An ongoing journal of the history of the Bolles Family. From the first settler, Joseph Bolles of Wells, Maine in 1640, all past and present facts, thoughts, events, research and items of interest on this and allied families.
A Family Tree Magazine reader wrote in, asking, “My daughter
has to interview her grandparents for a school project. Do you have any
suggestions for questions she can ask?”
Not only do assignments such as this one bring families closer,
they’re also a great way for kids (and their parents!) to learn about
their family history and history in general. And a reticent subject may
be more likely to open up when the interviewer is a grandchild. Of
course, these questions can be asked to any relative — not just
grandparents!
17 Family History Interview Questions
When and where were you born?
What were your parents’ names?
What is your happiest memory of your father? Your mother?
What is the most important lesson your parents taught you?
What are the names of your grandparents?
What is your happiest memory of your grandfather? Grandmother?
Where did you grow up?
What did you do for fun as a child?
How did you like school?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Tell me about your first date.
How did you meet Grandma/Grandpa?
Tell me about the day my mom/dad was born.
What advice would you give to new parents?
What jobs have you had?
What are your strongest memories from your time in the military?
What would be your recipe for happiness?
Using family interviews to learn historical lessons
You and your daughter can edit the list together based on the length
of the interview, what your daughter wants to ask about, and any project
requirements (for example, her teacher may want her to focus on a
particular topic such as military service).
Your daughter may want to jot down significant historical events that
occurred during her grandparents’ lives, such as the Great Depression
or the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Then she can ask about
them with a question such as, “What’s your most vivid memory of growing
up during the Great Depression?
If she’s been learning about the Great Depression in school, she’ll
see how it affected everyday people and maybe even find herself an
answer to that perennial question, “Why do we have to learn this?”
She also might be interested in how her grandparents’ childhoods
compare to her own: Did they have similar hobbies? What chores did they
have to do around the house? How did they like their brothers and
sisters?
If you ask it, the answers will come
Use a question list as a guide, but it’s OK if the conversation leads
your daughter to ask questions not on the list, or her grandparents to
tell stories not related to a particular question. Looking at old family
photos may spark her grandparents’ memories, too.
Make sure you record the interview for posterity (and in case your daughter needs it for a report) using a digital voice recorder or an app on your smart phone.
If filling in a family tree chart is part of the homework, browse our collection of free downloadable forms. Your daughter’s grandparents would probably love to see the finished project.
Pin this article for later!
Check out our Pinterest page for more interview questions and kid-friendly family history projects!
By Diahan Southard
Triangulation is a strategy genealogists can use to determine how genetic matches are related.
Triangulation is a broad term with application in many fields, from
psychology to politics. In genetic genealogy, triangulation mirrors the
process used by surveyors, who employ multiple triangles to help deduce
the exact landscape of a particular area. Here’s how to use
triangulation to your advantage when analyzing your DNA matches.
Genetic genealogists create triangles from groups of three autosomal
DNA matches to get a better picture of how each member of the group is
related to the others. Commonalities among the three individuals’ family
trees may indicate shared ancestors. For example, if two group members
have common Smith ancestors in Colonial Massachusetts, the third group
member—who perhaps hasn’t yet reached that far back in her tree—might
theorize she’s also connected to the Smiths and turn to traditional
genealogical records to investigate.
You don’t have to be a DNA expert to start using triangulation to
your advantage. You just have to have autosomal DNA test results from
one of the four major testing companies (23andMe, AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA or MyHeritage DNA),
a known cousin with autosomal test results, and some shared matches.
We’ll show you how to triangulate your way to family tree success.
How to Triangulate DNA Matches
While the triangle used to play music and the triangle giving you
trouble in math class are very different from the genetic genealogist’s
triangle, there are some definite similarities among them: Without fail,
every triangle has three sides, connected at three points. Let’s
discuss each point in the DNA triangle and how to identify it.
Point A
The first point is you (you’re already a third of the way
there!). What makes you the perfect starting point? Well, it’s your DNA
of course—your autosomal DNA, the stuff that came half from mom and half
from dad. Of your enormous DNA record, the testing companies evaluate
about 800,000 pieces. Now stop for just a second to appreciate the
strength of your position on this triangle and the significance of those
800,000 pieces. They can identify you uniquely, apart from everyone
else in the whole world. Not only that, but these pieces of DNA also form a kind of map of your ancestors and your ancestry.
Think of your DNA as various points scattered across time and space,
outlining the vast landscape of your heritage. Contained in your very
own DNA is a record of the places your ancestors lived, their families,
and even their secrets.
