Coming Together to Celebrate America at 250

 

 by Juliana Szucs

No matter how or when our ancestors came to be in this country, we are all connected to its history. This year’s celebration of America at 250 is the perfect time to reflect on the stories, struggles, resilience, and changes that forged our nation. Each family carries part of the American story, and as family historians, it’s our time to shine! 

What makes the United States remarkable is its diversity. America was shaped by many paths—voluntary and forced, some hopeful and some harrowing. As genealogists, we understand the complexities of our history. Family history encompasses not just the who, but the where, when, and how. That is where the stories live. But not all of those stories have been preserved in the same ways, if they were preserved at all. 

Growing up in a genealogy household, I always knew my own story was a unique blend—Polish, Hungarian, Irish, French, and English. That awareness shaped how I understood myself and my place in history. My daughter recently wrote about her ties to her Hungarian roots through the family recipes that were passed down. That spurred an interest for her to call me to learn more about the immigrant ancestors who brought those recipes to this country, as they came seeking a new life. (Yes, I was more than happy to oblige!)  

For many communities, including African American, Indigenous, Asian American, Latino, Pacific Islander, and some other immigrant populations, family history has been carried through memories and stories retold, songs, dance, foods, and celebrations, rather than traditional written records. Even so, lives that were erased, overlooked, or excluded from traditional archives can still be reconstructed when we broaden our understanding of what family history looks like and where it lives. 

Knowing where we come from helps us better understand who we are— and whose stories we may still be missing. When my mom embarked on our family history journey many years ago, genealogical and historical societies were incredibly helpful, and they are still a vital part of the genealogical community, guarding our access to records, helping with preservation, education, and other initiatives.  

As we prepare for a year-long celebration of America at 250, societies have a unique opportunity to ask deeper questions of themselves. Whose stories are present in our collections, programs, and narratives? Are our projects and programs reflecting the diversity of the community we represent? Whose stories are missing—and why? How can we ensure that our work reflects the multifaceted histories of the communities we serve? Do we have programs for a younger generation who might share the same interest the recipe sparked in my daughter? 

Programs based on smaller communities in the area where our ancestors lived are just as important as the larger ethnic population—even if you don’t have direct ties to that smaller community.  After all, they were our ancestors’ neighbors. Their very presence in the area is significant when it comes to adding context. As ethnic communities melded together here in America, you may even find that a foreign tradition made it into your family. (Hey, you don’t have to be Polish to enjoy a Paczki on Fat Tuesday!) 

The current issue of National Genealogical Society Magazine includes an article by Lauren Peichtel and Nicole Martinez-LeGrand, which looks at ways we can strengthen and grow the field of family history, expanding interest with inclusive programs that go beyond the traditional lectures and workshops. That article can be found online for free (for both members and non-members). 

We’ll also be exploring ways we can join in our nation’s 250th Anniversary with new ideas for your family history here on the UpFront blog, so stay tuned here and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Diverse family history programming not only expands historical context; it fosters empathy, builds understanding, and strengthens relationships within our communities. By listening to underrepresented voices, learning the histories of the places we research, and forming meaningful partnerships, societies can help more people see themselves reflected in America’s past—and its future. 

Throughout this commemorative year, we invite societies and researchers alike to explore what America250 looks like through the lens of family history for everyone.

 

 

Celebrate Black History Month and Explore Resources for Family History Research

Join the National Genealogical Society (NGS) in honoring Black History Month in February.

As Americans prepare to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, learn about the abundant contributions of Black Americans to the United States and explore family history.

In honor of the US Semiquincentennial, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is offering new resources and information, entitled African American Participation in the American Revolution. The Daughters of the American Revolution provides a Quick Start Guide on African American research that includes a section on African Americans during the Revolutionary War. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture and its Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History are two other valuable resources.

Below are additional links that can help you research Black ancestry.

