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| My daughter at Patton Park (yes, that's Gen. Patton's tank!) in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where her grandmother and great grandparents lived on Roosevelt Avenue. |
Every month on the 10th day I publish a "Top Ten" list pertaining to genealogy and family history. In no particular order here are my top ten suggestions for places to visit when you return to your ancestral hometown in New England to search for your roots…
1.) The Old Burial Ground.
Not, the new cemetery on the edge of town where folks are planted
nowadays. Go find the old colonial
churchyard in the center of town.
Usually behind the Congregational church (but not always!). Visit Find-A-Grave at home so you have an
idea of what you are looking for and who is buried there when you get to your New England hometown. If not, ask the cemetery department or the local historical society for a few
clues before you leave home (sometimes they have plot plans and maps). Don’t
forget your camera and bug spray.
2.) The local coffee
shop/ pub. This is especially fun if it
is an old establishment. Some towns in New England still have the old tavern
from the 1700s, or the chrome diner where your grandpa took grandma on dates
for milkshakes and burgers. Hang out and
ask questions. Ask the bartender,
barista or counter servers if anyone with your surname lives in town. We did this once and the guy in the next
booth shouted out “That’s me!”
3.) The local public
library. Ask the reference librarian if
there is a historical or local history section. Sometimes she will take out a
big key and bring you over to a locked room full of local goodies – vertical files,
town clerk records, grave yard inventories and genealogies. Sometimes it is just a shelf or two of local
history books. Ask for the phone book
to see if you still have living cousins in town.
4.) Make an
appointment to meet up with someone from the historical society. Not every town has a building or museum for
the local historical association, so sometimes whoever is in charge will meet
you at the town common and you can just chat.
If there is a museum, you’ll get a personal tour. If you tell them the
families of interest, they can pull materials or research ahead of your
visit. You never know what will happen
next if you make an appointment!
5.) Visit the church where
your ancestors worshiped. Usually it is
still standing. It may not be the same building, or it might still be the same building standing
from the 1700s. Even if the building is
newer, the congregation is probably the same and the records will be there.
Make sure you make an appointment because not all churches are open on days
other than Sunday. Note: many Congregational churches have historians you can consult, and they can show you old records.
6.) Go see the school your
ancestors attended. This is New England so lots of school buildings are over 100
years old. And we tend to recycle old
schools into condominiums, senior centers, libraries or what-have-you. One or two room school houses might now be
private homes. You may not be able to
see inside, but it’s still fun to see where great grandpa went to high school,
or the one-room school house your great grandmother attended.
7.) Find the old
homestead. The historical society or county
registry of deeds can tell you where your ancestors lived, or if the house was moved to another part of town. Maybe all that is left is the old stone wall
and pasture. Or there might be a new
house on the property. It’s worth
checking out! If it’s an older house
there might be a plaque with your ancestor’s name- something like “Francis
Wyman, circa 1666”. Chat up the
homeowners, because they might let you take photos or peek inside.
8.) Visit the places of
employment. Did your ancestors work in
the millyard? Farm a local pasture? Own a business downtown? Work in the railyard? Teach school?
Use Google maps satellite view or an old city directory to find out
where these places of employment were located and if they still exist.
9) Visit town
hall. Remember that in New England most records are kept at the town level, not at the county courthouse. If it is a very small town, the town hall might only be open a few days a week, so research the schedule ahead of
time. Or call the town clerk to find out
if you can peek at the records. This is
especially exciting if your ancestor was a town clerk or selectman- because
some of the records might be in their own handwriting. Even if your ancestor was a regular Joe, ask
to see the actual handwritten birth, marriage or death record in the books. It’s much more exciting than seeing it online
or on microfilm! Most town clerks are
friendly people, and you can judge that if you made a phone call ahead of
time. Bring cookies, flowers, or donuts
for the friendly ones and you will have made a good friend you can call up in
the future (someone who can look up something for you!).
Enjoy your trip to New England!
UPDATE! June 24, 2016 - There is a new group on Facebook
"Heritage Travel for Genealogists". It's worth joining to learn more!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneatravel/
UPDATE! June 24, 2016 - There is a new group on Facebook
"Heritage Travel for Genealogists". It's worth joining to learn more!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneatravel/
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Heather, this is a nice list of places to go to. Now, my list just got longer for my New England trip!
ReplyDeleteGreat top ten list---makes me want to pack!
ReplyDeleteWe're planning our first New England trip for later this year. Thanks for all the fun ideas!
ReplyDeleteSo many ancestral towns, cemeteries, homes, libraries, town halls, ... I might have to stay for months!
ReplyDelete...and that's a problem? LOL!
DeleteVisiting the local library, especially in a small town, is definitely worth it. I was in Elmwood, IL, stopped by the library and talked with the librarian about my genealogy search. She said she couldn't help me, but the assistant librarian, who was out to lunch, did genealogy and was a member of the family I was researching. After lunch, we net, and she had a trove of information she had gathered over the years, all sourced! And let me copy all of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky. I live here. And I've got trips planned for all kinds of places in New England. :)
ReplyDeleteNearly every Summer since I retired, I have gone to Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania to do research. You article reminded me of the places I need to visit when I go through the different towns. It certainly pays to plan in advance to visit these places.
ReplyDeleteI feel a long-stay trip to Wilton in my future. Some years ago, I had contact with the local historical society who sent me a digital copy nor my Dad’s Masters thesis from Boston University. I had always known it was out there, but never saw a copy to read…my Dad was weird like that; the staff at Harvard’s Weidner Library took some time looking for his doctoral dissertation but could not done it, so Wilton has the on,y co pay of his earlier work that I know.
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing story. My Dad (John W. Wilkinson) also went to Boston University.
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