A follow-up on the story of Margaret Kelleher and her infant son John, who were recorded at the Temporary Home for Women and Children in Boston in 1864. Researcher Melanie McComb thought the trail had gone cold, but a spelling variation led to new information. Read More
Upcoming Online Research Tour
Fall Stay-At-Home
Make real headway in your research! Whether you are an advanced researcher or just beginning your family history research, this three-day virtual program will give you the necessary skills and knowledge to continue your family history research online from home. December 7-9.Register Now
American Ancestors Magazine
Cartoon Caption Contest
American Ancestors, our quarterly magazine, is seeking a caption for its next cartoon (pictured left)! The winning entry will be featured in our fall issue. Enter Now
Share your thoughts about the survey! Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Responses featured in a future newsletter may be edited for clarity and length.
Last Week's Survey:
House and Land Occupation Over Multiple Generations
Total: 2,722 Responses
26%, I live (or used to live) in a house or on land occupied by between one to four previous generations of my family.
3%, I live (or used to live) in a house or on land occupied by five or more previous generations of my family.
48%, I know of at least one instance of a house or land being occupied by one to four previous generations of my family.
13%, I know of at least one instance of a house or land being occupied by five or more previous generations of my family.
3%, I purchased a house or property that had belonged to an ancestor or relative before being sold out of the family.
12%, A relative purchased a house or property that had belonged to an ancestor or relative before being sold out of the family.
26%, I have not lived in a family house or on land occupied by more than two generations, and I am not aware of any houses or land that was occupied by at least two generations of my family.
Readers Respond
Carla Zdanowicz, Naples, Florida: My great-grandfather Stephen Henry Chamberlin bought a house on Sprague Street in Revere, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s. Upon his death it was went to his son, Fr. Stephen James Chamberlin, a priest in Malden, Mass. After Fr. Stephen’s death the house passed to his sister Jane Chamberlin Noone. When Jane died, my brother Stephen Anthony Chamberlin bought the house from her estate. My brother left the house to his daughter, Amy Chamberlin, who currently lives in the house with her mother and aunt. That makes four generations of Chamberlin owners of the house and five different Chamberlin owners—with three of those generations represented by men named Stephen Chamberlin.
Susan Beccia, Scottsdale, Arizona: Three generations lived in our family home in Massachusetts. My grandmother bought the house in 1923. She sold the house to my Dad in 1959, who sold it to me in 1984. Three generations of our family attended the same schools and knew all the neighbors. Ninety years of our family in the same house built strong bonds, and we still keep in touch with those friends.
Barbara Bricker, Florence, Massachusetts: After my ancestors Austin Ross and Fedilia (Rindge) were excommunicated from their Connecticut church for their abolitionist views in the early 1840s, they settled in the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, a utopian abolitionist community in Florence, Massachusetts. When the Association dissolved in 1846, Austin and Fedilia stayed on the land in Florence, purchasing the dairy farm, acreage, and house at 123 Meadow Street. They remained true to their abolitionist values, becoming “conductors” of the Underground Railroad. In 1874, Austin and Fedilia cut two lots from their acreage, creating one lot for their son and another for their daughter—my great-grandmother Martha (Ross) Branch. Martha passed the property to my mother. I grew up in her house at 48 Meadow Street, and my brother now owns it.
Paper Orphans “A lot of South Koreans adopted by Western families in the postwar years grew up believing they were orphans. In many cases, it was a lie.” This report by the CBC explores the impact in Canada.
The city of Rhinelander, seat of Oneida County, is located in northern Wisconsin. The Rhinelander District Library has generated an alphabetical obituary index in collaboration with the Northwoods Genealogical Society. The data was sourced from Rhinelander area newspapers published between 1882 and 2006. Data fields include last name, first name, date of publication, and newspaper title abbreviation. A key to abbreviations is available on the homepage. 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
