Patriots of Color Database from Daughters of the American Revolution Now Available
We are excited to announce the addition of the Daughters of theAmerican RevolutionPatriots of Color Database to our 10 Million Names website!
This database features more than 6,500names of individuals of African, Native American, Iberian, Latin American, and multiracialdescent who played significant roles in the American Revolution. This database aims to bring greater awareness to these often underrepresented Patriots who contributed to the founding of America.
Navigate the resources of the world’s largest genealogy library with help from experts at American Ancestors. Our organization has more than 40 years' experience guiding researchers of all levels through the vast resources of the FamilySearch Library. Benefit from our special orientations and tutorials, one-on-one consultations, informative lectures, and more! Register Now
Recently on Vita Brevis
My Activist Ancestors
While researching his family history, James Garfinkle stumbled upon an unexpected headline: “Clubbed in Rent Riots!” This discovery sparked an investigation into his great-great-grandparents’ involvement in the 1907 New York rent strikes, shedding light on an unexpected chapter of activism in their lives. Read More
Upcoming Online Seminar, October 29–November 26
Researching & Verifying Mayflower Ancestry
Four hundred years ago, the Mayflower landed on the shores of Massachusetts with 102 passengers aboard. Today, there are an estimated 35 million Mayflower descendants worldwide. Join experts from American Ancestors for a five-session online course exploring the many resources, record collections, and research strategies for verifying Mayflower connections.
Hiring an Organization or Individual to Conduct Genealogical Research
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.
Glenn Sampson, Lincolnville, Maine: My mother, her sister, their mother, and their mother’s mother all had red hair. One of my two daughters is a redhead, as are the two sons of my other daughter. Seems like a lot of durability for a recessive gene.
Kelsey Petersen, Watertown, Massachusetts: My paternal side family members share large hands and hazel eyes, but my favorite genetic characteristic is one that I share with my father and brother. We have a “photic sneeze reflex,” an inherited trait that causes us to sneeze when we’re exposed to the sun or a bright light. On a recent family reunion trip, when we walked from a shaded terrace in the full sun, all three of started sneezing at the same time!
Sarah Boucher, Williston, Vermont: I was born with a pronounced underbite, which I had surgically corrected. Imagine my surprise when I found a side-view picture of my great-great-great-grandmother—whose first name was also Sarah—that showed her pronounced underbite. Sarah Katherine Doane (1833–1907) avoided cameras and the only pictures of her are family ones, even though her husband, William Croswell Doane, was the Episcopal Bishop of Albany.
D Palmer, Folsom, California: My paternal grandmother had webbed toes, my dad has them, and I have them, too. My mom said it was the first thing she checked after I was born. While she wasn’t too excited to see I had webbed toes, my dad thought it was great!
Spotlight: Newspaper Database: Cazenovia Public Library, New York
by Valerie Beaudrault
The town of Cazenovia is located on the western border of Madison County, in west-central New York. The Cazenovia Public Library has made a newspaper database available in its Community History Archive. The collection comprises more than 135,000 pages from twenty-eight newspapers, including Cazenovia Republican (1854–2021), The Cazenovia Republican (1890–1966), Pilot (1808–1921), American Legion Scrapbook (1994), Madison County Whig (1845–1901), and Republican Monitor (1826–1857). The database can be searched by keyword or browsed. Search Now
Database News
New Sketches: Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784
We’ve added six new and updated sketches to Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784. These sketches were created by Scott Andrew Bartley, who is researching the heads of families who lived in Vermont through the Revolutionary War.
The sketches profile Carnance, Elias (Vernon), Church, Malachi (Brattleboro) King, William (Brattleboro), Orvis, William, Jr. (Vernon, Dummerston), Partridge, Jasper (Brattleboro, Guilford), and Rowley, Israel (Vernon). This database is available to Individual-level and above members only.Search Now
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
