building is closed—we're still open for business online! Questions? Please contact us at membership@nehgs.org or by calling 1-888-296-3447.
Recently on Vita Brevis
Finding Clues in Unexpected Places
Researcher Angela Napolitano was unable to verify the names of her great-grandparents—until a handwritten note appended to a death record provided an unexpected clue. Read More
Contest for Students in Grades 4–12—April 1 Deadline
Young Family Historians Essay Contest
Do you have a young family historian in your life? American Ancestors/NEHGS is holding an essay contest for students currently enrolled in grades 4–12 in public, private, parochial, and home schools across the nation. Prizes range from $250-500. Submission Deadline is April 1. Learn More
Upcoming Online Seminar
Navigating Passenger Lists: Arrivals to the United States
This four-week online seminar will discuss the historical context of passenger lists and how they changed over time. You’ll learn about strategies, sources, and tools that can help you make the most of these important lists. Wednesdays, April 5–26 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Do you have a hobby in common with one or more of your ancestors?
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 Any of Your Ancestors or Relatives Relocate for Love?
Total: 2,905 Responses
35%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved to a spouse or significant other’s community.
25%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved to another community for a spouse or significant other.
37%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved to another state for a spouse or significant other.
21%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved to another country for a spouse or significant other.
29%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved for a spouse or significant other’s job.
10%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved for a spouse or significant other’s education (college, graduate school, training).
11%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives moved due to a spouse or significant other’s health issues.
23%, I relocated for love.
13%, My spouse or significant other relocated for me.
27%, No, I am not aware of any of my ancestors or relatives having relocated for love.
Readers Respond
Margaret Hogan, Hyannis, Massachusetts: My mother was five years old, and her sisters were eight and eleven when their mother died of tuberculosis. My great-aunt, who was unmarried, gave up her job in the girdle factory and moved in to help her brother raise the girls. She lived with my aunts until she died at age 93.
Nancy Almquist, Belmont, Massachusetts: My great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Frances Jones was living in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, when she met Juan Francisco Machado, a young Cuban ranch owner who was studying English at Elizabeth’s foster father’s school. Elizabeth and Juan married in 1854 and moved to his ranch near Puerto Principe (now Camaguey), Cuba.
Susan Droz Rankin, Wenatchee, Washington: My British mother met my American father when he was stationed in England during WWII. They married in 1945 and my mother became pregnant shortly thereafter. Soon after my father was shipped home, I was born in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. When I was six months old, my mother and I sailed for New York on the Queen Elizabeth. After four days at sea, we boarded a train for a four-day journey to Washington State. I often think of my mother’s bravery, leaving everything she knew and traveling so far away for love.
Kathleen McKay, Auckland, New Zealand: My mother, Joyce Mottram, was born in New Zealand, but moved to America after marrying my American father. Joyce's mother, Mary Helena Mottram, wrote Joyce many letters and every year mailed us a traditional fruit cake in a metal tin. As her health declined, Mary Helena decided to make the lengthy trip to America, despite her doctor's warning that it could kill her. She was determined to see her only daughter once more. She arrived with hardly any clothes because her suitcase was full of her heirloom crystal. Three weeks later, she died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Mary Helena is buried in America—far from her New Zealand family, but close to her beloved daughter.
What We’re Reading
Long-Lost Letters Bring Word, at Last “Researchers are sorting through a centuries old cache of undelivered mail that gives a vivid picture of private lives and international trade in an age of rising empires.”
At New Gettysburg Museum, Ken Burns Gets a Taste of Battle He Chronicled The new state-of-the-art Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum, whichfocuses on the experience of local residents, includes the immersive “Caught in the Crossfire” room, with a disclaimer at the entrance that warns, “may be disturbing for some visitors.”
“Seven thousand British children were sent to Australia last century, told they were orphans or unwanted. It wasn’t true. Now facing old age, 1,400 are still searching for their families.”
Growing up in a rural town near Buffalo, New York, Andy Perkins felt like he didn’t fit in his own family. As a teenager, he started to believe he might have been adopted, but his feelings were dismissed as adolescent rebellion.
Spotlight: Little Compton Historical Society, Rhode Island
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Little Compton is located on the Atlantic coast in Newport County, Rhode Island. The Little Compton Historical Society has made a number of resources available on its website. To access them click the Historical Resources tab and select from the dropdown list. Among them researchers will find a scrapbook and two diaries (PDF format) under the Historic Scrapbooks and Diaries tab. There is also an index to Little Compton cemeteries and a database of Little Compton People of Color (XLS format), a list of individuals identified in the town history from the 1600s through the 1800s. Search Now
Treat yourself—or the family historian in your life—to our handpicked collection of genealogical classics. For a limited time, our popular Experts’ Choice books are 20% off, so there has never been a better time to add to your personal library. This limited-time offer runs through March and is subject to availability, so shop now! Use promo code ExpertChoice323. Save Now
Free Video from American Ancestors
Getting Started in Scottish Research
Tracing your Scottish heritage is rewarding, but not without its challenges. Join Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert to learn the first steps in tracing your Scottish roots. Presented in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.Watch Now
Database News
New Sketches: Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784
We've added two new and three updated sketches to our Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784 database, including the Brattleboro, Chester and Putney families of Moses Gile, Jonas Moore, Jonathan Wells, Samuel Wells, Daniel Whipple, Joseph Whipple, and Tilly Wilder. Search Now
Planning for the Future?
Name Your Beneficiaries Today
Did you know that non-probate assets—such as an IRA, 401(k), or life-insurance policy—are not automatically covered in your will or trust? Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool which makes naming your beneficiaries easy. Preserve your legacy and make sure your loved ones and most important causes are supported—get started today! Learn More
.png?upscale=true&width=458&upscale=true&name=MicrosoftTeams-image%20(44).png)