The trick, of course, is to convert that system of dots into a
network of information that you can use to discover your past. This is
one of the greatest strengths of genetic genealogy—the ability to find
records that were previously lost. Just as the surveyor uses
triangulation of multiple points to discover the contours of a
landscape, a genetic genealogist can use the multiple points of her DNA
to triangulate with others and obtain a clearer picture of her own
ancestral lines.
Point B
The second point on your triangle is any other person on your match
list. Remember, individuals who show up on your match page are there
because they share DNA with you. That shared DNA means they also share
an ancestor with you.
The
three points on a genetic genealogy triangle are (A) you, (B) a close
genetic match and (C) a match whom you and your close match share.
Now, not all matches are created equal. You want what we’ll call a
“Best Match” to occupy Point B on your triangle. Generally, you’ll
usually find your Best Matches on the first few pages of your match
list. See the box on page 26 for steps to evaluating which matches are
your best to use for triangulation.
Point C
With so many possible connections, it’s easy to see why you need a
way to narrow your search. This is where the third point on your
triangle comes in. When you add a third person with his genetics and
genealogy, you harness the power of triangulation to help you discover
which of the eight great-great-grandparent or 16 third-great-grandparent
couples are the most likely connecting point for you and your two
matches.
To find Point C on your triangle, you need a match with specific
characteristics. Point C needs to share DNA with both Point A (you), and
Point B (your Best Match). You can find that person most easily using a
tool provided by your testing company.
At 23andMe, you’ll find candidates for Point C under a heading on Point B’s personal profile page called Relatives in Common.
On your Family Tree DNA match list, check the box next to Point B and then click on the In Common With button.
At AncestryDNA, you’ll find this list under Point B’s profile page by clicking the Shared Matches tab.
At press time, MyHeritage DNA had a tool for viewing shared matches in the works.
Use this tool to find a list of Point C candidates on your match
page, as well as the match page of Point B. So if all three of you share
DNA, there’s an excellent possibility that you all share a common
ancestor.
This, my fellow genetic genealogists, is the crux of triangulation:
Each person on this list of shared matches becomes Point C on your
triangle. Just by using the shared matches tool, you now have multiple
triangles, all with you, Point B, and then the list of shared matches
vying for Point C. With your shared match list in hand, you can evaluate
the genealogies of all of the shared matches for similarities. If you
can find out how they’re related to each other, then you’ll have a good
idea how you might be related to them.
That’s all good, but how do you use triangulation in your research?
Let’s look at two case studies to explore different ways you can apply
this method to your genealogy.
Case study No. 1: Triangulating known cousins
In an attempt to use the principles of triangulation to identify his
mystery maternal grandfather, Edward has tested multiple cousins on his
mom’s side and his dad’s side. Anytime a new match shows up on his match
list, he can use triangulation with his known cousins to help him
figure out if the match is related to this grandfather and thus might
help solve the question of his identity.
Recently, a man named Victor showed up as a new second-cousin match
to Edward. This means that Edward is Point A and Victor is Point B. To
find Point C, we used the shared matches tool to find others who have
DNA in common with both Edward and Victor.
Unfortunately, all the Point C matches were on Edward’s paternal
side, meaning Victor was just another paternal match, and not someone
who could help him find his mystery maternal grandfather.
But still, Edward was intrigued. He thought he knew all his paternal
second cousins—but who was Victor? Through further comparisons and
triangulations, Edward discovered that Victor shared more cMs with one
cousin, Peter, than any other. Using the number of shared cMs and doing
further research eventually showed that Victor’s mom was Peter’s half
sibling. Victor may have eventually figured this out on his own, but
Edward, with his network of known tested cousins, was able to put it all
together relatively quickly using triangulation.
In Edward’s case, you can see that triangulation with known cousins
can help you place your close matches into particular ancestral “bins,”
making it relatively easy to at least identify which parent or
grandparent the match belongs to. Next, let’s explore the principle of
triangulation in a situation where we don’t have the benefit of so many
known tested cousins.
Curious about how to determine the amount of shared DNA
across multiple relatives? Follow these tips and you’ll have it
calculated in no time!
Case study No. 2: Looking for fourth-great-grandparents
Richmond Virginia Claunch, my third-great-grandfather on my dad’s
side, was born in Texas in 1860. My best theory about his parentage was
that … well, I think he … OK, I had absolutely no idea. So I turned to
my autosomal DNA matches. Any DNA I have from Richard came through my
dad, and Dad has more of Richard’s DNA than I do. Therefore, my dad will
represent me at Point A of our triangle (I’ll still talk about this as
my point, just to make things easier). For Point B, ideally, I want
someone who descends from a different child of Richmond than my dad
does. That means the shared DNA comes from Richmond or his wife, Lilly.
