Vol. 9, No. 1
Whole #303
January 3, 2007
Edited by Michael J. Leclerc and Valerie Beaudrault
enews@nehgs.org
Greetings from the New England Historic Genealogical Society! This newsletter has been sent to people who asked to receive it. If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email address, please click on the link at the bottom of the email and follow the instructions provided.
Contents:
* New on NewEnglandAncestors.org
* Now in Paperback: The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620–1633
* Name Origins
* 2006 NEHGS and Newbury Street Press Publications
* NEHGS Library Inventory
* Research Recommendations: Drawing Attention to Your Book or Article
* Spotlight: The Foothills Genealogical Society, Colorado
* From the Online Genealogist
* Stories of Interest
* Upcoming Public Lecture Series
* Upcoming Education Programs
* NEHGS Contact Information
New Databases on New EnglandAncestors.org
Vital Records of Townsend, Massachusetts.
http://NewEnglandAncestors.org/research/database/Townsend_vr/default.asp
These data were published by NEHGS in 1992 and that book is now out-of-print. The material was transcribed by Henry C. Hallowell, assisted by Lee K. Kugler and Caroline Lewis Kardell. This database contains over 13,000 records, including 2,673 births, 2,120 marriages, 902 deaths, and 4,459 cemetery inscriptions.
From the introduction of the book, by Robert Charles Anderson, F.A.S.G.:
"Townsend was originally the northern part of a plantation known as Turkey Hills (the southern portion becoming Lunenburg), and was incorporated as a town in 1732. During the decades in the early eighteenth century when Townsend was being settled, migrations in New England were moving generally in an east-to-west direction, so that most of the early settlers came from older established towns in Middlesex and Essex counties. Also, because Townsend bordered directly on New Hampshire, many marriages are seen in which one party was from Townsend and the other from a nearby New Hampshire town."
"Through most of the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth, the population of Townsend, as in so many New England towns, remained relatively stable, and the same mix of family names is seen from decade to decade. But by the middle of the nineteenth century some changes may be noted, with the beginnings of Irish immigration. Because the marriage intention records and cemetery inscriptions published in this volume go beyond 1850 (the usual stopping point in the vital records volumes published earlier in the century) we also see the beginnings of other changes in the ethnic composition of the town. In these later records appear some of the Finnish families who began to settle in Fitchburg, Ashby and Townsend in the last quarter of the nineteenth century."
"This volume also includes some types of records which are not normally found in vital records volumes. There are warnings out, notices issued when a new family arrived in town and the town wanted to ensure that it would not have to support the family if it fell on hard times. These records are mostly from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and are useful in tracking migrations. This volume also includes a number of religious certifications, issued for a brief period to those who belonged to some church other than the Congregational."
The original volume is available in the NEHGS Boston Research Library, call number F74/T7/V58 1992.
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Now in Paperback: The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620–1633
by Robert Charles Anderson
This popular book from the Great Migration series is now available in paperback. In it, Robert Charles Anderson tells the story of the Pilgrim Migration by relating the story of each family or individual known to have resided in Plymouth Colony between 1620 (when the Mayflower arrived) and 1633. Each of the more than two hundred sketches provides information on the early histories of these immigrants as well as their New World experiences. This material is followed by complete genealogical accounts, including all marriages and children of the immigrants.
Reviewing the book, author Nathaniel Philbrick (Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War; the award-winning In the Heart of the Sea) has lauded Anderson’s efforts: “Applying the skills he has perfected in his ongoing Great Migration Study Project, Robert Charles Anderson has created the essential Pilgrim reference work. Here in one volume are concise but richly detailed biographies that are full of scholarly rigor and yet are a pleasure to read. A remarkable work of synthesis and original research, this book will be the bible for Pilgrim studies for a long time to come.”
David L. Green, CG, FASG, co-editor and publisher of The American Genealogist, says: “Anderson’s scholarship sets new standards, and his accounts are definitive. They are essential for all genealogical libraries and for all historians specializing in the Old Colony.”
Available from NEHGS for $29.95 at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org/store or by phone at 888-296-3447. The hardcover version is still available, at $49.95. For more information, see http://www.greatmigration.org/.
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Name Origins
by Julie Helen Otto
DELIA (f) – In Irish usage, interchangeable with BRIDGET. In Yankee families especially, sometimes an abbreviation or nickname for the Norman French-derived ADELIA.
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2006 NEHGS and Newbury Street Press Publications
The Society has a very active book publications program and published nine new titles in 2006. All except The Pilgrim Migration are available through our distributor at http://www.pictonpress.com/. The Pilgrim Migration is available directly from the Society at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org/store.
