We're excited to announce our new collaboration with Canadian Headstones, a volunteer-run non-profit dedicated to the digital preservation of Canada’s cemetery heritage. We've released the first set of data and will be updating regularly over the next few months. This database is available to search for free. Search Now
October Used Book Sale
Extra 10% Off Used Book Titles
We've refilled our shelves with hundreds of unique and hard-to-find titles! Stock up on essential resources in history and genealogy, and save an additional 10% on all used books through the end of October. Shop Now
If discount is not automatically added upon checkout, enter coupon code UB0102022 to redeem. Membership discounts do not apply to this promotion. Prices valid through 10/31/22, while supplies last.
Share your thoughts about the survey at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.
Last Week's Survey:
Towns, Landmarks and Roads Named After Ancestors
Responses: 3,834
43%, A town or a section of a town was named after one of my ancestors or relatives.
25%, I know of no towns or sections of towns that were named after any of my ancestors or relatives.
37%, A landmark or geographical feature was named after one of my ancestors or relatives.
24%, I know of no landmarks or geographical features that were named after any of my ancestors or relatives.
56%, A road was named after one of my ancestors or relatives.
25%, I know of no roads that were named after any of my ancestors or relatives.
Readers Respond:
Ken Rockwell, Salt Lake City, Utah: A mountain near Silverton, Colorado, was named Macomber Peak (elevation 13,222 feet) after my grandfather, Bill Macomber. The topographic surveyor of that rugged region was a friend of Grandpa, who was a teacher in Montrose, Colorado. My father, a private pilot, gave him a flight around the mountain in 1972 and he was thrilled!
Susan J. (Stalker) Mulvey, Quincy, Massachusetts: Marstons Mills, Massachusetts, is named for my sixth-great-grandfather, Benjamin Marston (ca. 1693-1769). Benjamin developed the mill and weaving operations that gave the town its name, and the cottage he built still stands today.
Mike Sevigny, Westford, Vermont: When my father, A. Norman Sevigny, tried to have a new street named after his youngest grandchild, Tyler, he was told by the city that it was too close to Taylor for 911 purpo. So since there wasn’t a prepared alternate he said, “What about Sevigny, anyone got that?” The answer being no, there is now a Sevigny Avenue in Biddeford Maine.
Karyl Hubbard, Spokane, Washington: My grandmother, Bessie Brown, married William D. Cotton, M.D., who built a TB hospital in what is now La Mesa, California. Dr. Cotton died of TB in 1899. In 1907 Bessie married Walter Lincoln Keeney, who raised poultry. The area was rapidly developing, and the formerly nameless lane to the house became known as "Keeney St,” causing some resentment from my half-aunt, Caryl Cotton, who thought it should be "Cotton Lane.” Later, the city tried to rename the street in keeping with a new numbering system, but my aunt Betty Keeney Weaver fought successfully to keep the name.
Charlie Bass, Corpus Christi, Texas: My paternal grandfather was Morgan Jones, Jr., of Abilene, Texas. Due to his position on the school board, on which he served faithfully for many years, the planetarium was named in his honor when it opened in 1968. Since its opening, it has provided over 613,000 people-hours of service to the Big Country community in West Texas for those seeking more information on astronomy, physics, weather, and oceanography.
Robbie Gorr, Petawawa, Ontario, Canada: My Grampa Gorr purchased a large farm in the 1920s. Much of the outlying property was later sold off to become a housing development known as Gorr Subdivision. Two streets are named for my cousins, another for my brother, and a fourth for the family name. Unfortunately, I was born too late to have a street named for me.
“At a site paved over to make way for Colonial Williamsburg, Black residents seek clues in unearthed graves.”
The Bodies in the Cave “Native people have lived in the Big Bend region [of southwestern Texas] for thousands of years. Who should claim their remains?”
How do two branches of the same family end up with very different destinies? Growing in up Fall River, Michael Dwyer never imagined he might be connected to the wealthy and locally famous Brayton family—but his research revealed an unexpected history. Read More
Spotlight: Baton Rouge Room Digital Archive, Louisiana
by Valerie Beaudrault
East Baton Rouge Parish, seated in Baton Rouge, is located in southeastern Louisiana. The Baton Rouge Digital Archive, provided by the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, is comprised of more than thirty collections, including a wealth of records from local organizations, recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews, over 300 maps, and historic photographs. Search Now
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Do you have boxes of photographs, letters, and other paper-based objects related to your family history? Learn from conservator Todd Pattison about how you can preserve and store your family papers for long-term survival. Watch 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
