| Schedule | Recorded Presentations & Videos | Instructor Bios |
WELCOME!
Thank you for registering for the online course, Researching Early New England!
As a group, 17th-century New Englanders are arguably the most studied group on the planet, and thus descendants are blessed with a multitude of resources. In many cases, town vital records, church, colony, court, probate, land, military, and tax records not only have survived, but have been abstracted and published. This five week course will discuss the settlement of and migrations within New England, how to locate and utilize original and published records, and strategies for breaking down brick walls.
This course includes five 90-minute classes; exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation; and in-depth q&a sessions with the instructors.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Return to this page often for additional resources!
| Course Activity | Dates of Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Class #1 | ||
| Class #1: Online presentation (live!) | 7/5/2017, 6:00 eastern time | Class #1: Settlement of New England Instructor: David Dearborn, FASG, Senior Genealogist Emeritus From Plymouth Colony to the frontiers of northern New England, early migration and settlement patterns are complex. By understanding the movements of New England’s earliest settlers, you will gain a valuable overview to the region’s history. This understanding may also inform genealogical conclusions about your own ancestors. |
| Video of Class #1 | 7/6/2017 and after | Watch the first class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #2 | ||
| Class #2: Online presentation (live!) | 7/12/2017, 6:00 eastern time |
Class #2: 17th-Century Published Resources |
| Video of Class #2 | 7/13/2017 and after | Watch the second class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #3 | ||
| Class #3: Online presentation (live!) | 7/19/2017, 6:00 eastern time |
Class #3: Working in and Understanding Original Records Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of Class #3 | 7/20/2017 and after | Watch the third class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #4 | ||
| Class #4: Online presentation (live!) | 7/26/2017, 6:00 eastern time |
Class #4: Researching Colonial and Revolutionary War Soldiers Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of Class #4 | 7/27/2017 and after | Watch the fourth class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #5 | ||
| Class #5: Online presentation (live!) | 8/2/2017, 6:00 eastern time |
Class #5: Thinking Outside the Box: Breaking Down Brick Walls in Early New England Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of Class #5 | 8/3/2017 and after | Watch the fifth class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS & VIDEOS
Class 1: Settlement of New England
Presented by: David Curtis Dearborn, FASG
Running Time: 1:40:31
From Plymouth Colony to the frontiers of northern New England, early migration and settlement patterns are complex. By understanding the movements of New England’s earliest settlers, you will gain a valuable overview to the region’s history. This understanding may also inform genealogical conclusions about your own ancestors.
Class 2: Seventeenth-Century Published Resources
Presented by: Lindsay Fulton, Director of Research Services
Running Time: 1:41:53
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Many of New England’s early records and families have been researched, transcribed, or compiled as published sources. This class will direct you to essential finding aids, study projects, and scholarship.
Class 3: Working in and Understanding Original Records
Presented by: Alicia Crane Williams, FASG, Lead Genealogist of the Early New England Families Study Project
Running Time: 1:29:55
While much has been transcribed and published, there are still instances in which you will need to locate original records, decipher 17th century handwriting, and understand nomenclature particular to this time and place. Alicia Crane Williams will illustrate how to go about working and understanding important primary sources.
Class 4: Researching Colonial and Revolutionary War Soldiers
Presented by: David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist
Running Time: 1:34:47
From colonial conflicts to America’s fight for independence, military service was a part of life for many early New Englanders. Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert will provide historical context for the major colonial conflicts, discuss what records are available to family historians, and how to compile the story of your early veteran ancestors.
Class 5: Thinking Outside the Box: Breaking Down Brick Walls in Early New England
Presented by: Christopher C. Child, Senior Genealogist of Newbury Street Press
Running Time: 1:31:15
As with most areas of family history, early New England is not without its challenges. Common names, missing maiden names, and unknown origins are just some of the issues facing family historians for this period. In this class, Christopher C. Child will bring to light some lesser known resources, discuss strategies for breaking down genealogical brick walls, and highlight a case study using DNA to solve a genealogical brick wall.