But I wasn’t in touch with any of my dad’s third cousins. So instead
of a known cousin, I needed to find a Best Match—remember, that’s my
closest genetic match who also shares a genealogical element of
interest, such as a surname or location. So I searched my autosomal DNA
matches on AncestryDNA (you can do this at the top of the View All
Matches page) for matches with the surname Claunch in their
family trees. I found several matches, all candidates for Point B on my
triangle. Looking through posted pedigrees, I found a match with the
user name RS, whose tree shows he’s a descendant of Richmond and Lilly’s
daughter Bessie Claunch. Perfect! (If I hadn’t found this match, I’d
look for a match with Claunch relatives from Texas.)
Now I had Point A (my dad) and Point B (RS), and all I needed was
Point C. To find it, I viewed the shared matches between RS and my dad.
There were eight, as shown in the illustration on the next page. Any of
these people could be placed at Point C on the triangle. In fact, I
actually created several triangles to form a “Genetic Network.” Here’s
how:
My dad + RS + each of the eight shared matches = 8 triangles.
My dad + No. 1 of those eight shared matches + the two new people who
shared matches with both my dad and No. 1 (but not with RS) = 2 more
triangles. These people are numbers 9 and 10.
Creating DNA Triangles for Richmond Claunch
As I looked for candidates for my Richmond Claunch triangle, I noted
that match No. 1 doesn’t share DNA with Nos. 5, 7 or 8, all of whom do
share DNA with RS. Remember that RS descends from Richmond and Lilly’s
daughter, so he has both Richmond’s and Lilly’s DNA. This probably means
that match No. 1 shares DNA with either Richmond or Lilly. Examining
the family trees of Nos. 5, 7 and 8 reveals the Harvey surname in No.
7’s pedigree. Lilly’s maiden name was Harvey. To further check out this
connection, I can triangulate my dad and No. 7, looking in No. 7’s
shared matches list for Nos. 5 and 8. Sure enough, they’re in there.
This initial analysis suggests that Nos. 5, 7 and 8 are related on
Lilly’s side, not Richmond’s. Genealogy research can confirm this
theory.
If
you track who in your genetic genealogy triangles shares DNA with whom,
you might be able to identify important details about how your matches
are related to each other.
Now I can make a new “Best Match” list (shown in the third column on
the opposite page), composed of test-takers who share DNA with both me
and someone else (RS) I have reason to believe is related to Richmond or
Lilly, and therefore are prime sources of information. The next step is
to do genealogy, looking at the online pedigrees of these Best Matches
and trying to figure out how they’re related to each other.
If a person doesn’t have a tree linked to his or her results, search
for the user name to see if you can find one that isn’t linked to the
DNA results. Also see if the person has posted a tree under that user
name at other family tree websites.
Look at names of ancestors first, and then at locations of birth and
death. If you can figure out how these matches are related to each
other, you can be reasonably certain that their common ancestor also is
your ancestor. I noticed that a few of my Best Matches share the
ancestor Joseph Claunch, who was born in 1803 in Tennessee and married
Anna Carter. To determine how this Joseph and Anna might fit into my
pedigree, I need to examine the genetic relationship of his descendants to my dad, and the genealogical relationship of each match to Joseph.
Let’s take another of my dad’s matches, DV. Joseph is DV’s
third-great-grandfather. If Joseph were also my dad’s ancestor, DV and
my dad would be fourth cousins. Their predicted genetic relationship,
based on shared cMs, is fourth cousins, so this genealogical hypothesis
fits. Two more matches, both genetic and genealogical fourth cousins,
further corroborate this story. Looking at the genealogy, my Richmond is
in a good position to be Joseph and Anna’s grandson. Since he carries
the Claunch surname, he’d have to be the son of one of their sons. With
that in mind, let’s turn to the genealogy and see what we can find.
Joseph is in the St. Clair, Ala., census in 1840, but it gives ages
and genders of household members—no names. The family is in the same
place in 1850, but several children are already grown and gone. Although
I haven’t yet figured out exactly who Richmond’s parents are,
triangulating my dad’s DNA matches has given me several avenues to
research: Joseph and Anna had sons I still need to investigate. I can
extend the pedigrees of other genetic matches in my Best Matches list to
see where they lead. Another group of triangulated genetic matches
within my Best Matches have a Claunch ancestor in Virginia who ended up
in Alabama, so I need to take a closer look at that line. Importantly,
from the combination of genetics and genealogy, I know that my Claunches
are associated with Claunches in St. Clair, Ala., and later in Red
Rock, Texas.
