Have you ever wondered if the lyrics of your favorite song have a basis in fact? In the anti-war song "The Green Fields of France," the narrator muses about the life of a soldier who died fighting in WWI. Researcher Rhonda McClure decided to go looking for the real story. Read More
Database News
New Sketch: Early New England Families
We’ve recently added a new sketch to Early New England Families, 1641-1700, featuring John Doane, Jr. and his family. John was born about 1635 (presumably in Plymouth), and his family largely settled in Plymouth and Eastham. Search Now
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:
Printed Ephemeral Items in Your Family Collections
Total: 3,399 Responses
Do you have any of the following items from an ancestor or relative?
34%, ration book or ration card
27%, draft card
33%, telegram
22%, calling card
12%, dance card
60%, invitation to a wedding, graduation, or special event
54%, birth announcement
29%, personal stationary or letterhead
14%, poster or promotional material for a political candidate
52%, business card, invoice, receipt, or letterhead
56%, award or recognition certificate
20%, stock certificate
19%, insurance policy
60%, another type of printed ephemeral item not mentioned above
Readers Respond:
Patti Wawzyniecki, Vernon, Connecticut: My father was stationed in Germany while serving in the US Army after World War II. I have the telegram he received in October 1952 announcing my birth. He met me for the first time when he surprised my mother and arrived home on Christmas Eve in 1952. (My younger brother was born nine months later, in September 1953.)
Laurie Sisson, Alexandria, Virginia: My great-grandfather, Robert Bruce Mantell, was a well-known Shakespearean actor, as was his wife, Charlotte, and their daughter, Ethel. Our family has playbills, letters, photos, and all sorts of documents. Occasionally, writers contact us to go through the papers.
Bill Hallett, Kingston, New Hampshire: While looking for something else on eBay, I saw a receipt for Noyes’s Furniture of Newburyport, Massachusetts, from July 15, 1881. A man named Arthur Bishop had bought a few chairs, a table with a marble top, and a couple of other items. I won the auction, paying about $10. I bought the receipt because it contained the signature of my third great-grandfather, Sewell B. Noyes, the proprietor of the store, who wrote in red ink and noted that the order was paid in full.
Casey Zahn, Pennington, New Jersey: When organizing my late father-in-law’s personal papers, I found the boarding pass his grandparents used when they emigrated from Germany to Philadelphia on the Pennland in 1903. I discovered that on the back of the boarding pass they listed (in French) all the meals they ate on the voyage. That truly put “the meat on the bones” for their genealogy!
Melynda Brenton, Aztec, New Mexico: While cleaning out my parents’ house after the death of my father, we found his original metal Social Security card. I didn’t know those existed!
Sally Hall, Weaver, Alabama: We have lots of interesting ephemera. Some of my favorite items belonged to my uncle, who served in World War II as a mechanic and was in France during the Battle of the Bulge. He bought a road map and noted his location each day during that period. We also have his diary with entries from the same time. We have a lot of junk, too. I think my dad saved every check register and bank statement!
Susan Keaney, Columbia, South Carolina: In late 1945, my father, Avery Keller, was a major in the US Army stationed in Hof, Germany, after World War II. My mother, Dorothea von Hillebrandt, born and raised in Berlin, had been evacuated to Hof with her young son near the end of the war and became an interpreter for the American Office of Military Government. The two of them were invited to be “table partners” at a wedding, which was not a blind date but more to even out a table. My father had a better offer and never showed up. My mother then got to have his meal as well as her own, which she very much appreciated as food was quite scarce and expensive. Soon afterwards, they ran into each other in Hof and Dorothea quite indignantly told Avery that he stood her up. He said he would have to remedy that. The rest is history, as they were married in 1947 and were quite happy for over 50 years. I still have the original table cards with their names in beautiful script—for the dinner he did not attend!
“Much in the same way we hail cabs in cities today, a medieval Londoner could hail a torch-bearer (a link-boy) to light their way home from a night on the town.”
"Her identity was discovered using investigative genealogy, said Joseph Bonavolonta, a special agent with the Boston bureau."
Spotlight: Forest Grove Library Resources, Oregon
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Forest Grove is located in Washington County in northwestern Oregon. The Local History Department of the Forest Grove Library has made several resources available on its website. The Forest Grove Newspaper Obituary Index comprises nearly 28,000 obituaries and death notices for the period from 1895 to 2020. The index is updated regularly. Click the Forest Grove City Directories button to view digitized telephone directories for various years between 1928 and 1956. Under Historic Properties of Forest Grove you will find surveys related to more than 300 historic properties in the city. Search Now
DNA has become an important tool in genealogical research, and the potential for finding matches grows as more people get tested. This research guide explains what DNA tests are available, and how to use them to identify ancestors and previously unknown relatives. Learn More
Planning for the Future?
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind.
Your Free Will.
Family historians know the importance of wills for research purposes—but have you created a will for yourself? A legal will ensures that your hard work will have an impact on future generations and your legacy will be preserved. Identify beneficiaries for your assets, support the causes that are important to you, and plan for the preservation of your research through this easy and free online will creation tool from our friends at Free Will. The step-by-step guided process takes just 20 minutes or less to complete. Learn More