• 10 Million Names (a collaborative project dedicated to remembering the estimated 10 million enslaved individuals in the US)
• African American Heritage (National Archives and Records Administration, NARA)
• African American Newspapers (Chronicling America, Library of Congress)
• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (and AAHGS local chapters)
• Center for Family History (International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina)
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database (National Park Service)
• Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874 (FamilySearch)
• Freedmen’s Bureau Records (FamilySearch)
• Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau (a project designed for genealogy and local history researchers)
• Rediscovering Black History (NARA blog)
• Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (a lineage society for descendants of enslaved individuals from 1619-1865)
• Southern Claims Commission (FamilySearch guide to the records with links to some online available records)

ConferenceKeeper.org offers a calendar of upcoming events that focus on African American research, and FamilySearch Wiki features a comprehensive resource for African American genealogy.

These are just some of the many resources available to those exploring Black family history. We hope they help you open new opportunities for discovery. 

National Genealogical Society Welcomes Major General (Retired) Garrett Yee as Honorary Chairman of Veteran Bounty Land Records Capital Campaign

Major General (Retired) Garrett S. Yee (courtesy of General Yee)

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is proud to announce the appointment of Major General (Retired) Garrett S. Yee as Honorary Chairman of the Veteran Bounty Land Records (VBLR) capital fundraising campaign, a landmark initiative to preserve and digitize historic U.S. military records.

This ambitious $2.5 million project, part of the Preserve the Pensions initiative, aims to preserve, index, digitize, and make accessible online more than 360,000 bounty land warrant application files from veterans of early American wars. The records housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) include information about veterans of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican-American War, and other frontier conflicts. When complete, these invaluable records will be freely accessible to genealogists, historians, educators, and the public, enabling the discovery of family histories and stories long hidden from view.

"We are honored to welcome General Garrett Yee as our Honorary Chairman," said David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS, FNGS, President of the National Genealogical Society. "Garrett's distinguished service to our nation and his leadership embody the spirit of this project, honoring those who served while connecting future generations with the personal narratives and legacies of their ancestors."

Major General (Ret.) Yee brings to this honorary role a distinguished record of military leadership, strategic vision, and public service. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a graduate of Santa Clara University. He holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His career culminated as Assistant to the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), supporting global defense communications and information technology operations, before retiring in 2022 with numerous awards recognizing his leadership and service.

In his civilian career following military retirement, General Yee has continued his commitment to mission-driven leadership, including roles in the defense and technology sectors, reinforcing his dedication to service and community impact.

"As we celebrate 250 years of the American experience, I am deeply honored to serve as Honorary Chairman of this effort to preserve and share important historical records of those who helped shape our nation," said General Yee. "The bounty land files held at NARA reflect service and sacrifice while highlighting the immense value our country places on those who serve. The bounty lands were the way our nation compensated early American soldiers and sailors for their service. I am proud to help bring this project, and the stories of those men and women, to life."

The Veteran Bounty Land Records contain the application materials submitted by early patriots and their survivors to receive land as compensation for their service. The files connect countless Americans to the personal stories of patriotism and resilience in our early history. The VBLR campaign, officially launched in 2023 by the National Genealogical Society and NARA in collaboration with lead partners the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and FamilySearch. The project has already raised more than $1 million toward its goal. NGS invites donors, genealogical societies, corporations and foundations, history and patriotic organizations, and all who value historical preservation to join in completing this campaign.

For more information about the Veteran Bounty Land Records Project, visit ngsgenealogy.org/veteran-bounty-land-records-project/.

Strategies to Jumpstart Your Research

by Juliana Szucs

Every year at this time, I feel the tug of family history. After the holidays, genealogists invariably feel a renewed burst of interest in their family history research.  Even with 45+ years of researching with my mom, I’m once again confronting our toughest research challenges. Some of you may be in a similar situation, so this week, as I try to jumpstart my own research, I thought I’d share a few strategies with you.  

Write It Up 

I’ve been writing about family history for more than twenty-five years, and I can tell you one thing: nothing opens your eyes like writing about your research. I will not embarrass myself by telling you how many times this practice has shot a big old hole in a working research theory. Yet, just as often, it has opened new doors. 

Use a notebook or your computer as a sounding board as you try to sort out what is holding you back. As ideas develop, try not to abandon the exercise completely. Instead, make notes as you think of things. Write all your thoughts—wild and not-so-wild—and then, when you’re done, set out to prove or disprove any theories you came up with while writing. You may discover that the real problem isn’t a lack of records, but an assumption you’ve been carrying unchallenged for years. 

