Illustration: portrait of Samuel Washington (1734-1781), by James Alexander Simpson. Gift of Mary Washington Borie. Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Jamestown Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 20

By Melissa Berry on June 23, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on descendants of the Jamestown settlers, writing about the family line of George Washington... (Read More)

Illustration: portrait of Rhode Island Governor Norman Stanley Case (1888-1967). Courtesy of the Rhode Island State House collection.

Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 34

By Melissa Berry on June 20, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, focusing on the Turner and Case family lines... (Read More)

Photo: Old Benjamin Abbott Homestead, 9 Andover Street, West Parish, Andover, Massachusetts. In 1692, Benjamin Abbot accused Martha Carrier of cursing him after a boundary dispute, which led to his own illness and the loss of his cattle. Courtesy of the Andover Historical Society.

Paternity Drama in Colonial America (part 5)

By Melissa Berry on June 13, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry provides more stories about out-of-wedlock births in colonial America, focusing on Andover, Massachusetts... (Read More)

Photo: souvenir spoon from Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C. Credit: John Phelan; Wikimedia Commons.

Did Your Ancestor Collect Souvenir Spoons?

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on June 8, 2023

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about her collection of souvenir spoons, begun by her mother... (Read More)

Photo: Anne Bradstreet plaque, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Credit: Daderot; Wikimedia Commons.

Famous She-Doers of Early America: Anne Dudley Bradstreet

By Melissa Berry on May 19, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about Anne Dudley Bradstreet, America’s first woman poet, who arrived in 1630... (Read More)

Illustration: the Salem Witch House, famous for its connection to Judge Corwin and the witch trials of 1692, located at 310 Essex Street, Salem, Massachusetts. The lot was first occupied by Roger Williams, then Captain Richard Davenport and his wife, Elizabeth Hathorne. From “The Whole History of Grandfather’s Chair; or, True Stories from New England History, 1620-1803” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1898. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Relics of Our Ancestors (part 2)

By Melissa Berry on May 9, 2023

Melissa Davenport Berry writes about relics from America’s past, focusing on a compass and watches owned by Roger Williams in the 17th century... (Read More)

Photo: cradle that belonged to Susannah (North) Martin, given to Anthony Colby family and now located in the Communion Room at the Macy-Colby historic house site. With all these intermarriages and paternity cases, I have no doubt this cradle rocked many babes! Courtesy of the Macy-Colby House, Main Street, Amesbury, Massachusetts.

Paternity Drama in Colonial America (part 4)

By Melissa Berry on May 4, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry provides yet more stories about out-of-wedlock births in some of the earliest colonial settlements in America... (Read More)

Photo: Alonzo Garcelon (1813-1906), son of William Green Garcelon and Mary Davis. Courtesy of David Garcelon of Maine. He is a surveyor, historian and author.

Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 33 (part 2)

By Melissa Berry on May 2, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, with more on the Garcelon family of Maine... (Read More)

Illustration: Quaker prisoners released from the Boston jail due to the orders of King Charles II. Credit: from an illustrated version of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "The King's Missive" published in "The Memorial History of Boston, including Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 1630-1880," 1880.

Colonial America: King Stops Quaker Persecution

By Melissa Berry on April 28, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry describes how the Puritans’ persecution of Quakers in Colonial America was stopped by King Charles II... (Read More)

Category: Genealogy Stories