Family History Questions for a Virtual Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, millions of American families will gather online rather than in person. To help spark conversation and deepen family connections, our family historians have put together a list of fun and interesting questions to ask relatives. Make this year’s virtual Thanksgiving an opportunity to learn more about your family history!
Tracing your Family Mayflower Connections by Chris Child, in Family Tree Magazine
Commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing by discovering how your family lines connect to the famous voyage with Chris Child, Senior Genealogist. Read the Article
Did you know that American Ancestors members receive 62% off a subscription to Family Tree Magazine? Join Now
Last Chance! Free Online Webinar: Jewish and African American Cemeteries as Borders Uncrossed
Why do Americans tend to separate their dead along communal lines rooted in faith, race, ethnicity, or social standing? Join us for a presentation by Dr. Kami Fletcher and Dr. Allan Amanik as they discuss the physical and symbolic borders of America’s ethnic cemeteries and what these divisions reveal about American history.
Watch our own American Inspiration program on William Bradford and Plymouth Colony at C-SPAN3 this coming Saturday, November 28 at 5 p.m. EST Learn more
Newspaper Resources: Havre-Hill County Library, Montana
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Havre is the seat of Hill County, Montana. The county is bordered by Canada to the north. The Havre-Hill County Library has made a newspaper database available to researchers. The library’s online newspaper collection comprises the following newspapers: Havre Daily News (1929-2014), Daily News (1985-1995), Havre Hill Daily News (2017-2017), and Hill County Sunday Journal (1935-1942). You can limit your search by selecting a specific date or a date range. The newspaper database can also be browsed by title or by year by clicking on the desired newspaper title or date range. Click the newspaper title in the search results to view the digital image of the page. Search Now
Database News: New volumes for Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920
This week we’re announcing 83 new volumes and 24 updated volumes in Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. These new volumes come from St. Columbkille (Brighton), St. Joseph (Boston), St. Leonard of Port Maurice (Boston), St. Mary (Boston), Sacred Heart (Lynn), St. Jean Baptiste (Lynn), St. Mary (Lynn), St. Patrick (Lynn), Our Lady Help of Christians (Newton), St. Bernard (Newton), St. John the Evangelist (Newton), St. Joseph (Wakefield), and St. Theresa of Avila (West Roxbury). If you have questions about how to navigate this browsable database, be sure to watch our webinar. This database is available to guest members for free. Search Now
FREE Author Event: David S. Reynolds with Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.
Bake This Luxurious 19th-Century Thanksgiving Pie This article traces the history of the Marlborough pie, a single-crust pie of stewed apples in a custard with nutmeg, citrus, and sherry, which originated in England.
Last week's survey asked about first languages. 3,133 responses were received. The results are:
3%, Yes, my first language was not English.
<1%, I have been bilingual from birth.
8%, Yes, one or both of my parents spoke a first language that was not English.
30%, Yes, one or more of my grandparents spoke a first language that was not English.
47%, Yes, one or more of my great-grandparents spoke a first language that was not English.
47%, Yes, one or more of my great-great-grandparents spoke a first language that was not English.
35%, No, my ancestors from my parents through my great-great-grandparents all spoke English as their first language.
2%, I don't know.
This week's question asks about how you will observe Thanksgiving this year. Take the survey now
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: First Languages by Jean Powers, Editor
Last week's survey asked about ancestral first languages. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Nancy Pnacek, Midland, Michigan: My paternal grandmother was born and raised in a Finnish family here in the United States around the turn of the last century. Her family spoke Finnish exclusively while she was growing up, and she didn't learn English until she started school. I never heard her speak Finnish when I was growing up and I always assumed she gave up the language because she wanted to "fit in" as an American. But when I asked her about it she told me that she never spoke Finnish around her husband—a non-Finnish speaker—out of love and respect for him. She didn’t want him to think she was talking about him. It's a lovely sentiment, but the result is that her own kids never learned the language.
Janice M. Sellers, Gresham, Oregon: My maternal grandmother told me that her first language was Yiddish and she didn't learn English until she attended public school. She was born in 1919 in Manhattan. Her parents and grandparents were immigrants and likely spoke Yiddish as their first language. My maternal grandfather never discussed the subject, but as he came from a very traditional Orthodox Jewish family, his first language might have been Yiddish.
Laressa Northrup, Sanford, Michigan: Family lore says that my great-great-grandfather, born in the 1850s, spoke only Pennsylvania Dutch German until he went to school—despite his family living in the United States since the 1750s. His son (my great-grandfather) learned a few words in German. During WWII my great-grandfather had German POWS working on his farm. One of the prisoners spoke some English, and they each knew enough of the other’s language to understand each other.
Sindi Broussard Terrien, Seekonk, Massachusetts: My great-grandmother, Hattie Aline Saltzman DeLauchessee Broussard, spoke French growing up in Abbeville, Louisiana. She then moved to Beaumont, Texas, and eventually to Port Arthur, Texas, where she lived with her daughter until she was 104 years old. All my grandparents, from Louisiana, spoke French; English was their second language. My parents, however, were not taught French—nor were subsequent generations. If my great-grandmother didn't like someone, she pretended she couldn't understand English and would speak only French in front of them. She didn't like my father's second wife, so my great-grandmother would look puzzled and say to my father or grandmother in annoyed voice, "I can't understand what's she's saying." I think she liked her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because I had many wonderful conversations with her.
December 1 is #GivingTuesday
Celebrate #GivingTuesday on Tuesday, December 1. Join the global giving movement built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and communities in countries around the world. Every act of generosity counts and we thank you for your generous support and your dedication to family history. We couldn’t do this without you! Please consider a gift today. Thank you!
