Upcoming Virtual American Inspiration Author Events
With Authors Jack E. Davis, Maud Newton, and Carole Emberton
On Thursday, March 24, don't miss Jack E. Davis discussing his book The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird. On Monday, April 4, Maud Newton will share Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation and on Monday, April 11, Carole Emberton will discus her book To Walk About in Freedom: The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner. Learn More
Online Seminar
Notorious Relatives: Researching People and Family Stories Outside the Law
Evidence of an ancestor’s actions outside the law may be the clue you need to uncover your family history. Senior Genealogist David Allen Lambert and expert panelists reveal the trails left by notorious relatives from the Colonial era through Prohibition and into the 1950s, and the impact of finding out the truth. March 28 at 6 p.m. (ET) Register Now
Online Seminar
Building Genealogical Skills
Take your research skills to the next level! Whether you are new to genealogy, or want to refresh your skills and learn best practices for research, this seminar will set you on the right path to getting the most out of your family history research. Live sessions: April 5, 12, and 19 at 6 p.m. (ET) Register Now
Spotlight: Historical Vital Records of the NYC Municipal Archives
by Valerie Beaudrault
The Historical Vital Records database is a newly-launched digitization project of the New York City Municipal Archives, currently containing more than 9 million of the 13.3 million total birth, marriage, and death records in the archives. Search by certificate number or by name, or browse by certificate type or by borough. The Digital Vital Records page lists which records have been digitized so far for each borough. If you have difficulty accessing the site, try again later, as it is currently receiving high traffic. Search Now
Free Online Lecture
Virginia Genealogy: Go-To Published Resources
Senior Genealogist Kyle Hurst shares her go-to Virginia-based resources within five categories: genealogies, journals, land, taxation, and history. March 24 at 3 p.m. (ET).
Save 20% on the Entire Experts' Choice Collection!
Get 20% off any title from our curated collection of genealogical classics, now through the end of March! Savings will automatically appear at checkout and cannot be combined with any other discount, including our member discount.
Scots have been migrating to North America for centuries. This five-session online seminar will show you how to trace your ancestry back several generations in Scotland. Live sessions March 30, April 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 6 p.m. (ET).
Last week's survey asked about your interest in heraldry. We received 3,233 responses. The results are:
5%, I am extremely interested in heraldry.
10%, I am very interested in heraldry.
42%, I am moderately interested in heraldry.
37%, I am not at all interested in heraldry.
7%, I am not sure what heraldry is.
This week’s survey asks about your interest in heraldry. 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: Heraldry
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked about your interest in heraldry. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Rebecca Smith, Rehoboth, Massachusetts: My introduction to heraldry as a system came from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by A. C. Fox-Davies, which I discovered in the library when I was in middle school; I read it several times and designed coats of arms for my paper doll families. Later, as a member of a medieval recreation group, I enjoyed helping to design arms for real people. Although heraldry has not played much of a part in my genealogy research, I still find it interesting.
Jennifer (Thurber) Willis, Cincinnati, Ohio: In the genealogy papers I would pore over as a child there was a glossy black and white photo of what were supposedly the "Thurber Coat of Arms." Autosomal and Y-DNA and has proven that I am not genetically a Thurber, and my agnate line actually goes back to a Robertson family from the parish of Collace in Scotland. Clan Robertson / Clan Donnachaidh has its own coat of arms, but Robertson is one of the most common Scottish names, and I have no idea if my Robertsons had anything to do with the clan. I know some of my early New Yorker ancestors were entitled to coats of arms in the Netherlands, and some of my husband's early Virginia settlers--including Christopher Tilghman for whom he is named--connect to many aristocratic English families. I guess I have more research to do!
Priscilla Smith, Colchester, Vermont: During a one-on-one consultation with [Senior Research Scholar Emeritus] Gary Boyd Roberts at an American Ancestors/NEHGS seminar, he revealed to me the generations of my Whitcomb family along with its coat of arms and its motto, “The eagle doesn't capture flies” (don't sweat the small things). I was surprised at the crowns in the coat of arms, which I understand indicate royalty connections and the fact that our family descended through Edward I. I've shared the coat of arms with my family; my granddaughter included it in a school report on her family. Mr. Roberts indicated that, due to a patrilineal descent, any male descended through the Whitcomb branch of our family had the right to use the coat of arms. Unfortunately, my grandparents' three surviving children were all daughters, so our branch of the family ends with my grandfather, Wesley W. Whitcomb.
Database News
Journal Update: The Maine Genealogist
We've recently added Volume 38 from 2016 to The Maine Genealogist database. This update adds over 200 pages and over 4,100 searchable names. Published since 1977, The Maine Genealogist is the quarterly journal of Maine Genealogical Society. Each issue contains scholarly articles on Maine families, emphasizing the solving of long-standing problems and primary source documentation. Search Now
A Benefit for the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center
Imagining the Jewish Past: Three Authors Discuss Jewish History and Literary Inspiration
Join us for a special evening of community, conversation, and celebration! Enjoy a festive in-person reception with authors Anita Diamant, Allegra Goodman, and Rachel Kadish and hear them discuss drawing on Jewish history for inspiration. Moderated by Michael Hoberman, PhD. May 19 at 6 p.m. Learn More
Access the Register Winter 2022 Issue Now
The Winter 2022 issue of the Register, America’s premier genealogical journal, is now available online for American Ancestors members and arriving soon for print subscribers. The lead article is on the English connections of Robert Keyes of Watertown and Newbury and John Swett of Newbury. Other articles treat the family of George Thorold of Boston and his daughters of Newport; the Lovett family of Rhode Island and New York; Rev. William Tilley and his sons in New England; and much more. This issue also includes “A Roll of Arms Registered by the Committee on Heraldry of NEHGS: Eleventh Part.” Read Now