New Bestseller (now in its third printing)
New Englanders in the 1600s: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published Between 1980 and 2005
by Martin E. Hollick
An aid to finding the best current genealogical writing about seventeenth-century New England families.
272 pages, paperback, $19.95
New Revised Edition
Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century: A Guide to Register Style and More, Revised Second Edition
Edited by Michael J. Leclerc and Henry B. Hoff
Completely revised and updated edition of our popular guide to writing for popular magazines, scholarly journals, websites, and books.
130 pages, paperback, $11.95
Now in Paperback
The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620–1633
by Robert Charles Anderson
More than 200 sketches providing information about the early histories of these immigrants and their New World experiences.
712 pages, paperback, $29.95
New Compiled Genealogies
Coman
Descendants of Richard Coman of Salem, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island
Compiled by Shirley Louise Purtell Bickel
Edited by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG
A genealogy tracing the descendants of Richard Coman, a tailor who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1600s.
880 pages, hardcover, $60
Epling/Eplin
Epling/Eplin Additional Descendants (1787–2006): Vol. VI (Additions and Corrections to Volumes I–V)
by Robert Louis Massard and Debra Kay Cyprych
The sixth and final volume in a multivolume work of all of the descendants of John Paul Epling, who died in 1809 in Giles County, Virginia.
697 pages, hardcover, $39.95
Gray
The Ancestry of Samuel Braley Gray and His Wife Bessie Pendleton Benson
By Ruth Gray
The ancestry of Samuel Braley Gray (1881-1961) and Bessie Pendleton Benson (1882-1964) of Old Town and Bangor, Maine, and their children.
816 pp., hardcover, $60
Parker
The Ancestry of Joseph Fletcher Parker, 1880-1962, of Duluth, Minnesota
by Marian Parker Congdon
A book devoting chapters to ancestors who were early settlers of eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire; the Hogan and English families of Wisconsin; the Copp family of Boston (for whom Copps Hill Burial Ground is named); the Mellowes family of Charlestown, Mass.; and the Willard family of Concord, Mass.
264 pages, hardcover, $34.95
Riggs
Elder Bethuel Riggs (1757–1835) of Morris County, New Jersey, and His Family Through Five Generations
by Alvy Ray Smith
A volume devoted to Bethuel Riggs, a New Jersey-born Revolutionary War veteran and Baptist preacher and church founder, and to five generations of his and his wife Nancy Lee’s family.
800 pages, hardcover, $60
Sibley
Some Descendants of John Sibley of Salem, Massachusetts
by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG
A new genealogy that starts with John Sibley of Salem, who emigrated from the Manor of Bradpole in Dorset.
320 pages, hardcover, $34.95
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NEHGS Library Inventory
NEHGS is planning inventory the library holdings during the week of January 29, 2007. The library will remain open during the inventory, but each library floor will be closed for a day or two while the collections are inventoried. On the day a floor is closed there will be no access to its materials. The schedule for floor closings is: Sixth floor, Jan. 30; Fifth floor, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1; Fourth floor Feb 2; and First floor Feb. 3. Library closures due to snow emergencies may change the closing schedule.
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Research Recommendations
Drawing Attention to Your Book or Article
by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG
Have you published a book? Would you like to draw attention to your article? Try sending the bare-bones vital data to WorldConnect at http://www.rootsweb.com/. This is the same database as the Ancestry World Tree.
How do you do it? If you don't already have your people in a genealogy database program, just enter their vital data, citing your own work as the source. In the source description, include a comment on how to obtain the material. I like to also say, "This work is thoroughly documented." Then create a GEDCOM file, and look for "Family Trees (WorldConnect) at Rootsweb." Click on "Submit Your Family Tree" and read the instructions carefully. It is not difficult. I like WorldConnect because you can withdraw or replace your file at any time.
Shortly after posting the people in my book on Peter Mills of Windsor, Connecticut, the book sold out. I get queries and offers of further information fairly often. But most of the time people probably use it without contacting me.
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Spotlight: The Foothills Genealogical Society, Colorado
by Valerie Beaudrault
(http://www.foothillsgenealogy.org/)
The Foothills Genealogical Society is located in Lakewood, Colorado. Lakewood is the most populous city in Jefferson County, located in central part of the state. The Society serves Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties.
