Archive For The “Uncategorized” Category
An advertisement for the sale of enslaved Africans from the Gold Coast in Newport, Rhode Island, 1763.
We are excited to announce that we have published the Newport, RI: Records of Enslaved, Free, and Manumitted People of Color and Enslavers (17th – 19th Centuries) database to add 12,786 names and 11,827 records to the 10 Million Names Project.
In 2021, the Newport Historical Society (NHS), located in Newport, Rhode Island, set out to move the enslaved, manumitted, and free people of color who lived in Newport between the 17th and 19th centuries from the margins of its collections to the center. In four years, the Voices From the NHS Archives research initiative has grown from a spreadsheet cataloging references to people of color in the NHS manuscript collection to an interactive database and research tool that includes 5,600 digitized documents, over a dozen biographical histories, and records for more than 1,800 named people of African and Indigenous descent.
This database includes records for people African and Indigenous descent who were connected to Newport, Rhode Island, and the surrounding area—either through their presence in the town or through their enslavement and transport on voyages funded by Newport merchants—between roughly 1663 and 1865.
Data on enslaved, free and liminal status persons were drawn from a broad range of archival documents from the collection of the NHS. Materials include records from six religious groups, early colony censuses, family papers, merchants’ records, institutional records from Black-led organizations, legal and land evidence documents, and ship logs, among others.
This database is presented as part of the 10 Million Names Project. To learn more about 10 Million Names, please visit the project website. Thank you to Newport Historical Society for kindly donating the data used in this project.
Please note: This database is available to all NEHGS members, including Guest Members, at no cost. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added two new sketches to Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784. The people profiled in these sketches lived in Peru and Vernon.
These sketches were created by Scott Andrew Bartley, who is researching the heads of families who lived in Vermont prior to the Revolutionary War. His study project is not only identifying those who sought better lives on the frontier, but is also illustrating major players on the political and religious fronts and uncovering regional migration patterns for this period.
The following new sketches have been added:
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.
Today we’re announcing a major update to Suffolk County, MA Probate File Papers. This addition includes case numbers 62000-69999, a total of 182,322 new file papers. This collection now has a total of 1,407,486 pages.
This database was created from digital images and index contributed to American Ancestors by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. The probate cases include wills, guardianships, administrations, and various other types of probate records.
The complete Suffolk County File Papers collection will eventually cover cases 1-94,757, which includes years up to 1893. The cases are indexed chronologically, which allows us to present them in sections while digital photography is taking place. We will continue to add additional cases as they become available.
If you have questions on how to search this database, or about our collaboration with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives, please watch our video, How to Search Massachusetts Probate File Papers. The Massachusetts Archives also have a very helpful website that serves as a directory as to where you can find which pieces of probate information.
We’d like to thank our volunteer, Sam Sturgis, for all of his work on this update! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please reach out to our Database Volunteer Coordinator, Zobeida, at zobeida.chaffee-valdes@americanancestors.org.
Please note: This database is available to all American Ancestors members.
Today we’ve added Volume 24 (2023) to our American Ancestors Magazine database. This update includes 262 pages, 2,198 records, and 2,197 searchable names. These records are indexed by full names, publication year (not the year of the record), article titles, and authors.
The themes for each of the new issues are listed below:
24.1: Witchcraft Victims in Early America
24.2: 10 Million Names: Recovering the Names of America’s Enslaved People
24.3: Marking the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
24.4: The Enduring Power and Promise of Family History
American Ancestors features a wide range of article topics and styles including coverage of a particular region or group of people; case studies; descriptions of particular record sets; “how-to” articles; historic accounts that illuminate the past; research strategies and methodology; and accounts of migration and immigrant groups.
If you would like to view the latest issues online, be sure to visit our publications page. The entire run of American Ancestors is available in our research library, call number F1.N49. Interested researchers may also want to consult New England Ancestors, the publication that preceded American Ancestors magazine.
This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteer Sam Sturgis. If you would like to get involved in the database indexing process, please contact Zobeida Chaffee-Valdes, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator, at zobeida.chaffee-valdes@americanancestors.org.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider Membership.
Today we have published Volume 2: Surnames E-J for the database, Massachusetts: Biographical Entries of People of African Descent in New Bedford and Coastal Towns Also Once Part of Dartmouth (Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven). This update adds 13,603 names, 430 pages, and 7,005 records to the 10 Million Names Project. This database now consists of two volumes, and additional volumes will be added in the coming months.
