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A Center for Excellence in Family History Programming

The Brue Family Learning Center is dedicated to introducing family and local history to a national and international audience. Founded by Nord and Suzanne Brue, the Center supports the creation of programming aimed at helping both the novice and experienced genealogist -- and engaging anyone with an interest in researching family history.  

Located on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay, New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)—known online as American Ancestors to millions of users—is the nation’s oldest and largest genealogical society. The gift will endow the creation of a new Brue Family Learning Center as part of a campus expansion program to introduce family and local history to wider audiences. It will also fund the creation of unique program content in family history for the organization’s online and special events offerings. 

Image of the Brue Family Learning Center
I felt like I had hit a wall in my research and your class showed me the door to continue. Thank you so much! I appreciate it more than words can express.
Jean L.

Founders Suzanne and Nordahl Brue

In 2019, Bruegger’s Bagels co-founder Nordahl Brue and his wife Suzanne Brue gave $1.5 million to American Ancestors/NEHGS to endow a family history learning center to help anyone learn more about their ancestry. 

The Brue Family Learning Center produces hundreds of family history programs each year, which reach many thousands of people around the world.

 

Suzanne and Nord Brue

Upcoming Lectures

Lecture
Online
Free

Using Tax Records in Your Family History Research

In this lecture, Senior Genealogist Melanie McComb will provide an overview U.S. tax records—including the types of tax records available, where to locate records, and how the information in these records can advance your research.

April 18, 2024
Kathleen Mackenzie
Lecture
Online
Free

Harridans and Heroines: The Women of Castle Howard

The women of Castle Howard were not merely decorative figures, languishing from boredom or ill-health; nor were they simply wives whose sole duty was to provide an heir. They were dynamic, combative individuals, who wrote, painted, travelled, pursued political careers, as well as superintending several family homes. This talk challenges how we look at great houses and estates: they were not the exclusive preserve, or responsibility, of the male members of the family.

Rescheduled Date!
April 19, 2024
Curt DiCamillo

Arts & Architecture

Lecture
In Person
Paid

Boston DiCamillo Rendezvous

Join American Ancestors Curator of Special Collections and beloved raconteur Curt DiCamillo for a richly illustrated lecture and tea revealing the fanciful world of the English country house as written about by Jane Austen. This fun-filled and entertaining event will take place at the Chilton Club, where there will be a delicious tea and camaraderie with fellow enthusiasts.

May 3, 2024

Arts & Architecture

Lecture
Online
Free

Heraldic Decorative Arts in Colonial and Revolutionary America

Embroidered, painted, stamped, carved, and engraved coats of arms enjoyed continuous popularity in colonial and Revolutionary America. As expressions of family identity—remembered or aspirational—, heraldic arts are among the most compelling and enduring symbols of our interest in family roots. We will survey the major genres of heraldic decoration from the seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries, considering how, why, when, and for whom they were made, and focusing on some examples from the collections of American Ancestors.

May 16, 2024

Art & Architecture

Lecture
Online
Free

Closing the Golden Doors: The Immigration Act of 1924

In this online lecture, Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure will discuss the historical context of the Immigration Act of 1924, how the act shaped immigration records, and how the “closing of the golden doors” impacted the lives of your ancestors.

May 23, 2024
Lecture
Online
Paid

The Cock & Lion: French Design in British Historic Houses

Enemies for centuries, the British and French frequently found common ground on art—French art, that is! Join Curator of Special Collections Curt DiCamillo for a brilliantly illustrated exposé of French design and decorative arts within British townhouses, country estates, and palaces.

May 28, 2024

Art & Architecture

Lecture
Online
Free

Sandstone & the Blue Whale: Stories from One of the World’s Oldest Botanic Gardens

Founded in 1670, Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden is one of the oldest surviving botanic gardens in the world. This illustration-rich webinar will feature some of the most interesting stories of the history of this exceptional garden and offer insight into how the garden’s mission to “explore, conserve, and explain the world of plants” is realized in practical terms today.

Moderated by Curt DiCamillo
July 12, 2024

Art & Architecture