Vita Brevis

Some years ago I researched my husband’s ancestor Jerreb Kendall (1804–1839) of Passumpsic, Caledonia County, Vermont, and took pleasure in the interesting names given to many of Jerreb’s eleven..

Continue reading →

[Author's note: This series, on Mrs. Gray’s reading habits, began here.]

These entries, from 1860–61, focus less on Regina Shober Gray’s [1] reading than on the successive deaths from..Continue reading →

[Author's note: This blog post originally appeared in Vita Brevis on 19 August 2015.]

My grandfather died almost 25 years ago, and sometime before that he gave me a box of “family papers.” The box itself is rather striking: a metal strong box, easily portable, with my..

Continue reading →

[Author’s note: This series, on Mrs. Gray’s reading habits, began here.]

Regina Shober Gray’s [1] diary shows her as part of a wide network of families: in the following entries, from summer..Continue reading →

Early in 1836, nearly two hundred American men lost their lives defending the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, over the course of a thirteen-day siege. While this event is largely viewed through the lens of Texas and southern American history, several men from New England..

Continue reading →

Recently, the New England Historic Genealogical Society participated in “Free Fun Friday,” a yearly summer event sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation for no-cost admission to cultural..

Continue reading →

I have been diddling with the sketch for Samuel Green of Boston for over a year and I’m still confused. Samuel² Green, son of Bartholomew¹ Green, was of the famous family of printers who operated the only printing press in the English colonies until 1665, and over..

Continue reading →

[Author’s note: This series, on Mrs. Gray’s reading habits, began here.]

In May 1860, Regina Shober Gray [1] was visiting her family in Philadelphia.

245 South Eighteenth Street, Wednesday,..

Continue reading →

[Editor's note: This blog post originally appeared in Vita Brevis on 2 July 2015.]

Census records, passport applications, draft cards: many people are familiar with these resources because of their..

Continue reading →

Regina Shober Gray [1] was an energetic and well-educated woman of her time. Her diary abounds with visits to the theater and to commercial art galleries (the precursors of museums), so I..Continue reading →