Historian Kathryn Grover, author of The Fugitive’s Gibraltar: Escaping Slaves and Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts, compiled biographical entries of every person indicated as a person of color in New Bedford and historic Dartmouth (that is, Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven) through 1860. New Bedford was considered a major whaling port during the 19th century, as well as a significant stop on the Underground Railroad. Many freedom seekers settled there after escaping enslavement.
This database is presented as part of the 10 Million Names Project. To learn more about 10 Million Names, please visit the project website. Thank you to Kathryn Grover for kindly donating the data used in this project, and to the many volunteers who indexed the entries and helped make this database possible.
Please note: This database is available to all American Ancestors members, including Guest Members, at no cost. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added two new sketches and one updated sketch to Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784. The people profiled in these sketches lived in Weathersfield, Vernon, and Hartland.
These sketches were created by Scott Andrew Bartley, who is researching the heads of families who lived in Vermont prior to the Revolutionary War. His study project is not only identifying those who sought better lives on the frontier, but is also illustrating major players on the political and religious fronts and uncovering regional migration patterns for this period.
The following new sketches have been added:
Grout, Hilkiah (Vernon, Weathersfield)
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve updated our database: Vermont Genealogy, adding Volume 22 from 2017. This database is available thanks to our partnership with the Genealogical Society of Vermont. This update adds 224 pages and 5,003 names. The index for this database includes full names, the publication year (not the year of the records), and article titles and authors.
Vermont Genealogy made its debut as a quarterly journal in January 1996. In addition to featuring compiled genealogies, the journal often contains other material including: freeman’s lists, church memberships and dismissals, newspaper vital record abstracts, probate abstracts, cemetery transcriptions, Bible records, Civil War journals, 1890 Census reconstructions, book reviews, and “Seen Elsewhere,” a bibliography of other journal articles relevant to Vermont.
In 2009, Vermont Genealogy switched to semi-annual publication with spring and fall issues. Appointed editor in 2016, Michael F. Dwyer, FASG, has expanded the scope of coverage to include nineteenth-century century immigrant studies, “Gems from the Vermont State Archives,” and continuation of family sketches from “Vermont Families in 1791.”
This update is made possible by the efforts of our volunteer Sam Sturgis. If you are interest in joining our team of volunteers, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Zobeida, at zobeida.chaffee-valdes@americanancestors.org.
The entire run of Vermont Genealogy is available at our American Ancestors research library, call number F48.V48 1996.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.
We are happy to announce that the volume “Supplemental Applications” has been added to our database, Massachusetts: Society of Colonial Wars Membership Applications, 1560-1970. This update contains 12,400 pages, 136,123 records, and 324,844 names.
Since its founding in 1893, the SCWMA has combined fraternal good fellowship with a dedication to promoting patriotic values and a knowledge of colonial American history, particularly its military dimension.
This database provides records that includes the applicant’s name, their colonial ancestor, and the birth, marriage, and death information for each generation of descendants on the application. In addition, the membership numbers for the state and the general society are displayed.
The page number for the applications are in the format [MA state member number]:[supplemental number]:[page number].
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.
Today we’ve added two new sketches to Early Vermont Settlers, 1700-1784. The people profiled in these sketches lived in Vernon.
These sketches were created by Scott Andrew Bartley, who is researching the heads of families who lived in Vermont prior to the Revolutionary War. His study project is not only identifying those who sought better lives on the frontier, but is also illustrating major players on the political and religious fronts and uncovering regional migration patterns for this period.
The following new sketches have been added:
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.
We are happy to announce that we have added Volume 72 (2024) to the Mayflower Descendant database. This update adds 222 pages, 4,095 records, and 4,065 searchable names. The indexing for these records includes full names, publication year (not the year of the record), article titles, and authors.
The Mayflower Descendant was originally published by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants starting in 1899. In 2015, American Ancestors assumed stewardship of the venerable journal. It is an essential source of information on many New England families, and its focus is not limited to those with Mayflower lineage. The journal includes transcriptions and abstracts of deeds, wills, vital records, and other original documents. In addition, it features compiled genealogies and analytical studies of genealogical problems.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members only. Consider membership.