"When I began to utilize DNA in my family research, I was mystified by the idea of “triangulating” DNA matches. I discovered that it was simply another strategy for visualizing a few matches that all share a common ancestor."
Sarah Lohman with Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods
In time for Thanksgiving, this unique work of history and storytelling provides insight on the endangered species that Americans have long relied on as food sources. Culinary historian Sarah Lohman highlights efforts underway to preserve local culinary traditions before it’s too late. Join us for an illustrated presentation and moderated discussion on a topic important both to American history and sustainability. November 20 at 6 p.m. (ET). Register Now
36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, Boston
Call for Speakers—Deadline November 15
It's not too late to submit a paper topic for the 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences! American Ancestors and FamilySearch will host the Congress in Boston from September 24 to 28, 2024.
In keeping with the chosen theme of the Congress—Origins, Journeys, Destinations—presentations should address how genealogy and/or heraldry relate to the ways in which heritage and identity are reshaped by the journeys people take. The deadline to submit papers is November 15. Speakers will receive a complimentary pass to the Congress with extended access to the newly remodeled American Ancestors Research Center.
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.
Last Week's Survey:
Places Settled by 17th-century Immigrant Ancestors
Total: 4,023 Responses
13%, New France/Acadia
81%, New England
31%, New Netherland/New York
28%, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware
12%, Maryland
24%, Virginia
10%, The Carolinas or elsewhere in the South
3%, Another area not mentioned above
6%, I have no 17th-century immigrant ancestors.
Readers Respond
Sharon Parsons, Hadley, Massachusetts: My husband and I both descend from Cornet Joseph Parsons, who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 and was one of the founders of Northampton. We are the thirteenth generation to farm land in the Northampton meadows.
Deb Root Shell, North Ridgeville, Ohio: My ancestor Thomas Roote emigrated from England in 1636 and was a founder of Hartford, Connecticut. Other English ancestors settled in Dedham, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay, and Plymouth Colony.
Kim Cromwell, Provincetown, Massachusetts: My ancestor George Phillips was born in 1593 in Norfolk, England. He came to New England with Governor Winthrop on the Arbella, arriving in Salem, Massachusetts, in June of 1630. A month later, Phillips became the first minister in Watertown, Massachusetts, establishing its first Congregational Church. A sign in Watertown commemorates his dedication to promote “religious toleration and the right of the people to a representative government.”
Christina Ann Patterson Thurber, McAlester, Oklahoma: In 1639, my ancestor William Plaine sailed from England on board the St. John. On the voyage to Connecticut, the male passengers created and signed the Plantation Covenant, which stated their intention to settle together and assist each other. Together they established Guilford, Connecticut. William was a trusted and valued member of the Guilford community until in 1646 he was charged with “filthy practice” and sentenced to death. Later that year, William became the first English settler executed in Connecticut. In 1651, William’s widow Anna (Plum) Plaine remarried to John Parmelee. After Anna's death in 1659, John married his stepdaughter Hannah Plaine—the heiress of William Plaine's estate. John and Hannah were my eight-great-grandparents.
Gerard Goguen, Medford, Massachusetts: My maternal ancestors settled in Port Royal, the first permanent French settlement in New France/Acadia in the 17th century. Ancestors Pierre and Michel Bastarache were removed during the 1755 Expulsion of the Acadians and taken by cargo vessel to Charleston, South Carolina. Pierre and Michel returned by foot to Acadia and founded Bouctouche, New Brunswick, where my mother and grandmother were born and the family name Bastarache has persisted.
America’s Greatest Obituary Writer Kay Powell, a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, built her legacy by assembling profiles of what she calls “extraordinary ordinary people.”
The city of Junction City is the seat of Geary County, located in east central Kansas. The Community History Archive at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library includes an online newspaper database comprising over 361,000 pages from fourteen newspapers, including Junction City Union (1865-1974), Daily Union (1990-2015), Junction City Daily Union (1866-1988), Union (1979-1985), Junction City Weekly Union (1866-1974), Junction City Tribune (1873-1902), Junction City Sunday Union (1985-1988), and Junction City Republican (1884-1895). Search the database by keyword or browse individual papers. Other resources from the Community History Archive include a collection of high school yearbooks spanning from 1928 to 2022. Search Now
We are excited to announce a new database, Providence, RI: Old Stone Bank Records, 1844-1897, presented in collaboration with the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS). The database currently contains ten volumes of records from the Old Stone Bank collection at RIHS, adding more than 250,000 searchable names to our databases. Nineteen additional volumes will be added in the coming weeks. Search Now
Your Legacy. Your Peace of Mind. Your Free Will.
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