Study the History 

I know I say this all the time, but it’s tried and true: learn the history of the area where your ancestors lived. Find out when it was settled and by whom. Note prominent early settlers and the groups that moved into the area at various times. 

Pay attention to economic patterns, transportation routes, land availability, religious institutions, and political changes. If your ancestor disappears from records for a decade, history may explain why. War, migration booms, boundary changes, epidemics, and religious or ethnic persecution all leave genealogical fingerprints if we know where to look. 

It’s been said that newspapers are the diary of a community. Turn to them for insights into what was happening in the areas where your research is stumbling. Instead of searching for names, read the stories. Were there biases in the area that may have impacted your ancestors? You may find clues in local events, like a factory closing, or weather events like a prolonged drought or catastrophic hurricane. Sometimes we just don’t know what we’re looking for until we start browsing.  

Individual membership in the National Genealogical Society (NGS) comes with free access to NewspaperArchive. (Just log in and access is available from the Learning Center dropdown menu or the link above.) If no newspaper exists for your ancestor’s community, search for a town, township, county name, or the name of a nearby larger city. You may find your ancestor’s community mentioned in papers based in other areas.  

Look for Commonalities in Census Records 

Browsing your ancestor’s neighborhood in the census can reveal trends you’ll never notice by focusing on a single household. Check for people in the area with a birthplace that matches an ancestor’s birthplace elsewhere in your research. 

In later censuses, look at immigration dates for people who share your ancestor’s ethnicity. Do multiple families arrive within a narrow window of time? Do surnames repeat across households, or are you finding surnames that match those of legal witnesses or religious sponsors? These patterns may point to chain migration, shared origins, or extended kinship networks that don’t show up neatly in pedigrees. 

Religious Communities 

Religious communities are often communities within communities, especially for immigrants and minority groups. Churches, synagogues, and other faith institutions served as social anchors, record keepers, and support systems. 

Catholic research, in particular, has taught me this lesson repeatedly. Parish and diocesan boundaries don’t always align with civil ones, and families often traveled farther than expected to attend a church that matched their language or tradition. In some cases, the opposite is true; an absence of churches for an ancestor’s faith may have led them to a similar congregation from another sect or a different religion entirely. 

Baptismal sponsors, marriage witnesses, and burial locations can reveal relationships that civil records never document. If your ancestor seems to vanish from the civil record, ask yourself whether you’ve truly exhausted the religious ones. 

Flex Your Research Muscles 

Sometimes when I’m stumped, I’ll move on to an unrelated case. Don’t have one? Pick a different random family in the area and research the heck out of them—extra credit if they’re in your ancestor’s FAN club (Friends, Associates, Neighbors). 

Even someone unrelated at all might help. Grab an obituary or census record with some solid information and see how far you can get. If you’re working in the same area as your problematic ancestor, you may discover record sets, repositories, or research techniques that then apply directly to your own case. At the very least, you’ll stay sharp and avoid burnout. 

Education 

Sometimes breaking out of a rut requires new information. When we can’t find what we may be missing in records, we often need to learn something new. A new methodology, a record type we’ve avoided, or historical context we’ve overlooked may open doors to unexpected avenues of research. 

The good news is that genealogical education is easier to find than ever. Webinars, conferences, study groups, institutes, and society programs offer targeted learning for every experience level. 

At NGS, it’s literally what we do: education and preservation—and we’re here to help. Take time to browser through our website. You’ll discover great publications including NGS Magazine, The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and the Upfront blog. NGS also has published many excellent books on specific research topics as well as guidebooks for research across America. Other NGS educational opportunities include workshops and online courses that allow you to work at your own pace. 

If that’s not enough online learning for you, ConferenceKeeper can keep you abreast of many more learning opportunities in the genealogy community, both virtual and in-person. 

And, of course, the NGS Family History Conference provides opportunities for you to learn from the best in the fields as you network with other genealogists who are traveling the same research paths you are. Registration is open for this year’s event in Fort Wayne, home to the world-class genealogy collections and access available at the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. 

When research stalls, investing in yourself as a genealogist may be the most productive research step you take all year.