Following the Acadian Expulsion from Nova Scotia, an estimated 2,000 families from New England settled Nova Scotia (and parts of what is today New Brunswick) between 1759 and 1768. Largely farmers and fishermen, these Planters represented the first large-scale migration of English-speaking settlers to Canada who had not come directly from England. This webinar will discuss the historical context of the migration and point you to published and primary resources that can help you trace your New England Planter roots. Presented by Sheilagh Doerfler. September 16, 3-4 p.m. ET Register Now
Watch Episode 7 of The Antiquarto
Our CEO, D. Brenton Simons, speaks with Julian Radcliffe, founder of the Art Loss Register about his work as featured in the new book:Lost Art: The Art Loss Register Casebook VolumeOne, by Anja Shortland. This lively conversation explores Radcliffe’s work with art crimes, theft, fakes, and forgeries. Watch Now
In-Person Research Tour
Fall Research Getaway, Boston, MA
Enjoy three days of research, one-on-one consultations, and social events while exploring the rich offerings at the American Ancestors/NEHGS Research Center and benefitting from the knowledge and assistance of expert genealogists. Join us from October 21 to 23. Register Now
Free Webinar!
The Great Houses and Gardens of Ireland
In this part travelogue, part virtual tour, architectural historian Curt DiCamillo takes us on a luscious, image-rich journey that showcases the 2019 American Ancestors Heritage Tour to Leinster and Munster. Highlights include: visits to Kilfane Glen, a magical 18th-century romantic-era garden; Tourin, home of the famous Jameson Irish whiskey family; Altamont Gardens, the jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown; Curraghmore, the ancestral home of the marquesses of Waterford; Castletown, Ireland’s largest and most architecturally influential 18th-century house; and Martinstown House, a Strawberry Hill Gothic style cottage orné. September 17, 4-5:15 p.m. ET. Register Now
Spotlight: Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Cemetery, Washington
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Seattle, seat of King County, is located on Puget Sound in Washington. The Friends of the GAR Cemetery Park has made a burials database available for family history research. The cemetery, which is city maintained, was established in 1896. Click the Genealogist Listing link to begin your search of the alphabetical index. Individuals interred in the cemetery include not only Civil War veterans, but spouses as well. The database fields include first, middle, and last name; maiden name, spouse, military status (rank/company/unit), reported birth date, birthplace, and death date. Search Now
Author Talk and Extended Q+A
Hear about Philbrick's new book in a free event on September 23 at
The Union Printers Home, which opened in 1892, was once the world’s largest care facility for union printers who suffered from tuberculosis and “black lung” related to inhaling the industry’s carbon-based inks.
Mary Warner, Executive Director at the Morrison County Historical Society in Minnesota, muses on what to do with family items that members of the next generation don’t want to keep.
This article (and audio story) features Siân Evans’ new book, Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them, which was featured in our American Inspiration author series.
“A19-year-old woman in Spain is taking legal action over a mistake made in 2002, when she was switched at birth in a now-defunct hospital in Logroño.”
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
Last week's survey asked if any of your grandmothers or great-grandmothers were ever the primary breadwinners in their families. We received 2,891 responses. The results are:
33%, Yes, at least one of my grandmothers was her family’s primary breadwinner for a period of time.
30%, Yes, at least one of my great-grandmothers was her family’s primary breadwinner for a period of time.
41%, I am not aware of any of my grandmothers or great-grandmothers being the primary breadwinner for her family.
3%, I’m not sure.
This week's question asks if you're a current member of any genealogical and historical societies.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: Women Breadwinners
By Lynn Betlock, Editor
Last week's survey asked if any of your grandmothers or great-grandmothers were ever the primary breadwinners in their families. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Penny Pollock, San Jose, California: My grandparents lived in Glendale, California, where my grandfather, Myron Munger, designed airplane motors for Yates Tool and Die. In 1938, Myron died at 35 from Addison's Disease. My grandmother, Mabel (Shoemaker) Munger, became the family breadwinner and did piece work at home for Yates, placing metal hair curlers on display cards. This was the company's way of trying to assist her in supporting herself and her three daughters. My mother was 14 when her father died and remembers helping her mother put curlers on the cards. She said it was tedious work and hard on the fingers.
Dale Cannon, Redding, California: My great-grandfather, Reuben Seaman Frank, lost an arm in a sawmill accident shortly after he married my great-grandmother, Sarah (Hutchings). She became the principal breadwinner. Sarah applied to deliver mail and was assigned a rural postal route around Boring, Oregon. She delivered mail by horse and buggy in the early 1900s, when this was an unusual occupation for women.
Pamela Reilly, Hoboken, New Jersey: My maternal grandmother, Edna Grant, was born in 1892 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When she was in third grade, her father had a stroke. Her mother opened a general store and pulled Edna out of school to work there. In her early 20s, Edna immigrated to the United States and in 1919 graduated in one of the first classes of psychiatric nurses at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. She worked at McLean and the Henry Street Settlement in New York city. After marrying in 1926, she worked part-time for a local doctor delivering babies. In 1936, when she had two young children, her husband deserted her. She went back to work at McLean full-time. She lived at the hospital in nurses’ quarters, and her children were placed in a boarding school.
Robb Gorr, Petawawa, Ontario: In 1906, my great-grandmother, Lucinda Stubbs Halliday, aged 38, was widowed and left to run the family farm near Chalk River, Ontario. She had seven children, aged 15 to 2. Later that year she gave birth to her eighth child (my grandfather) and the Canadian government appropriated the farm for a future military base. Homeless, with eight children to support, she went to work as a cook in the lumber camps near Rutherglen, Ontario, where she eventually met her second husband.
New Records!
Vital Records from the Register Volume 23 Updated
This week we're announcing a database update for the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. As part of an ongoing effort to re-index vital records from the Register in more detail, we have re-released Volume 23 (1869) which contains 11,000 records and 23,000 searchable names. These numbers represent nine times the number of records previously indexed for this volume. Thank you to all our volunteers who are working hard to improve our index for the Register. Search Now
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Please consider a gift to American Ancestors
As we navigate through a constantly changing world, we all appreciate the things in life that really matter: family, legacy, and community. As a non-profit focused on family history, heritage, and culture, we rely on donations from generous supporters like you to continue to provide a wide range of programs and services. Any size gift makes a difference. Thank you for your consideration and generous support! Give Now
