Learn how a 19th-century family Bible was returned to the descendants of its original owners using family records kept within its pages. Read More
Cyber Monday Sale
$30 Off New Memberships
Become a new member today and save $30 using the code CM24 at checkout. Our membership offers access to billions of searchable names on our website, a subscription to American Ancestors magazine, discounts on books and research for hire, and more! Join Now
#GivingTuesday
Together We Give.
Celebrate GivingTuesday on December 3 with a gift to American Ancestors.We are proud to support you in your family history journey with 500+ databases, research guides, an extensive video library, 1.4 billion searchable records, scholarly publications, and the assistance of our expert genealogists. We couldn’t do this without you! Please consider a gift today. Thank you! Give Now
Upcoming Online Author Event, December 17
American Connections in A British Country House Alphabet: A Historical and Pictorial Journey by Curt DiCamillo
Join us for an engaging conversation illuminating the connections between America and Britain’s finest country houses as revealed in the new book, A British Country House Alphabet, Volume 1, by architectural historian Curt DiCamillo. Following a delightful, illustrated presentation, be a part of the discussion with series producer Margaret Talcott. Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Resemblances to Your Ancestors or Relatives
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%, I will spend Thanksgiving at someone else’s home.
6%, I will eat Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant.
61%, I will spend Thanksgiving with relatives.
77%, I will eat classic Thanksgiving food: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc.
21%, I will eat at least one traditional dish (not widely considered a Thanksgiving classic) made from a family recipe.
23%, I will discuss family history and/or look at family photographs with my relatives.
19%, I will reflect on my Mayflower or Wampanoag ancestors and their experiences.
13%, I will participate in activities that are long-standing family Thanksgiving traditions.
33%, I will watch (on television or in person) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
2%, I will volunteer for a Thanksgiving-related event or cause.
25%, I will watch or participate in a football game, road race, or other sporting event.
6%, I will observe or commemorate Thanksgiving in a way not mentioned above.
2%, I observed Canadian Thanksgiving in October.
1%, I do not observe Thanksgiving.
Readers Respond
Sandra Ludden, Fairfax, Virginia: We have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner—turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pecan pie. However, Thanksgiving would not be complete without our family favorites—oyster pie, asparagus pie, and sweet potato soufflé. As I make them, I remember being little and watching in awe as my maternal grandmother made a huge Thanksgiving dinner for my family, plus my mom’s four siblings and their families. There was always a lot of hustle and bustle, as at least 25 or 30 people would gather in a one-floor, 1,900 square-foot house in Anderson, South Carolina. I also think about the origins of our oyster pie recipe. When my parents were engaged, “Mummy,” my dad's maternal grandmother, pulled Mom aside and said, “If you are going to marry Tom, you need to know how to make oyster pie. Sit down and write what I tell you.” Mom said she wrote the recipe on the back of a church envelope and then made it for every Thanksgiving. I think it’s so fun to have those kinds of stories to pass down to the next generations.
Merryann Palmer, Ionia, Michigan: My spouse and I host Thanksgiving each year. We will have all the traditional Thanksgiving foods; each family in attendance will contribute at least one dish. I introduce a new dish every year. Some of these additions are popular enough to become staples, like deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and fresh cranberry sauce.
Julie Brymer from Nashville, Tennessee: I love making homemade cranberry sauce. It is so much more delicious and better-looking than a tube of cranberry gel. I add sugar or sweetener and cranberries to boiling water. The hollow cranberries pop like popcorn! I make it my own by adding flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, or pomegranate.
Bruce Randall, Ottawa, Ontario: My wife and I were born in the U.S. but now live in Canada. We celebrate American Thanksgiving, but we observe it on the following Saturday because no one gets that Thursday off in Canada. For several years we opened our home to other “orphaned” Americans for dinner, until the crowd got too large to accommodate. Each year at our smaller family gatherings, I retell the stories of our family's connections to historical Thanksgiving events until my kids are rolling their eyes—in traditional American fashion.
The Real History of Thanksgiving This blog post from the Library of Congress offers “a brief, hopefully fascinating history of this uniquely American holiday.”
7 Surprising Stories About Thanksgiving Mental Floss presents a variety of Thanksgiving tales: “Raccoon for dinner, the woman who pitched Thanksgiving, and why turkey isn’t even that good.”
Explore Your Roots: How to Plan a Family Heritage Trip “Online tools are helping Americans travel abroad to discover their ancestry, seek out relatives and obtain documentation for dual citizenship. Here are tips for your journey.”
Spotlight: Community History Archive of Dover Public Library, New Hampshire
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Dover, seat of Strafford County, is located in southeastern New Hampshire. The Dover Public Library has made a number of resources available in its Community History Archive. The collection comprises more than 100,000 pages from eight newspapers, including Fosters Daily Democrat (1873-1927), The Dover Enquirer (1828-1880), Fosters Weekly Democrat and Dover Enquirer (1906-1917), The Times and Dover Enquirer (1828-1849), and Fosters Weekly Democrat (1894-1900). In addition, there are over 29,000 pages from local city directories (1830-1993) and Dover High School yearbooks (1915-2024). The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Upcoming Online Seminar, December 2–19
Writing and Publishing Your Family History
This five-session online seminar led by the writing and publishing experts at American Ancestors will provide you with a step-by-step approach to turning your raw data into an illustrated narrative, Register-style genealogy, or Ahnentafel. Register Now
Database News
New Sketches: Boston Tea Party Biographies
We’re excited to announce 32 new sketches in our Boston Tea Party Participant Biographies database! Sketches added during this update are proven participants or eyewitnesses. View the full list of newly added individuals online at Database News.
The goal of this project is to create comprehensive biographical sketches for all individuals associated with or known to have participated in the Boston Tea Party, which took place on December 16, 1773. This project was launched in conjunction with the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program, a lineage society for those whose ancestors participated in this historic revolutionary event. The database and the Descendants Program are collaborations with the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. Search Now
Non-probate assets such as an IRA, 401(k), or life insurance policy are not covered in your will or trust—you must name beneficiaries separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your non-probate assets. Learn More
