Slavery in New England played a significant role in the region's early history. Cities like Boston and Newport were important ports for the transatlantic slave trade, with ships bringing enslaved Africans to be sold throughout the colonies. And while slavery had largely disappeared in New England by the early 19th century, the legacy of this institution had a lasting impact on the region's economic and social development.

The American War of Independence was not only a fight for freedom from a tyrannical world superpower. For an estimated 9,000 Black soldiers who fought for the patriot cause and roughly 20,000 for the Loyalists, emancipation was on the line.

Interested in researching your Lithuanian ancestors in the Old Country but not sure where to start? In this syllabus, Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press, James Heffernan, details the types of records that can be found in Lithuanian archives, how to access them, and tips for deciphering the languages (Lithuanian, Russian, Polish) that you are likely to encounter. It also includes information for finding a researcher based in Lithuania to access record sets that have not yet been digitized.

 With the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War fast approaching, you may be interested in documenting your family connection to an American patriot and applying to a lineage society. In this online presentation, Vice President of Research and Library Services Lindsay Fulton provides a step-by-step look at applying to Revolutionary War lineage societies including the application process and tips for when you can’t find vital records.

Created by American Ancestors Director of Research Services Lindsay Fulton
Published: May 2020
PDF Download, 7 pages

Hit a brick wall in your research? Cluster research is a method that broadens the scope of your research to include your ancestor’s extended family, associates, and neighbors—all with the goal of solving a genealogical mystery. But by broadening the scope of your research, you’re also increasing your number of leads, records, and results.

Most Americans with sizable New England Yankee, mid-Atlantic Quaker, or Southern “planter” ancestry are descended from medieval kings–kings of England, Scotland, and France especially. This book tells you how. Outlined on 1,084 pages of charts are the best royal descents–i.e., from the most recent king–of 900 (actually 993) immigrants to the American colonies, Quebec, or the United States who were themselves notable or left descendants notable in American history.

“In the 1660's three fugitives from justice came to New England to escape being drawn and quartered in London. They had been among the 59 judges in the trial of England's King Charles the First who found him guilty of betraying his own people and sentenced him to death by beheading. For the next eleven years, England was governed by men trying to create a different kind of government, one led not by a monarch with divine rights, but by the people.