Commemorate Thanksgiving with a 20% discount on Great Migration and Mayflower titles from American Ancestors! Save on journals, puzzles, and books--including Robert Charles Anderson’s Great Migration volumes. Use code GMMayflower25 at checkout. Offer ends November 24, exclusions apply. Shop Now
Upcoming Online Author Event, November 19
Writing History: Eric Foner Talks about Our Fragile Freedoms and His Work over Five Decades
Eric Foner, one of today’s most acclaimed and influential US historians, talks with the presidents of American Ancestors and the Massachusetts Historical Society about his work over five decades and his just-published book of essays, Our Fragile Freedoms. Don’t miss this thought-provoking and inspiring exploration of our country’s history and the importance of research and truth-seeking. Learn More
Upcoming Free Webinar, November 21
American Ancestors Virtual Open House
Do you want to make real headway in your family history research? The genealogists, databases, and millions of unique collections at American Ancestors can help! Join us for a special online discussion that highlights the many benefits and services available to members. Learn More
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Ancestors Who Lived in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
Share your story! Each week in our Readers Respond column, we publish a selection of reader-submitted stories related to our most recent survey. Submissions must be 150 words or fewer and include your full name, city, and state. Published responses will be edited for clarity and length.
Ancestors or Relatives Who Claimed to be Psychics or Mediums, or to Have the Second Sight
Total: 2,424 Responses
20%, Yes
57%, No
23%, I don’t know.
Readers Respond
Carol Johnson, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: My grandfather Walter Sulzer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was an amateur psychic in the 1920s. Walter owned a haberdashery and people visited for readings as well as for clothing. My grandmother Flora Jordan Sulzer and her siblings often spoke of the seances held there and described how the very heavy dining room table levitated off the floor. Walter was a Christian Scientist, and I have always wondered how his religious beliefs meshed with his spiritual practice. Walter died in the 1936 flood in Pittsburgh when my mother was only five.
Chris Streip, Los Angeles, California: My great-great-grandfather David Elsey was part of the Spiritualist movement of the late 1890s and early 1900s. His obituary, published in the June 25, 1912, Marcellus (Michigan) News stated, "Some fifteen years or more ago he gained a knowledge of spirit communion and for several years has been a member of the Marcellus Progressive Spiritual Association. Being somewhat clairvoyant, he quite often saw his friends and acquaintances who had passed beyond the great divide and this has been a great comfort to him in his declining years."
Bonnie Larson, Bothell, Washington: On the night of October 30, 1965, my aunt Frances Elizabeth (Mann) Jenson awoke knowing her son Melvin Jenson had died. She immediately called her other son, Joe Jenson, to inform him. The following morning, Frances received a call from Melvin's wife telling her that Melvin had died in a one-car rollover crash. His death certificate estimated his time of death as 1:20 a.m. in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In Seattle, where Frances lived, that would have been just after midnight, the time when she called Joe.
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, Manchester, New Hampshire: My relative Sarah White Lee Mortimer (1849–1925) was a socialite in Boston. Contemporary newspaper accounts described her as a spiritualist and medium. (She was also one of the first women elected as a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, on February 2, 1898. Sarah is listed in the 1920 census as “a genealogist.”) Later members of my family were members of the First Spiritualist Church of Salem, Massachusetts, which is still active.
New From the Bookstore at American Ancestors
Portable Genealogist: Tracing Your Newfoundland and Labrador Ancestors
Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada’s youngest and easternmost province, having joined the country in 1949. The Irish call it the Land of the Fish for it was the fish, or the cod, that for centuries brought Europeans to its coastal waters. The cod fishery helped shape the province’s distinctive history, and its culture is a unique blend of its Indigenous people and those of English, Irish, and French heritage.
This Portable Genealogist will introduce you to relevant records and resources available online, highlight some of the province’s unique sources, and provide tips for discovering Newfoundland and Labrador ancestors. Purchase Today
Boston Exhibit Features In-depth Look at Ancestry of Pope Leo XIV American Ancestors created “The Ancestry of Pope Leo XIV: An American Story” exhibit, which allows visitors to discover the first American pontiff’s lineage by reading stories, searching records, and exploring his family tree.
Spotlight: Community History Archive of the Hennessey Public Library, Oklahoma
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Hennessey is located in Kingfisher County in central Oklahoma. The Hennessey Public Library has made a collection of newspaper databases available in its Community History Archive. It comprises more than 57,000 pages from twenty newspapers, including The Hennessey Clipper (1934-2007), Hennessey Clipper (1890-2018), Press Democrat (1895-1914), Eagle (1901-1904), The Hennessey Kicker (1896-1899), and Kiel Press (1901-1904). The databases can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Upcoming In-Person Event, January 23–24
Two-Day Homeschool Educator Workshop
Home school educators are invited to join us in Boston for training and resources needed to implement our Family History Curriculum. Go beyond family trees and help students build research skills as they explore their roots and make personal connections to history.
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
