Grouper Returned Over $22,000 to NGS Members with Medicare Plans

We recently heard from the team at Grouper that over 260 members (over the age of 65 who have Medicare Advantage or Benefit plans) received dues reimbursement checks returning over $22,000 to our members.

Grouper is a "social fitness" company, working with health plans to keep Americans physically and mentally active as they age. When you join and participate in qualifying activities with organizations like NGS, Grouper works with your health plan to support the costs of participation by reimbursing you for membership dues. 

If you or someone you know if 65 and over, have them check out how to have their NGS dues reimbursed at https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/grouper-covers-your-dues/.

October is Family History Month

The fall is a perfect time of year to begin or expand your family history research. We've added new and updated free Family History Month resources for individuals and organizations.

Look for refreshed PDFs on how you can record, scan, write, and share your family
stories. Use them to ease into your own projects or as a resource your genealogy
organization can share to inspire more people to begin or restart their family history
journey. This year we also included a new PDFs on joining and participating in NGS and other genealogy societies and organizations.

You can also find downloadable social media graphics for you to use freely. Organizations can insert their own logos (clear backgrounds only please; no logos on white backgrounds) onto all documents as necessary.

New Board Takes Office

The National Genealogical Society's 2024-2026 Board of Directors officially takes office today, 1 October 2024. Elected in August, the new board includes 16 officers and directors. Executive Director Matt Menashes, CAE, is a non-voting member of the board bringing the total to 17 members. One officer vacancy will be filled before the end of the year.

The new board is led by President David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS, FNGS, and Vice President Rebecca Koford, CG, CGL.

Additional board members are:

Secretary Ellen Pinckney Balthazar, MS

Treasurer Doug Klein, CPA

Director, Region One Reem Awad-Rashmawi, JD

Director, Region Two Lisa Fanning

Director, Region Three Marlis Humphrey

Director, Region Four Pamela Sayre, CG Emeritus, FUGA

Director at Large Ed Donakey

Director at Large John Dougan

Director at Large Janice Cross Gilyard

Director at Large Andre Kearns

Director at Large Judy Nimer Muhn

Director at Large Cheri Hudson Passey

Director at Large Fr. Symeon Williams

Past President Kathryn Doyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Occupation: Laborer—Discovering the Stories of Your Hardworking Ancestors

By Juliana Szucs

Our first introduction to the occupations of our ancestors usually comes from census and vital records, or from city directories. For many of us that introduction reads, “occupation: laborer.” While not terribly insightful, with some digging, we can learn much more about our ancestors’ labors.

William Dennis, “milkman” living at State n. R[ed] H[ook] Lane in the Spooner’s 1834 Brooklyn city directory, doesn’t tell us much, but Henry R. Stiles’ A History of the City of Brooklyn,[1] reveals details about the “Milkmen’s dock,” at the foot of Orange Street, near his home.

“Here every morning, rain or shine, came the vendors of lacteal fluid, stabled their horses in a row of sheds erected for the purpose, under the shelter of the Heights; and, clubbing together in the hire of boats, were rowed with their milk-cans over to New York, encountering, not infrequently, during the severe winter months, much suffering and even serious danger from fierce winds and floating ice. Their cans were suspended from yokes across their shoulders, and thus accoutered they peddled off their milk in the city and returned in the afternoon, wind and weather permitting, to the Brooklyn side where they hitched up their teams and started for their homes.”

Local histories, like this one, are available online via resources including Internet Archive, Google Books, Hathi Trust, and at websites of local libraries, archives, and genealogical and historical organizations.

Newspapers provide coverage of working conditions, strikes, local economic conditions, and so much more. The day-to-day insights into your ancestor’s hometown (albeit sometimes tinged with the political undertones of the reporting newspaper) can give you an up close and personal look at the impact your ancestor’s occupation had on their lives and the lives of those in the community.

For example, in March 1910, a general strike was called by the Central Federated Union[2] on behalf of Philadelphia’s rapid transit workers. Strikebreakers and police were brought in, and temporary housing was set up, in an effort to thwart the strike. Violence, resulting in injuries and the loss of life and property, occurred regularly over the course of the nearly 3-week strike, including an incident where new employees of the Rapid Transit Company (RTC), fired from streetcars into a crowd in the street.

Other unions stepped up in solidarity with the RTC, including an estimated 40,000 workers from the building trades, 30,000 textile workers, 20,000 metal workers, 19,000 from the garment industry, and thousands in transportation.[3] The strike had a direct impact on their families, as well as those living and conducting business in Philadelphia.

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer, online at NewspaperArchives.com. 

As with local histories, historical newspapers are becoming increasingly available online in subscription collections and free with projects like the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America, among others. Members of the National Genealogical Society enjoy free access to the collections of NewspaperArchive.com as a benefit of membership. Searches for your ancestor’s employer or a union they may have been a part of can bring some wonderful insights into your laboring ancestors.

