--- title: New places description: To me, one of the best things about genealogy is learning that you have shared a place with an ancestor. image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Haskell-house-300x225-1.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # New places [February 17, 2017](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/new-places) [International genealogical research](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/international-genealogical-research), [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Serendipity](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity), [Brick Walls](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls), [Family stories](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories), [Road Trips](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) [Sheilagh Doerfler](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/sdoerfler) [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Haskell-house-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=Haskell-house-300x225-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Haskell-house-1.jpg) Courtesy of williamhaskellhouse.com To me, one of the best things about genealogy is learning that you have shared a place with an ancestor. Perhaps you passed through the town where they once lived, or maybe your commute to work takes you by their former home. Discoveries like this make genealogy that much more personal. Recently, when I was learning more about [Mabel Winters](http://vita-brevis.org/2016/12/icymi-loyalist-ancestors/#more-7638), my great-grandmother, and her family in Nova Scotia, I ran into a name that was very familiar to me – Lufkin. Mabel’s great-great-grandparents were Amos Hilton and Hannah Lufkin of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. Amos Hilton was a [New England Planter](http://vita-brevis.org/2015/11/new-england-planters/), a settler who left Essex County, Massachusetts for Nova Scotia in the 1760s. As for Hannah Lufkin, she was the daughter of Jacob Lufkin, and was Amos’ second wife. Lufkin is a well-known name on Cape Ann, a region in northeastern Massachusetts. As a former resident, I have encountered this name many times, particularly in Gloucester and Essex. But learning more about the Lufkins revealed an even more familiar name – Haskell. ### [Discoveries] like this make genealogy that much more tangible. Ultimately, I learned that Mabel was a descendant of William Haskell of Gloucester. William Haskell first settled at Salem with his brothers, but later removed to Gloucester by the 1640s, where he would remain until his death in 1693. [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/haskell-233x300-1.jpg?width=233&height=300&name=haskell-233x300-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/haskell-1.jpg)Today, the William Haskell House sits just off Grant Circle, one of the town’s rotaries. Many of you may have driven around Grant Circle as you were headed to one of Gloucester’s beaches. When I lived on Cape Ann, I drove past this house almost every day, completely unaware that my ancestor once lived there. To me, discoveries like this make genealogy that much more tangible. And even closer to home, here at the NEHGS Library, the Haskell Family Tree is on display on the first floor, and serves as a nice reminder of my Essex County roots. ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/new-places](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/new-places) - - - More - - ![Sheilagh Doerfler](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Sheilagh_Doerfler_Jan251.jpg) ## About Sheilagh Doerfler Sheilagh Doerfler joined American Ancestors in 2013. As a member of the Research and Library Services team, she works to connect patrons and members with their family histories by fulfilling research requests, providing educational programming, and writing for American Ancestors magazine and our blog, Vita Brevis. Most recently, Sheilagh has been working to uncover the names and identities of enslaved individuals as a part of the 10 Million Names Project. Sheilagh holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her specialties include colonial New England, New Netherland, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Quebec, Scandinavia, and African American research.[View all posts by Sheilagh Doerfler →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/sdoerfler) [← Revolutionary privateering](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/revolutionary-privateering) [Fudging facts →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2017/02/fudging-facts) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11) ### Categories - [Family stories (1260)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) - [American History (1137)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history) - [Critical Analysis (1126)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis) - [Research Methods (881)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods) - [Brick Walls (674)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls) - [Object Lessons (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) - [Spotlight (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight) - [Genealogical Writing (554)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing) - [Research tips (510)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) - [Serendipity (479)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity) - [Road Trips (393)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Meta - [Log in](https://vita-brevis.org/wp-login.php) - [Entries RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/feed/) - [Comments RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/comments/feed/) - [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/) ### Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11)