Between the Lines

Please, I'm in a bit of trouble.

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An Academic-Turned-Genealogist Attends the AAIHS Conference

I had the privilege of attending the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) annual meeting, which was held in Providence, Rhode Island, this year. At the last academic conference I attended, I was still a newly minted PhD discussing my academic research...

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Focusing In on My Photographer Ancestor

My 2nd-great-grandfather Ephraim Chamberlain had an interesting career as a photographer. Traditional genealogical research showed that he was born in Sweden, Oxford County, Maine, on 11 August 1843 and died in Wakefield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, on 22 October..

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Tools for German Origins

In the course of their research, genealogists often need to identify an ancestor’s origins before they arrived in the United States. There are many types of records that can be used for this research, with varying degrees of usefulness. Naturalization records are an..

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The Kimball Family

If you grew up in New England, there’s a good chance you know a Kimball, have met a Kimball, or have at least heard the name Kimball. It’s a common surname in these parts. It has also been said that any given Kimball could potentially be related to the same two..

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Complicated Naturalizations

1897 map of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Matthews-Northrup Company (via Wikimedia Commons)

One “employment perk” at American Ancestors is a complementary consultation with one of our genealogists, and every now and then I get paired with a colleague for such..

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Cato Freedom: Soldier of the Revolution

Editor's Note: For Black History Month, we are sharing some of the ancestor stories that our researchers have uncovered as part of our 10 Million Names project. Learn more about 10 Million Names here

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Seas of Change: Henry B. Freeman's Life and Legacy

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New Places—Part 2

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Hello Neighbor! A Jamaica Plain Triple-Decker Case Study

21 Chestnut Avenue, Boston, in 2024

Our neighbors affect us in direct and indirect ways. Whether you’ve only ever lived in single-family homes or you have experience residing in multi-family dwellings, you can likely remember your neighbors and the ways you impacted..

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