Other clues can be found in sources like census records and related agricultural, manufacturing, and industrial schedules. Changes of occupation or in assets recorded in census schedules can reflect upturns and downturns in a farm or business. And look for columns in state and federal census records that may provide clues regarding employment and/or unemployment during the census year. For example, the 1880 U.S. federal censuses the number of months that a person was employed within the census year.

City and county directories may show changes of occupation from year to year, in which case some additional research in the sources mentioned above may reveal a cause.

Where there were strikes, go beyond the impact of the strike and get to the reasons behind it. What were the working conditions like? How old were your laboring ancestors when they entered the workforce? When did they leave? The answers to these and so many more questions can enrich your family story as you seek to commemorate your ancestors and how their labor helped build America.

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[1] Henry Reed Stiles, “A History of the City of Brooklyn: including the old town and village of Brooklyn, the town of Bushwick, and the village and city of Williamsburgh, vol. II” online images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb02stil/page/n145/mode/2up: accessed 27 Aug 2024).

[2] Julianne Kornacki, “General Strike of 1910,” online article, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/general-strike-of-1910/: accessed 27 Aug 2024.

[3] “P.R.T. Still Firm Despite Threat of State Strike,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, online at NewspaperArchive.com, p. 1, col. 7. (https://access.newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/philadelphia/philadelphia-inquirer/1910/03-10: accessed 28 Aug 2024)

NGS Magazine articles (Archived and available to logged in NGS members here.)

Antaya, Jeff. “Reference Desk: Mining Families with Employment Records.” NGS Magazine 42 (Jan–Mar 2016): 44–47.

Baldwin, Jen. “Going Underground: Mining Industry Records.” NGS Magazine 41 (Jul–Sep 2015): 31–35.

Kluskens, Claire Prechtel. “Butter Makers and More: Revelations of the 1929 Census of Manufacturers.” NGS Magazine 43 (Jul–Sep 2017): 61–64.

Lyttle, Annette Burke. “Uncovering the Stories of Farming Ancestors.” NGS Magazine 43 (Jul–Sep 2017): 31–34.

Martin, Joseph F. “Calumet and Hecla Mining Records.” NGS Magazine 35 (Jan–Mar 2009): 55–58.

Pinnick, Tim. “Coal Miner Research.” NGS Magazine 32 (Jul–Sep 2006): 23–26.

Stamm, Patricia Walls. “Occupations in Our Family Tub.” NGS Magazine 32 (Jan–Mar 2006): 12–15.

Stuart-Warren, Paula. “Tracking Railroads and Railroad History.” NGS Magazine 32 (Apr–Jun 2006): 21–25.

Join our Culture Conversation with Ashlee Davis, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ancestry

Join us for a captivating conversation on the Power of Conversations To Tell the Stories That Unite Us with Ashlee Davis, Ancestry's Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Ashlee Davis, J.D. brings 15 years of diversity and civil rights experience to lead Ancestry’s global end-to-end Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) strategy. Her professional experience spans the industries of private, nonprofit, and the Executive branch of the federal government, where she held roles in agriculture, finance, banking, and social services. Ashlee served six years in the Obama administration in positions including the Senior Advisor for Civil Rights and Director of the National LGBT Rural Summer Series, a national initiative to connect LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities with resources to address food insecurity, housing, and youth empowerment.   

In her role, Ashlee heads policies and programs to foster an inclusive and equitable work environment where there are diverse voices and backgrounds at the table. She also partners with product and marketing leaders to create inclusive product experiences to help everyone easily discover, craft and connect around their family story.

Ashlee is a native of Nashville, TN, a proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Howard University School of Law, an avid sports fan, and someone with wanderlust who is always planning her next adventure with her life partner.

23 October 2024 8:00 p.m. ET

Registration

NGS Announces Special One-Time Only GRIP Course with Tom Jones

NGS is pleased to announce the addition of a one-time only special GRIP Genealogy Institute course with Tom Jones. Work with the expert on mastering genealogical proof standards with the special course offering and new case studies! 

Registration opens on 14 August [NEW DATE]

Courses Announced for GRIP Genealogy Institute's 2025 Lineup

NGS has announced the lineup for the 2025 GRIP Genealogy Institute courses. Plan ahead to join us online or in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Summer of 2025.

Join our Culture Conversation with Mark Russ Federman about Food, the Family Business, and New York City

Join David Morrow for a "chew and a chat" with Mark Russ Federman, author of Russ & Daughters: The House That Herring Built, which made the NY Times extended best-seller list. Mark is NGS Executive Director Matt Menashes's first cousin once removed; Matt will join David and Mark for the event.

The conversation will explore the "Jewish food" experience in New York City, starting with Joel Russ, a Polish-Jewish immigrant selling pickled herring from a pushcart on the Lower East Side to the ubiquity of bagels in modern America. The conversation will cover New York City life, family business, and generational change over 100 years, with fun and a lesson on lox.

Mark's passion for food and family history, and the Russ family's connection to the immigrant experience in New York make for a memorable conversation, incredible stories, and a chance to learn more about the food and culture that add so much to the American experience.

7 August 2024 8:00 p.m. ET

Registration