Discussing Adoption: Driving Positive Outcomes in the Search for Knowledge, Past and Present
Featuring lawyer Gregory Luce, genealogist Melanie McComb, author Gabrielle Glaser, and TV host and author Bill Griffeth, this course will examine the shifting dynamics of adoption, look at access to critical records, and inspire you with personal stories about the search for biological family. Join us November 15 at 6 p.m. ET.
On November 4, Anne Willan will discuss Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today. On November 9, Robert A. Gross will present The Transcendentalists and Their World. Learn More
Free Webinar
At Home in the World: American Jewish Women Abroad, 1865-1940
Join the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) and Dr. Melissa R. Klapper for this exploration of the lives and travel experiences of American Jewish women from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, which will interweave stories about women represented in the JHC’s own archives. October 26 at 6 p.m. ET. Register Now
Spotlight: Colebrook Public Library Digital Archive, New Hampshire
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Colebrook is located in Coos County in northern New Hampshire. The Colebrook Public Library has made a digital archive available on its website. The resources in the archive include newspapers and vital records. The keyword searchable newspaper database contains the following titles: The News and Sentinel (1895-1975), The Colebrook Sentinel (1913-1934), The Northern Sentinel (1870-1875), The Upper Coos Herald (1889-1890), and The Essex County Sentinel (1963-1963). The vital records in the database, which are also keyword searchable, include marriages, births, and deaths for 1875-1934, plus deaths and marriage intentions for 1937. Search Now
Online Course
Learn how heraldry can inform and illuminate your family history research. November 3, 10, and 17 at 6 p.m. ET.
8 Ways Gym Class Used to Be So Much Worse In this Mental Floss article, author A.J. Jacobs tells readers, “Be grateful you never had to experience these eight P.E. nightmares.”
“Scholars have yet to identify the young boy, but new research offers insights on his age and likely background.”
Dining at the Centennial This article, from the Restaurant-ing through history blog, looks at the restaurants at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Last week's survey asked about genealogical research in cemeteries. We received 3,524 responses. The results are:
93%, I have done genealogical research on my family in at least one cemetery.
58%, I have transcribed information from family gravestones and made it accessible to others.
30%, I have transcribed information from non-family gravestones and made it accessible to others.
77%, I have taken photos of family gravestones and made them accessible to others.
34%, I have taken photos of non-family gravestones and made them accessible to others.
25%, I have participated in an effort to repair, replace, or install a gravestone or monument for a distant ancestor or relative.
7%, I have travelled more than 100 miles to visit a cemetery for genealogical research.
15%, I have undertaken a genealogical activity in a cemetery that is not mentioned above.
11%, A cemetery visit or other connection to a cemetery inspired me to begin my genealogical research.
3%, I have not visited any cemeteries to do genealogical research or any other genealogy-related activity.
This week’s survey asks about ancestors and lives saved. 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: Genealogical Research in Cemeteries
By Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked about genealogical research in cemeteries. Thank you to the many people who replied. We wish we had space to publish many more responses.
Nancy A. Ratner of Naples, Florida: While researching my Mayflower line, I learned that Bell Hill Cemetery in Otisfield, Maine, held the remains of my ancestor Stephen Swett (1733–1807). I was living in Massachusetts, and on a wonderful fall day I decided to drive to Otisfield, about two hours away. When I found the tombstone, I was surprised to find written on the stone: “surgeon Phinney's Regt. Mass TR Rev War.” This was my first proof of a Revolutionary War ancestor, and I was admitted to the DAR due to this find.
Charles Vigneron, Walla Walla, Washington: Many years ago, this very newsletter had an article about the cemeteries of Crawford County, Kansas, and because of that I found the grave of my grandfather's grandmother, Hannah (Konkle) Schmuck. That led me to the county records website and further discoveries. Thank you!
Gail Gruetzman, Roswell, Georgia: Over the years I was intrigued by my Irish immigrant relatives, the McHughs, who were buried in Catholic Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama, between 1851 and 1906. I was so curious that I hired a local engineering company to perform a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) survey of the cemetery lot to discover how many people were buried there. The survey turned up some surprises and revealed several potential unmarked burials nearby.
Peter French of Lansing, New York: When my great-great-grandfather, George Sumner Boyd, died in 1872, as a former sergeant with the 33rd Mass. Infantry he was given a military headstone. When I visited his grave 140 years later, in the Newton Cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts, the inscription was barely legible. Thanks to guidance from the Sons of Union Veterans and the efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Newton Cemetery Corp., Sgt. Boyd was provided with a new headstone at no cost.
Deane Dierksen, Falls Church, Virginia: In 1968, I visited Lakeshore Cemetery in Buffalo, Minnesota, with my grandmother, Bessie Sturges Moulton (1885-1971) to see my grandfather's gravestone. It included her name and birthdate, only lacking her death date. In 1998, I visited the cemetery again, looking for that stone and others. I found and photographed many gravestones but couldn't find my grandparents' stone. I also lost my camera case. As it got dark, I had to leave. Driving out of the cemetery, I spotted my camera case. When I went to retrieve it, I realized it had landed on top of my grandparents' gravestone!
Database News
New volumes for Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920
This week we’re announcing 99 new volumes and 26 updated volumes in Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. These new volumes come from 24 parishes: St. Mary of the Assumption (Dracut); Immaculate Conception (Everett); Holy Rosary, Sacred Heart, and St. Ann (Lawrence); Holy Trinity, Immaculate Conception, Notre Dame de Lourdes, St. Joseph, St. Louis de France, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Michael, St. Patrick, and St. Peter (Lowell); St. Michael (Lynn); Sacred Hearts (Malden); Our Lady Star of the Sea (Marblehead); St. Ann (Marlborough); St. Joseph (Medford); St. Mary of the Annunciation (Melrose); Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Monica (Methuen); Sacred Heart and St. Patrick (Natick). Search Now
