Last week’s survey question on whether readers had New England textile mill worker ancestors was prompted by an upcoming feature in the summer issue of American Ancestors magazine. I was interested to see that the number of readers with New England textile mill worker ancestors (30%) was so high.
In 2009, we put out a call in The Weekly Genealogist for short articles or vignettes about ancestors who participated in the Gold Rush, for a Gold Rush-themed magazine issue. Now the staff of American Ancestors magazine would like to hear from those with ancestors who worked (or had any connections) in New England textile mills, from the beginning of the nineteenth century through the twentieth century.
Please send a paragraph of information on your ancestor(s), outlining the details of their work or role in the mills, and briefly mentioning relevant family stories, documentation, or photographs, to magazine@nehgs.org. A few submitters with particularly interesting stories or sources will be asked to write accounts for publication in American Ancestors magazine or on AmericanAncestors.org. Paragraphs should be submitted by April 18, and responses can be expected by the end of April.