Researcher Chris Child uncovers the story of Gin/Jenny Smith, who was listed on the 1820 federal census as the last remaining enslaved person in Woodstock, CT. She was one of only six enslaved persons in the state when Connecticut officially ended slavery in 1848. Read More
American Ancestors/NEHGS in the News
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Ancestors Were Enslaved. Her Husband’s Were Enslavers.
Via Washington Post: “Few know the Jacksons’ ancestry better than [Christopher C.] Child and his colleagues. Shortly after President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court in February 2022, Sarah J. Dery, NEHGS’s research and library services manager, began to dig into Jackson’s roots.” Read More
Upcoming Online Seminar
Massachusetts Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
This online course will provide a century-by-century look at the records, resources, repositories, and research strategies essential to exploring your Massachusetts roots. Live Broadcast July 15 at 2 p.m. (ET).Register Now
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
This Week's Survey:
Did Your Ancestor Drive a Motor Vehicle for a Living?
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:
When Was Your Family’s Earliest Wedding Photo Taken?
Total: 3,202 Responses
2%, before 1850
13%, 1850 to 1875
25%, 1876 to 1900
32%, 1901 to 1925
19%, 1926 to 1950
6%, 1951 to 1975
1%, 1976 to 2000
<1%, 2001 to present
2%, My family does not have any wedding photos
Readers Respond
Joan MacKinnon, Gananoque, Ontario: My great-great-grandparents, Thomas McHenry and Mary Ann (Bill), married September 14, 1851, in Nictaux, Nova Scotia. I have a copy of that photo, and of photos of Mary Ann taken the same day. The original photos are owned by my cousins. The wedding photo is amazingly clear and sharp, showing details of the lace at Mary Ann’s wrists, the flowers beside her face, and the jewelry she wore. Mary Ann and Thomas had six daughters, including my great-grandmother, and a son who died as an infant. Thomas was married once before and once after Mary Ann, and had a total of twenty children.
Cerelle Bolon, Phoenix, Arizona: My ancestor, Hannah Catherine “Kate” Everhart, was 15 when she married George H. Remmel, a 33-year-old-widower with an 8-year-old daughter named Mary. Within two years, Kate and George had a daughter, whom they also named Mary, then two boys, George Edward and Charles David “Pete,” and, when Kate was 29, another daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Caroline. George died when he was just 44 years old, and Kate died a few years later.
Sharon Gammon, New Mexico: I inherited a tiny, badly faded tintype photo that appears to be a classic pre-1900 wedding picture—seated man, wife standing slightly behind on his left with her right hand on his shoulder. The bride was my great-great-grandmother, Mary Ella Brownfield. I cannot determine whether the man was her first husband, Francis Padgett, whom she married before 1858, or her second husband, James Hess, whom she married about 1859-60.
Dan Hazard, Huntington Beach, California: I am fortunate to possess a wedding picture of my great-great-grandmother, Laura Hitchcock Perry, from October 1855 in Providence, Rhode Island. When I inherited this small daguerreotype in 1970 it was tarnished beyond recognition. It had been stored in a box in an ornate, gold-leaf frame for many years. I had it professionally restored and was amazed by how much Laura resembled my Aunt Betty.
Barbara Hill, El Cerrito, California: For many years, my mother had in her possession a blackened rectangular piece of metal, about 6 by 4 inches. When tilted a certain way in the light, it displayed a negative image of a man and a woman. My mother brought it to a photographer, who explained that it was a daguerreotype; he was able to produce an image from it. I have identified the subjects as my mother's paternal grandparents, Rev. Roswell Graves (1837-1883) and Jane (“Eujane”) Clapp (1833-1912), who married August 18, 1857, in Wyocena, Columbia County, Wisconsin. Sadly, the daguerreotype has since been lost.
The New Museum at America’s Largest Slave Port Site Also Taps into a Deeply Rooted Joy In Charleston, South Carolina, “a museum designed to ‘simultaneously hold the sensations of trauma and joy’ is set to open next week honoring the many thousands of Africans forced to leave home under barbaric conditions as it also celebrates their essential American legacy.”
“As I grew older, I started to simply explain my history rather than get offended.”
Spotlight: Newspaper Database for Auburn, New York
by Valerie Beaudrault
The city of Auburn, seat of Cayuga County, is located in west-central New York. A local newspaper database provided by the Seymour Public Library comprises more than 250,000 pages from 45 newspapers, including Citizen (1916-2018), Advertiser Journal (1913-1931), The Citizen (2019-2022), Seneca Citizen (1997-1998), The Port Byron Chronicle And Cayuga County News (1924-1958), The Auburn Citizen (1922-1924), The Port Byron Chronicle (1872-1923), Cayuga Patriot (1833-1846), and Auburn Morning Dispatch (1888). Search by keyword across all titles within a single newspaper, and limit your search by date range. Individual newspapers can also be browsed. Search Now
Get $25 Off A New Membership to American Ancestors
There’s never been a better time to research your family history—or to share this opportunity with others! An American Ancestors membership provides access to more than a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, and extensive educational tools, resources, and videos. Take $25 off a new American Ancestors membership through the end of June using code June623. Join Now
Free Resource from American Ancestors
Black Families of Revolutionary-Era Plymouth, MA
Discover the lives of enslaved and free Black Revolutionary War soldiers from Plymouth, Massachusetts. These veterans returned from the war, fought for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts, and set about the difficult work of building an early American republic where “all men are created equal." Watch Video
Planning for the Future?
Name Your Beneficiaries Today
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