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
Christopher C. Child, Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press and Editor of The Mayflower Descendant has worked for various departments at American Ancestors since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of American Ancestors since the age of eleven. He is the editor of the genetics & genealogy column in American Ancestors magazine and has written several articles in American Ancestors, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and The Mayflower Descendant. He is the co-editor of The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton (American Ancestors, 2011), co-author of The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts (Newbury Street Press, 2011) and Ancestors and Descendants of George Rufus Brown and Alice Nelson Pratt (Newbury Street Press, 2013), and author of The Nelson Family of Rowley, Massachuestts (Newbury Street Press, 2014). Chris holds a B.A. in history from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. His areas of expertise include Southern New England, especially Connecticut; New York; ancestry of notable figures, especially presidents; genetics and genealogy; African-American and Native-American genealogy, 19th and 20th Century research, westward migrations out of New England, and applying to hereditary societies.
David Curtis Dearborn, FASG, Senior Genealogist Emeritus David joined the American Ancestors staff in 1976 and retired in early 2014. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, elected in 1982. He has written numerous articles in scholarly journals and assisted in many published books. Publications include "Migrations out of New England" and “Inside Torrey: Perspectives of New England Marriages Prior to 1700.” David has also been a frequent speaker at American Ancestors and national genealogical conferences around the country. David’s genealogical interests include the Dearborn Family (primarily descendants of Godfrey, who arrived in New Hampshire by 1638); families of Essex County, Massachusetts and of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; New York City and urban genealogy; twentieth-century genealogy; eighteenth and nineteenth-century English and Scottish genealogy; Italian genealogy; and Westward migration.
Lindsay Fulton, Director of Research Services Lindsay Fulton, Director of Research Services, joined the New England Historic Genealogical Society staff in 2012, first as a member of the Research Services team and then as Genealogist in the Library. She has been the Director of Research Services since 2016. In addition to helping constituents with their research, Lindsay has also authored a number of Portable Genealogists including, “Applying to Lineage Societies,” “the United States Federal Census, 1790-1840,” and “the United States Federal Census, 1850-1940.” She is a frequent contributor to the American Ancestors blog, Vita-Brevis, and has appeared as a guest on the Extreme Genes radio program. Before, American Ancestors, Lindsay worked at the National Archives and Records Administration in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she designed and implemented an original curriculum program exploring the Chinese Exclusion Era for elementary school students. She holds a B.A. from Merrimack College and M.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her areas of expertise include, New England and New York research with a focus on lineage society applications.
David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist has been on the staff of American Ancestors since 1993 and is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. His genealogical expertise includes New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; New York; military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England. Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, The Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine. He has also published A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (American Ancestors, 2009). David is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Mass., and a life member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati. He is also the tribal genealogist for the Massachuset-Punkapoag Indians of Massachusetts.
Alicia Crane Williams, FASG, Lead Genealogist of Early Families of New England Study Project Alicia is the lead genealogist on the new American Ancestors study project, Early New England Families, 1641-1700. Prior to joining the American Ancestors staff, she compiled and edited numerous important genealogical publications including The Mayflower Descendant, the Alden Family Five Generations project, and the Harlow Family : Descendants of Sgt. William Harlow (1624/5-1691) of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Alicia has served as Historian of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Assistant Historian General at the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and as Genealogist of the Alden Kindred of America. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in History from Northeastern University.
Course Handouts
Class 1 Handout
Class 1 Slides (large)
Class 1 Slides worksheet
Class 2 Handout
Class 2 Slides (large)
Class 2 Slides worksheet
Class 3 Handout
Class 3 Slides (large)
Class 3 Slides worksheet
Class 4 Handout
Class 4 Slides (large)
Class 4 Slides worksheet
Class 5 Handout
Class 5 Slides (large)
Class 5 Slides worksheet