President & CEO Ryan Woods on "The Power and Promise of Family History"
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan J. Woods as President & CEO of American Ancestors. Click the play button or the link below to watch Henry Louis Gates, Jr., host of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, interview Ryan about the importance of family history and his vision for the future of American Ancestors.
Researcher Anjelica Oswald was asked to transcribe an unexpected treasure from her family archives: the memoir of her third great-grandfather William Cleston Stone. Thirty pages long, the handwritten memoir relates his memories from childhood to old age with a surprising level of detail.
Civil War Research: Tracing Union & Confederate Ancestors
This five-week online course will delve into primary and published resources to help you document your ancestors’ roles in the Civil War--on both sides of the conflict. Access all course materials and lectures on June 15, then join our experts on June 22 for a live Q&A session. Register Now
Free Online Webinar, June 17
American Ancestors Virtual Open House
Do you want to make real headway in your family history research? American Ancestors can help! Join us for a special online discussion highlighting the many benefits and services available to our members, including unique databases, expert one-on-one research assistance, award-winning publications, and much more.
Share your thoughts about the survey!Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Your submission may be featured in an upcoming newsletter or shared on social media; please note in your email if you do not want your story to be shared. Published responses may be edited for clarity and length.
33%, Yes, I will visit at least one library, archive, or historical society.
37%, Yes, I will visit at least one cemetery to do research or pay respects to ancestors/relatives.
28%, Yes, I will visit at least one ancestral town or city.
18%, Yes, I will visit relatives who share my interest in genealogy.
4%, Yes, I will attend a genealogical conference.
11%, Yes, I will attend a family reunion.
5%, Yes, I will travel to another country for a genealogical purpose.
4%, Yes, I will travel for genealogy for a reason not mentioned above.
20%, I am not sure if I will travel for genealogy this summer.
32%, No, I will not travel for genealogy this summer.
Readers Respond
Carolyn Hall, Amston, Connecticut: This summer I plan to visit the mill town of Biddeford, Maine, as part of my efforts to trace my maternal grandmother’s family back to Ireland. My last two days have been spent in Lee, Massachusetts, looking for clues about my maternal grandfather, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents (the immigrant generation). Prior to my trip I contacted the town hall, library, and historical society, as well as the church my ancestors attended. I visited the shared gravesite of my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents and the site of the house in which three generations of my ancestors lived. I solved two genealogical mysteries and learned about Lee, a mill town with a history of Irish Catholic famine immigrants. I’m excited to start preparing for my trip to Maine next month. If that visit goes like the one I’m currently on, it will be wonderful—even if I don’t find information on my ancestors’ origins in Ireland.
Teresa Gregory Corso, Erie, Pennsylvania: Last summer, my husband and I traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, to investigate family roots. In Greenock, we trudged up a very steep slope to find my husband's great-grandparents’ headstones. At the Watts Museum, we found the names of my mother-in-law's relatives who died during a WWII blitz. I found the street where my 4th-great-grandfather lived and where his pub was likely located. The local Glasgow genealogy group was able to provide me with book containing a photograph of the pub.
Julie Kay Gardner, Perry, Utah: In 1980, when I was 9 years old, and again in 1985, when I was 14, my family traveled from Washington State to Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, for family reunions. I had fond memories of meeting my cousins and extended family at these weeklong events. By 1994, I was married and had children; I wanted them to share these experiences. I called my uncle in Bangor, and he agreed to plan another family reunion. Since that 1995 reunion, we have had four more—in Bangor, England, and Ireland—with each event larger than the last. My cousins and I have taken over planning these events, which now include t-shirts, wristbands, a full-color commemorative booklet, and, this year, catered meals. This summer we will meet in Dorset, U.K., with 170 family members in attendance from Utah, California, Arizona, Denmark, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Egypt.
“Without the effort of a few meteorologists, we’d be celebrating the anniversary of D-Day—the Allies’ invasion of Nazi-occupied France, which hastened the end of World War II—on June 5 instead of June 6. Or, perhaps, not at all.”
“The Washington Post has compiled the first database of slaveholding members of Congress by examining thousands of pages of census records and historical documents.”
Florida Hidden Treasures is a collection of historical and genealogical documents produced by PLAN, a library network serving the sixteen counties of the Florida Panhandle. To access resources, hover on the Collections tab and select a county from the drop-down list. For Bay County you will find thirty-six maps, city directories, and nine digitized newspapers. Okaloosa/Walton County resources comprise eleven newspapers. For the city of Destin, there are two newspapers and a local history. Search Now
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish Neighborhood Voices on WCVB
Did you catch "Jewish Neighborhood Voices" on WCVB Channel 5 Boston this past Tuesday? Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month with this clip featuring JHC Executive Director Rachel King alongside Herb Selesnick and volunteer oral historian Sara Lee Callahan. They shine a spotlight on our digital exhibit, chronicling Jewish life in three vibrant Greater Boston communities during the first half of the 20th century. Learn More
Database News
The New York Times
Did you know that American Ancestors subscribes to the New York Times? Our members can access millions of pages of searchable, full-text articles from the New York Times beginning in 1985, plus an index of articles from 1965 to the present. Access this and many more databases from our partners when you join American Ancestors. Learn More
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
