Genealogy Jottings

Last December my husband/tech advisor gave me a wonderful Christmas gift—a membership in the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), sometimes known as HisGen. He assumed, correctly, that I would like this gift because I have numerous New England ancestors.

So far this year I have enjoyed reading the publications I have received from NEHGS. These include the magazine American Ancestors and the journal The
Register. Both come packed with information of genealogical interest.

Members also have online access to the databases the Society offers. I have spent most of my time this year working on my Nordic ancestors, so I have not used these databases much yet. I would like to find time to dig into them to search for more information on my New England lines.

In addition to its publications and website, NEHGS provides yet another opportunity for me to learn about my American ancestors. They offer webinars. I have now registered for my first one.

This afternoon I will log in for Top 10 Published Resources for Early New England Research. I think I already know what some of these resources might be, but I cannot tick off a list of ten. A webinar pointing me to sources I should use will help me formulate a research plan when I am ready to tackle my New England lines.

So who are these colonial ancestors of mine? They belong to my paternal grandmother, Grace (Riddle) Reed (1896-1976):

• Her grandmother, Olive Hall (Dunbar) Riddle (1823-1902), was the New Englander. Olive was born at Chatham, MA to Benjamin E. Dunbar (1776-1831) and Rhoda Hall (1784-aft 1850).
• Benjamin E. Dunbar descended from Robert Dunbar (1630-1696) of Hingham, MA. Surnames of women who married into this Dunbar line include Hathaway, Cole, and Garnet.
• Rhoda Hall descended from John Hall (abt. 1611-1696) who settled on Cape Cod. Other surnames in this line include Snow, Burgess, Bramhall, and Bangs.

My wonderful Christmas gift provides me with so many ways to learn more about my New England roots. All of those I have mentioned can be used from home. There is one more option. The Society maintains a wonderful library in Boston. Perhaps I will take a trip to use it someday.