There are a number of searchable databases on its website. Click on the Databases and Indices link on the homepage to access these resources. One can search through the entire collection of databases by keyword from the Site-Wide Search on the Database and Index Inventory page or browse through the databases one by one. Under the Local Interest Databases link you will find the following databases:
Jefferson County, Colorado Marriage Index – 1860–1899
This alphabetical (by surname) index was created by the Foothills Genealogical Society from a published compilation of marriage records dated 1868 to 1895 (Jefferson County, Colorado, Marriages, Volume I and II by Janet Pease) and the paper marriage records found in the office of the Clerk and Recorder at the Jefferson County Courthouse. The data fields include name 1 (last, first), name 2 (last, first), date of the marriage, and book letter and page number. It should be noted that index contains a merged listing of brides and grooms.
Jefferson County Obituaries Database
This database indexes obituaries from the following newspapers: Arvada Journal Sentinel, Arvada Citizens, Arvada Citizen-Sentinel, Arvada Enterprise, Arvada Sentinel, Arvada Sun, Canyon Courier, Colorado Transcript, Denver Post, Edgewater Record, Golden Globe, Golden Transcript, Jefferson County Republican, Jefferson Sentinel, Lakewood Sentinel, Mountain News, Smoke Signals, and Western Mountaineer. It covers the period from 1859 to 1999. Click on the View Resource Key link to view the list of included dates for each publication. The data fields include last name, first name, publication (abbreviation), issue date, and volume, page and column numbers.
Jefferson County Residents Database
This index was developed from a number of sources including “local historical books with genealogical information, vital statistics records, Jefferson county records, correspondence, publications including local newspapers and genealogical publications, census records, and donated family histories and records from 1858–1945.” The data fields include the full name of the resident and the source(s) in which this individual’s name can be found. Click on the View Resource Key link to access a complete list of sources.
Boyer’s Funeral Records
This database indexes the undertaking-related entries in the account books of Henry Boyer of Georgetown, Colorado. The records in the account books have been divided into two sections, covering the periods from January 1874 through October 1888, February 1885 through October 1888. There is a more complete description of the account books and how the database was compiled on the Funeral Records main page. The data fields include name of the deceased, name on the record, remarks, the record date, and page number. The remarks contain a variety of information including cemetery in which the deceased was buried, date of death, cause of death, and much more.
Index to WWI Selective Service Draft Registration Cards for Jefferson County, Colorado
This database is an index to the microfilm for the World War I Selective Service Draft Registration Cards for Jefferson County men. The index does not include the Jefferson County men found in the microfilm reels containing the draft registration cards of Indians, prisoners, the insane, men in the hospital and late registrants. The data fields include full name, resident (city or town), birth date and month, birth year, US citizen, and place of birth. A detailed description of the 1917 Selective Service Act and three subsequent registrations can be found on the Draft Registration main page.
Index to Naturalization “Declaration of Intentions” File, Denver District Federal Court 17 April 1877 to 3 December 1929
This database is an index to Declarations of Intention filed in the Denver District Federal Court dated from April 17, 1877, through December 3, 1929. It should be noted that there are a limited number of records for the period prior to 1906, as naturalizations could be filed in courts other than federal courts. In 1906 laws were passed requiring naturalizations to be filed in federal courts. The later records contain more data than the earlier ones. The data fields include volume, page and certificate numbers, full name, country of birth, name of the country from which the individual was renouncing allegiance, year of birth, year of arrival, and year of filing Intent.
Foothills Inquirer Indices & Tables of Contents
This database is an alphabetical index to all names found in the Foothills Inquirer, a publication of the Society. It covers the period 1981–1990.
In addition there are alphabetical indexes to the 1885 census for Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson and, Park counties and indexes for a number of local history books and magazines.
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Stories of Interest
Professional genealogist Maureen Taylor, a frequent NEHGS author, was recently interviewed by CNN for a piece on genealogy and kids during the holidays. Read the full story at http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/12/19/family.history/index.html.
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From the Online Genealogist
Question:
My great-grandmother use to claim she had a famous magician cousin in her family tree by the name of Keller. Maybe in fact his name is Henry or Harry Kellar. Do you know how I can look up information about this person? He lived in the early 1900’s.
Answer:
The most conventional route is to check census records, city directories and obituaries to determine a person’s occupation. But the internet can supply a little magic of its own. Your magician appears in the database of Magicians at Magictricks.com – to search for his names go to http://www.magictricks.com/bios/whoswhocd.htm#SEARCH
This American-born magician “Harry Keller” was born as Heinrich Keller (1849-1922).
