Researcher Colleen Alm takes a step back into history when she visits the home of her ancestor Frank Caleb Stowell, who designed and built the house in 1911 for his family. Read More
Fall 2024 Issue of American Ancestors Magazine Now Available
With the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution just around the corner, this issue focuses on researching and remembering Revolutionary War Patriots. Read Now
Free Resource from American Ancestors
The Basics of Genealogical Formats
Unlike many books, a genealogy is rarely read cover-to-cover. Instead, it serves as a reference for researchers seeking to locate information on specific individuals. To organize the many branches of a family tree, genealogical writing typically follows a set format, with data about a particular person, couple, or family group presented in a precise and consistent way. Use our free download to help you learn the basics of genealogical formats. Download Now
Upcoming Online Lecture, December 19
How to Avoid Common Family History Pitfalls and Myths
In this online lecture, Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure will share her top tips for avoiding common hazards in your research process. She’ll discuss developing a research plan, staying organized, analyzing your research, and more. Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Observing Thanksgiving This Year
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.
34%, No, I don’t think any of my ancestors eloped.
30%, No, I don’t think any of my relatives eloped.
7%, I eloped.
Readers Respond
Susan Kaplan, Plainfield, New Jersey: My mother climbed out of her window and down a ladder on her mother's birthday in order to elope. Mom had gradually moved belongings from her parents’ house to her future mother-in-law’s house the week before in order to execute a clean getaway. Mom’s father did not approve of the match because the man who would become my father was Catholic and the son of Polish immigrants, while my grandfather and grandmother were Protestant and traced their heritage to early Vermont settlers. Mom and Dad had a wonderful marriage and raised four children. They were married for 49 years until dad passed away at age 69.
Jane Ireland, Gaithersburg, Maryland: My great-great-great-grandmother Jane Craig (1799-1877), was the daughter of a wealthy landholder in County Antrim, Ireland. She married the family’s tutor, James Cochrane, in defiance of her family. Jane and James came to the U.S. together about 1825 and settled in New York State. I know little of Jane’s later life except that her husband drank to excess and died young. Jane ended her days in the home of one of her daughters in Canadice, New York.
Steve MacElvaine, Morro Bay, California: My parents, Robert C. MacElvaine and Gretchen Swatszel, eloped to an adjacent county and were married. When my grandmother Ruth Swatszel found out, she demanded that they have a “proper” marriage in her hometown. As a result, they had a marriage license signed by a probate judge in Girard, Kansas, and a second marriage license, six months later, signed by the rector of St. John's Memorial Church of Parsons, Kansas.
Bruce Randall, Ottawa, Ontario: My ancestor Elizabeth Sanford Noyes wanted to marry farmer Ichabod Palmer II, who was said to be the strongest man in Stonington, Connecticut. Although the Palmers were a prominent Stonington family, Elizabeth's parents would accept only a Harvard or Yale-trained minister for their daughter. They sent Elizabeth to Newport, Rhode Island, to separate her from Ichabod. According to Sanford and Noyes family histories, in 1729 Ichabod rode his horse across Narragansett Bay at low tide (highly unlikely) and he and Elizabeth eloped. Over their 37 years of marriage they had at least 10 children, including one who became the richest man in Stonington.
Joanne Galvin, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Three generations of my family have eloped. My maternal grandparents eloped in 1917 to Pomeroy, Ohio. My parents eloped in 1938 to Toledo, Ohio. In 1966, my husband and I decided to marry because his draft status was 1-A. We eloped to Okemos, Michigan. He received his induction notice two weeks later. My grandparents were married 48 years until my grandmother's death. My parents were married for 58 years. And 58 years after we eloped, my husband and I are still married … and still talking to each other!
A “writer traced her roots back to a small Calabrian village and found 100 living relatives. A new Italian initiative makes it easier for descendants to do the same in the country’s less-traveled towns.”
“When a [Vermont] farm boy vanished in 1818, neighbors in surrounding towns rallied.”
Wisconsin 101: Norwegian Genealogical Plaque “In 1879, Hans Gunther Magelssen of Norway commissioned a jeweler in Oslo to create a gift for his granddaughter-in-law, Sara Magelssen. The gift was a round wooden plaque.”
Acadia Parish, seated in the city of Crowley, is located in south-central Louisiana. The Acadia Parish Library has made a newspaper database available in its Community History Archive. The collection comprises more than 554,000 pages from nineteen newspapers, including Crowley Post Signal (1974-2023), Crowley Daily Signal (1922-1974), Rayne Acadian Tribune (1954-2023), Church Point News (1942-2023), The Rayne Tribune (1903-2004), The Daily Signal (1908-1915), and Crowley Signal (1888-1923). The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Upcoming In-Person Research Event, March 23–29
Washington, DC Research Tour
Discover the wealth of family history resources in our nation’s capital. Delve into military records, immigration files, compiled family papers, and more at the National Archives and Records Administration and the Daughters of the American Revolution Library. Register Now
Database News
AM Explorer: Life at Sea
Bringing together unique primary sources drawn from world-class maritime archives and heritage collections, Life at Sea takes a sociocultural approach, focusing on the individual experiences and personal narratives of seafarers. Through a broad range of sources, from journals and memoirs to ships’ logs and court records, the lives of ordinary seamen, merchants, whalers and pirates can be explored. This resource offers exciting new insights into three centuries of the Anglo-American maritime world. You must be logged into your American Ancestors account to view this collection. View Now
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
