Did you have New England Ancestors living in New England immediately before, during, and after the American Revolution as well in the early years of the New Republic? Do you know their history and how they coped with the many historic disruptions during this time? Even though you may not share any roots from this geographical area, there are many factors that started in New England that still impact us all.

In many respects, New England was a catalyst of the Revolution, very active in the formation of the New Republic, the site of the start of the American industrial revolution and was the source of many people who emigrated west during this time.  John will share the importance to understand these events to improve your chances to tackle New England brick walls and to understand the very stressful times in which our ancestors lived.  While records are important to prove your genealogical past, it is often difficult to know where to look for these records unless you know the area’s history not to mention the formative activities that our ancestors undertook which provide rich stories for your family histories. Certainly, events as disruptive of these also can disrupt the records too.

 

John likes to customize his talks to his audiences. He asks that attendees share with him the following information:

1. What are your top 3-5 New England surnames and in what towns & states did they live during this time period?

2. Did any of your ancestors emigrate west during this time period? If yes, please provide brief details and to where they immigrated.

3. What information about New England during this time period would most benefit your research?

Please provide this information to jeputnam@aol.com show New England PPGS Part 2 in the Subject caption.

Surprisingly few years in the Colonial and United States periods were without military conflict – some at a limited level, some worldwide. As a result, a large number of our ancestors are likely to have served during one or more conflicts; leaving behind military service records. In addition, many of our civilian ancestors participated in the cause by providing time, labor, and/or materials and others were effected by conflict directly (plantation burned down) or indirectly (rationing). This class will be a lecture about military records including:

There are times when it seems that an ancestor must have been dropped to Earth (or swept away therefrom) by aliens. No matter how hard you try, no matter how many records you search, nothing provides you with explicit information (direct evidence) on that ancestor’s parents, or what became of his children, etc. But even in the absence of such direct evidence, it is possible to arrive at valid conclusions using indirect evidence and negative evidence. This class will be a combined lecture and workshop about the thought processes and methods used to arrive at a genealogical conclusion in the absence of direct evidence. Included will be: