--- title: The Weekly Genealogist, March 25, 2026 --- The Weekly Genealogist, March 25, 2026 ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­   | View in Browser March 25, 2026 Become a Member Hybrid Lecture, April 18 From Tyranny to Freedom: Irish Contributions to the American Revolution   Senior Genealogist Melanie McComb will discuss how to research the military service of Irish immigrants who served in the Revolutionary War, including pensions, bounty land, and other incentives offered to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. McComb will also share information on tracing Revolutionary soldiers’ roots in Ireland. Learn More From American Ancestors Free Guide: Getting Started in Scottish Genealogy   Whether your forebears emigrated from the Scottish Highlands or from Ireland’s Ulster province,this guide offers an introduction to many go-to records and resources for tracing your roots in Scotland. Download Today New Partner Database Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC) eBook Collection   American Ancestors members can now access one of of the largest and most comprehensive digital collections of genealogical publications—more than 800 authoritative genealogical titles. These works include original record collections and essential research guides for colonial America; Irish, Scottish, African American, and Native American genealogy; and much more. A full-text search makes it easy to locate names, places, and subjects. This database is listed under the "World" section of our partner databases website. Learn More The Weekly Genealogist Survey This Week's Survey: Family Historians in Previous Generations of Your Family Share your story! Each week in our Readers Respond column, we publish a selection of reader-submitted stories related to our most recent survey. Submissions must be 150 words or fewer and include your full name, city, and state. Published responses will be edited for clarity and length. Take the Survey Last Week's Survey: Ancestors or Relatives Who Married the Sibling of a Deceased or Former Spouse   Total: 2,009 Responses 54%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives married the sibling of a deceased spouse. 5%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors or relatives married the sibling of former spouse. 43%, No, I don’t think any of my ancestors or relatives married the sibling of a deceased or former spouse. Readers Respond   William Young, Narragansett, Rhode Island: My grandfather Harvey B. Northrup (1872-1951) married Azuba Wood (1884-1914) in 1903. They had six children. After Azuba died, Harvey married her sister Samantha Wood (1893-1943)—my grandmother. When Samantha died twenty-five years later, Harvey married a third sister, Florence (Wood) Cogswell (1894-ca. 1960). Although the three marriages are documented, Harvey’s death record says, “never married.”   Anne Scanley, Washington, DC: At age 16, my ancestor Almira McAllister, born 1808, married Rev. James Schofield in Gerry, New York. In December 1825, Almira had twins, James (my great-great-grandfather) and Almira. Tragically, Almira died thirteen days after giving birth, and Baby Almira lived a mere two months. Within a year, Almira’s younger sister Caroline, then aged 16, married James Schofield. Caroline and James went on to have ten children together.   Toni Lattimer, Livonia, Michigan: My great-grandmother Florence married my great-grandfather Charlie. They had eight children. The second oldest is my grandma and her son is my dad. After Florence and Charlie divorced, Florence married Charlie’s younger brother, Claude, and they had three children. My dad used to jokingly say that his mother is his aunt.   Rebecca H. Smith, Rehoboth, Massachusetts: My great-great-grandfather John George Kelso married Lydia Jane Burton in 1867 in Aroostook County, Maine. After Lydia died a few years later, John married her younger sister, Adelaide Maria Burton. John and Adelaide named their first child Lydia Jane Kelso. Lydia Jane grew up to be a family historian and wrote a number of reminiscences about her family and her early life.   Linda Wilson, Charlotte, North Carolina: My great-grandmother Caroline married my great-grandfather Frank in 1898. They had two sons; my grandfather was the younger son. Frank disappeared when the children were young. In 1908, he was declared dead and his estate was settled. That year, Caroline and her sons are recorded as living with Frank’s younger brother, Leo. Caroline and Leo continued living together, eventually marrying in 1917. They died one month apart in 1945.   Susan Voelkel, Huntington, West Virginia: In 1844, my third great-grandfather Alexander Muir (1822-1890) married Eliza Johnson. They had five children together. The family was living in New York City when Eliza died in August 1859. That same year, Alexander's brother John Muir married Jane Scott in New York City. John died the following December of consumption at age 33. The 1865 New York census shows Alexander living in Brooklyn with his two youngest children and his brother's widow. Alexander and Jane married in June 1866. Your survey asked about ancestors who married the sibling of a former spouse. My ancestor married the former spouse of a sibling! What We’re Reading   The Road to the Battle of Hastings in 1066? Maybe Not a Road After All. “New research suggests that a legendary 200-mile march by Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, may have actually involved some ships.” A Stay at Ellis Island Hospital Could Determine Whether an Immigrant Had a Chance to Start a New Life in America “Some 276,000 patients were admitted to the medical facility between 1892 and 1951. But the abandoned complex has long been overlooked, and preservationists are fighting to save it.” Program Trains the Storytellers at Portland [Maine]’s Historic Sites “Local residents take an 11-week training course so they can lead tours, answer questions and serve as volunteer ambassadors for the region’s rich past.” A Quaker Woman Eavesdropped on British Soldiers Plotting a Surprise Attack—and Surreptitiously Warned George Washington “Lydia Darragh defied her commitment to pacifism by spying during the American Revolution.” Boston Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of Evacuation Day “The living history lesson marked the day 250 years ago that the British army fled Boston, ending 11 months of military occupation.”  Spotlight: Mesa County Genealogical Society Databases, Colorado by Valerie Beaudrault   Mesa County, seated in Grand Junction, is located on Colorado’s western border. The Mesa County Genealogical Society has made two databases available on its website. The first is an alphabetical index to burials in county cemeteries. Click the MCGS Cemetery Project link to open the database. Researchers will find a key to cemetery abbreviations in the index file. The data fields are surname, given name(s), birth and death date, cemetery, and notes. The second database indexes birth announcements published in early Mesa County newspapers (1883-1900). Click the Early Birth Index from Newspapers link to access it. The data fields are name, date of birth, sex, newspaper abbreviation, date, page, column, and comments. Search Now Upcoming Lectures, Courses, Tours, and More March 27: Free Online Lecture The Houses of Guinness   March 28: In-Person Lecture Getting Started in Family History Research   April 1–29 (Wednesdays) Online Seminar Massachusetts Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy View All Upcoming Events and Tours Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.   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 Educational events brought to you by Vol. 29, No. 12, Whole #1304 Copyright ©2026 American Ancestors. All Rights Reserved.. American Ancestors, 97 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, 1-888-296-3447 Unsubscribe Manage preferences Read Past Issues  \|  Feedback? 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