Brue Family Learning Center
The Brue Family Learning Center
A Center for Excellence in Family History Programming
The Brue Family Learning Center is dedicated to introducing family and local history to national and international audiences. Founded by Nord and Suzanne Brue, the Center supports the creation of programming aimed at helping anyone start or advance their family history journey.
Located on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay, American Ancestors, founded as the New England Historic Genealogical Society, is the nation’s oldest and largest genealogical society. The Brue Family Learning Center is part of a capital expansion project to introduce family and local history to wider audiences.
Philanthropic leadership from the Brue Family also supports the creation of unique program content for American Ancestors' online education offerings.
Founders Suzanne and Nordahl Brue
In 2019, Bruegger’s Bagels co-founder Nordahl Brue and his wife Suzanne Brue gave $1.5 million to American Ancestors to endow a family history learning center to help anyone learn more about their ancestry.
The Brue Family Learning Center produces hundreds of family history programs each year, which reach many thousands of people around the world.
Upcoming Lectures
7th Annual New York City DiCamillo Companion Rendezvous
Join Curt DiCamillo, American Ancestors' Fine Art Curator, for a dive into the amazing story of America's greatest banker and his intense passion for art and beauty. This fun filled event will take place at Colony Club in New York City where American Ancestors President Emeritus and Chief Stewardship Officer D. Brenton Simons will begin the program, presenting Curt DiCamillo and his new illustrated lecture. Following the lecture will be a reception where Curt will be signing your included copy of his new book A British Country House Alphabet, Volume 1!
Jewish Country Houses
Country houses are powerful symbols of national identity, evoking the glamorous world of the landowning aristocracy. Jewish country houses—properties that were owned, built, or renewed by Jews—tell a more complex story of prejudice and integration, difference and connection. Drawing on the first book to explore this history, Juliet Carey and Abigail Green will shed new light on the world of the Jewish country house.
Presented by Juliet Carey and Abigail Green
Art & Architecture
Researching Famine Irish Ancestors in Ireland's Poor Law Unions
More than 30 million Americans have Irish Ancestry, and many of us have ancestors who were affected by the Great Famine of 1845-1852. During this time, many relied on Ireland’s Poor Law Unions, which centered around a workhouse where people could labor to receive temporary relief from their poverty.
The Irish Country House: A New Vision
For more than two centuries, the familiar image of the Irish country house has been one of dishevelment and decay. Historic houses across Ireland are being rediscovered and brought back to life as family homes. Join author and architectural historian Robert O’Byrne as he discusses some of these properties and tells the stories of their decline and recovery.
Arts and Architecture
J.P. Morgan: Banker, Collector, Renaissance Prince
Few people in American history have collected art on such a voracious scale as J.P. Morgan. But the famous Gilded Age banker didn't just buy in quantity, he also had a very sophisticated eye. Whether viewed as a robber baron or an enlightened philanthropist, Morgan's contribution toward making the United States a center of world class art collections is undeniable.
Arts & Architecture
Friend or Foe: Researching Colonial Ancestors During the American Revolution
In this online lecture, Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert will discuss how to research your colonial ancestors and determine if—and how—they may have served the cause of the American Revolution.
"Der Shusterman": Stuart Weitzman and the History of the Jewish Shoe Industry
Join the Jewish Heritage Center for an exclusive online program in which historian Jonathan Sarna and shoe designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Stuart Weitzman will explore the vital role of the Massachusetts shoe industry in the Jewish immigrant experience of the 19th and 20th century.
Featuring Stuart Weitzman in Conversation with Dr. Jonathan Sarna
Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center
Best Published Resources for Colonial New England Research
When it comes to Colonial New England research, there is a gold mine of published resources to explore. As a group, early New Englanders are perhaps some of the most studied people on the planet! In this online lecture, Robert Battle, editor of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, will discuss essential published resources for colonial research in the region.
English Immigration to the American Colonies
Whether your ancestors arrived at Jamestown, on the Mayflower, or came over in the years following, the majority of us with colonial ancestry hope to trace our family trees back to England. In this online lecture, Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure will highlight key records and resources available to help you in your search—including published genealogies, compilations, indexes, websites, and more.