Announcing the World's Biggest Mayflower Lineage Database
To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's arrival in America, we have just released an online database containing authenticated lineages of all the passengers on the Mayflower who left descendants. These family histories are taken from approved membership applications for the Mayflower Society (General Society of Mayflower Descendants), the earliest of which dates back to 1895. The searchable database is available free to American Ancestors members. Access Now
FREE Family Tree Platform from American Ancestors
Have you tried American AncesTREES yet? It's a FREE online family tree experience from American Ancestors. You can create a tree from scratch, or import an existing family tree, get hints to grow your tree, and use social media features to share your tree with friends and family. Create your free online family tree today! Try AncesTREES
Fiduciary Trust Talks Family History with Brenton Simons
Join Fiduciary Trust with Tracing your Family Heritage: From DNA Testing to Genealogical Research, in conversation with Brenton Simons, President & CEO, American Ancestors, on Tuesday, November 17 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Register Now
Virtual Event: Nathaniel Philbrick's Baxter Lecture on Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War
The award-winning Nantucket-based author will speak with Ryan J. Woods about the voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony, drawing from his celebrated 2006 book Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. This talk is part of the Boston Public Library’s Baxter Lecture series, “promoting commemorative and public understanding of the history of the settlement of and immigration to New England.” Join us Thursday, November 12 at 6 p.m. EST for this free event. Register Now
Spotlight: Calvary Cemetery, Jordan, Minnesota
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Jordan in located in Scott County in southeastern Minnesota. Burials in the Calvary Cemetery of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in that city were transcribed and published in 2001. An online version of the burials list was made available in 2003 and it has been updated with burials through mid-2011.
Click the Index link to begin your search. The data fields in the index are last name, first name, date born/died, cemetery section and grave location information, Find a Grave memorial number, and Minnesota death certificate number, if known. To move through the alphabetical index you can either scroll down or select and click the first letter of the surname for which you are looking.
Two types of maps for the cemetery have been provided. The Layout map shows the sections as they have been drawn. The other is a detailed map showing the names and birth and death dates of the deceased as they appear on the grave markers. Search Now
FREE Download: Organizing Your Research
No matter how monumental the task of organizing your research may seem, a systematic method saves valuable time and creates more accurate work. This free download offers practical advice on how to organize your research and files, keep track of families, and create goals to guide future research. Download now
Navigating the Digital Library & Archives at AmericanAncestors.org Register Now
Uncovering a Legacy: Discover the story of the descendants of the GU272, enslaved persons sold by Georgetown University. Watch Now
Online Course: 20th-Century Immigration to America Register Now
Great Migration & Mayflower Book Sale
To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower we are offering 20% off our Great Migration and Mayflower titles through the month of November. This is a "Great" opportunity to build your library of Robert Charles Anderson's groundbreaking works or expand your Mayflower book collection. Take advantage of this offer today, while supplies last! Sale ends 11/25/20. Shop Now
What We’re Reading
The Long-Lost Ritual of Baby Books Mothers used to document their infant children’s milestones—first steps, first smile—in specially made books, which are now amazing historical documents.
Mackenzie Patrick of St. John's, Newfoundland, has a collection of vintage clothing that includes hundreds of pieces from the 1830s to the 1960s.
“My Grandfather's Hidden Wartime Photo Album” Peter Goffin's grandfather told many stories of his war years in the UK with the Canadian Air Force. After he died, an album was discovered that provided images to accompany the tales the family knew so well.
"A recent dig may have uncovered where the founders of Georgetown University once held those they enslaved in eastern Maryland."
Tales from the Tombstones The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, produced four short videos introducing collections related to gravestones and cemeteries in the United States.
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
Last week's survey asked about your ancestors who were orphans. 2,565 responses were received. The results are:
23%, Yes, one or more of my more distant ancestors was an orphan.
14%, One or more of my collateral relatives (an uncle, great aunt, etc.) was an orphan.
<1%, I was orphaned.
13%, At least one of my ancestors or relatives lived in an orphanage.
53%, No, I am not aware of any of my ancestors or relatives having been an orphan or lived in an orphanage.
4%, Yes, one or both of my parents were orphans.
9%, Yes, one or more of my grandparents was an orphan.
9%, Yes, one or more of my great-grandparents was an orphan.
5%, Yes, one or more of my great-great-grandparents was an orphan.
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: Orphans in the Family by Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked about orphans in your family. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Linda Chamberlain of Hooksett, New Hampshire: In 1938, when my mother was five, her parents turned her over to the Fairbridge Society in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. In 1940, she and others from the Society boarded the ship The Duchess of Bedford and sailed to Montreal. I have a picture of her, a small, sad girl in her neat uniform clutching a doll. Upon arrival in Canada the children boarded a train and went all the way to Victoria, British Columbia, to live at the Fairbridge Farm School. My mother never saw her mother, father, or two brothers again She told me she believed her father, a struggling and sick coal miner, had brought her to Fairbridge to save her from the squalor and intense poverty her family suffered.
Lynne Hayden-Findlay of New York, New York: Walter Hugh Roulston, my maternal grandfather, was an orphan. His mother died in 1890 when he was three and his father died five years later. His older brother went to live with an aunt, but Grandpa and his sister Edith were brought to the New York Orphan Society Asylum (NYOSA). I found his name as an "inmate" in the 1900 census. Edith eventually went to live with a much-older half-sister and Walter finally joined them at age 14. A few years ago, I went to the New York Historical Society to view NYOSA’s records. Upon opening the first ledger book I found my grandfather's name. I discovered several wonderful bits, including his father's place of birth (Donegal) and occupation. It was an OMG moment, just like on TV!
Vicki Giammona of Bluffton, South Carolina: My husband's great-grandfather Luigi Bartoli was orphaned in Genoa, Italy. At 13, he travelled alone across the Atlantic and then from New York to Chicago by train. On the day he arrived in 1890, there was a huge fire near the train station and arriving passengers fled the fire by jumping into the Chicago River. Luigi was rescued by the captain of a tugboat called The Laura. He then stayed with that family until he was 21, when he got a mail-order bride and a mother-in-law from Genoa. SInce then, every generation of the family has had at least one member with a name derived from Laura: Laura, Loretta, Laurence, or Lauren.
Jill Murray of La Jolla, California: My great-grandfather was an orphan, and I knew little of his family history. Following one clue—that his father was a prison guard near Syracuse, New York—I discovered Auburn Prison. Through census records I located the family living nearby. Then I searched for orphanages in Auburn and found the Cayuga Asylum for Destitute Children. I discovered it still existed with a different mission and name. On a whim I emailed the organization and asked if they had any old records from 1860-61. Not only did they have old records, they agreed to search them for me. I was stunned when they found the records of my great-grandfather and his siblings.