David Allen Lambert is the Society’s Online Genealogist. If you would like to ask him a question, contact him at onlinegenealogist@nehgs.org or visit his blog at http://www.davidlambertblog.com/. For more information about the Online Genealogist visit www.newenglandancestors.org/research/main/online_genealogist.asp. Please note that he will make every effort to reply to each message, but will respond on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Upcoming Public Lecture Series
Our lectures explore a wide range of research skills and sources and are free and open to the public. They are offered in the Richardson-Sloane Education Center at 101 Newbury Street on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 A.M. unless otherwise stated. Advance registration is not necessary.
Getting Started in Genealogy
January 6, 2006, 10:00 AM
New visitors will be welcomed, given a chance to introduce themselves, meet other new visitors, describe their research and have knowledgeable staff advise them on how to proceed. The thirty-minute welcome will be followed by a tour of the library.
Future programs for the first quarter of 2007 include (all programs at 10:00 am, Wednesday unless otherwise noted):
Jan 10, David Lambert, Getting the Most from NEHGS Databases
Feb 7, Marie Daly, New Visitor Welcome and Library Tour
Feb 14, David Dearborn, A Cornucopia of Records: Researching Essex County [MA] Ancestors
Feb 21, Tom Wilcox, Down to the Sea: Steamboats to Maine
Mar 3 (Saturday at 10:00 am), Marie Daly, New Visitor Welcome and Library Tour
Mar 7, Joshua Taylor, Creating Your Personal Genealogical Website
Mar 14, David Lambert, Getting the Most from NEHGS Databases
Mar 17 (Saturdsy at 10:00 am), Shelley Barber & Marie Daly, Researching Immigrant Documents: The Prendergast Letters
Mar 21, Martin Hollick, New Englanders in the 1600s
Mar 28, Rhonda McClure, Using Your Computer for Genealogical Analysis
For more information about lectures offered by New England Historic Genealogical Society, please go to the Education homepage at www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main or call 1-888-286-3447.
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Upcoming Education Programs
African American Genealogical Research Seminar
Saturday, February 10, 2007
This day-long seminar begins with tips on getting started on African American genealogical research, then progresses to lectures on southern slave ancestors and African Americans in pre-Civil War New England. There will also be an overview of pertinent manuscripts in the NEHGS Archives. Presenters include Kenyatta D. Berry, independent scholar; David Allen Lambert, NEHGS online genealogist; Judy Lucey, NEHGS assistant archivist; and Timothy Salls, NEHGS archivist. This program is co-sponsored by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, New England Chapter.
Registration fee: $75
For additional information and to register please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/african_american2007.pdf
Winter Weekend Research Getaway
Thursday, February 8 - Saturday, February 10, 2007
Winter Weekend Research Getaway at the New England Historic Genealogical SocietyNEHGS invites you to enjoy a research getaway at our library, one of the finest facilities for genealogical research in the country. Escape the winter doldrums by joining us for guided research, personal one-on-one consultations, morning lectures, and special access to the library, which will have extended hours just for you! Sign up now at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main/winter07_main.asp.
Research Week in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, February 25 - Sunday, March 4, 2007
Join us for our popular trip to the nation’s capital which offers a wealth of research opportunities for genealogists. Enjoy the benefits of working with our expert staff at the Library of Congress (LC), the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library and at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Sign up now at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main/washington_2007.asp.
Each year the Society presents a large number of lectures, seminars, and tours for genealogists. The following major programs will be held March-November 2007:
Writing Your Family History: Organizing Your Material and Getting Started Saturday, March 31, 2007
Seminar in Boston
DNA and Genealogy Saturday, April 21, 2007
Seminar in Boston
Research Day at NARA Northeast Region Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Location: Waltham, MA
Come Home to New England #1 Monday, June 18–Saturday, June 23, 2007
Tutorial program with consultations in Boston
Come Home to New England #2 Monday, August 6–Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tutorial program with consultations in Boston
English Family History Research Tour to London Sunday, September 9–Sunday, September 16, 2007
Lodging: Bloomsbury Holiday Inn
Research Tour to Salt Lake City Sunday, October 28–Sunday,November 4, 2007
Lodging: Salt Lake Plaza Hotel
For more information about NEHGS programs visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/main/ or email mailto:tours@nehgs.org.
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NEHGS Contact Information
We encourage you to email this newsletter to others who might be interested. To subscribe or view back issues of eNews, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/articles/NEXUS_eNews/enews_main.asp.
NEHGS eNews, like all of our programs, is made possible through the generous contributions of our members. For more information about giving to NEHGS visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/giving/.
To view the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/.
To become a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, please visit http://www.newenglandancestors.org/membership/levels/default.asp.
Copyright 2007, New England Historic Genealogical Society
101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
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