The simple process of identifying two other people to occupy points B
and C on your triangle, and using them to create a list of Best Matches
from which to draw more information, is really all there is to
triangulation.
Some genetic genealogists take this idea of triangulation a step
further. Instead of simply using a shared matches tool to gather others
for Point C, they compare actual chromosome data. This extra step
requires a tool called a chromosome browser (the GEDMatch website
<www.gedmatch.com> offers one, as does Family Tree DNA), which
lets you visualize the DNA you share with someone. Some people like to
look for shared DNA segments as evidence of a triangulated relationship.
You might hear them say, “We all share a segment on chromosome 11, and
so we must all be cousins!”
Viewing chromosome data can be fun, but it certainly isn’t necessary
for triangulation success. All that matters is that you share DNA, it
doesn’t really matter where that piece of DNA is on a chromosome. So
don’t worry if you aren’t into spreadsheets and raw data. You can
triangulate if you follow the simple shape of the triangle and its three
important points.
Your best matches—the ones who make the best candidates
for the points on your genetic genealogy triangles—are the ones who
share the most centimorgans with you.
Using Centimorgans
Centiwhats? Centimorgans are how we measure your pieces of DNA.
It isn’t quite as simple as an inch or a centimeter, but for our
purposes, you can think of centimorgans that way. Your testing company
tells you how many total centimorgans (cMs) you share. This number can
come in handy when you’re trying to figure out how closely you’re
related to someone based on a relationship range, such as “2nd to 4th
cousins.” These three steps will help you use the total number of cMs to
better understand your relationship to someone.
1. Find the total number of shared cMs for you and your match
At MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA, the number of cMs is shown on the
main match page. It’s there for 23andMe as well, but shown in percentage
form (to convert, multiply your percentage by 68, for example: 3.125 x
68=212.5 cMs). At AncestryDNA, click on the match you’re interested in,
and then click on the little question mark under the relationship range
to see the total number of shared cMs.
2. Look up that number in a table
Blaine Bettinger spearheaded the Shared cM Project to gather
statistics on cMs real genealogists share with their known relatives.
The result is a range of shared cMs for each relationship (sibling,
first cousin, aunt/uncle, etc), with an average number of cMs the
relatives are found to share. For example, first cousins on average
share 880 cMs; second cousins, 245; and third cousins, 89. Examine the
full table at the Genetic Genealogist for relationships that fit your genetics.
3. Check the genealogy of the match
Let’s say you and your match share 87 cMs. You decide, based on the
testing company’s predicted relationship and the number of shared cMs,
that you and your match should be third cousins. Traditional third
cousins share a set of great-great-grandparents. That means you need to
look at your match’s eight sets of great-great-grandparents to see if
you can figure out which is likely to be your connecting ancestral
couple.
Many people, though, don’t know the names of all their
great-great-grandparents. And even if they do, “uneven” generations
(i.e., a couple having a child at an unusually young or old age) can
lead to ancestral connections that aren’t in the exact generation you
expect them to be in. So instead of looking for your common ancestor
among the eight great-great-grandparent couples, you may need to look
for them in your match’s 16 third-great-grandparent couples. If you
can’t find a common ancestor, look for surnames and places that match
those in your tree.
Tip: On AncestryDNA, other test-takers
can now share their results with you, allowing you to view their match
lists as you would your own matches.
In our supposedly classless, egalitarian society, nobility wannabes
are fueling a craze for that symbolic representation of a person’s
heritage known as a coat of arms, often mistakenly called a “family
crest.” Rare is the family historian who doesn’t hope to be descended
from an ancestor who was armigerous (that is, according to Webster’s,
“bearing heraldic arms”). Most however, are disappointed to find their
ancestors weren’t actually entitled with the right to bear arms. Learn
what’s and what’s history when it comes to heraldry.
Document names and birth, death and marriage details for
five generations of your family with this type-in genealogy chart.
Hearldry Facts
For starters, a key fact to keep in mind is that coats of arms are
not and never have been granted to families. They’re granted to
individuals and belong to individuals. Arms can, however, be inherited.
According to an informational brochure, “Heraldry for United States
Citizens,” published by the Board for Certification of Genealogists
(BCG):
Anyone whose uninterrupted male-line immigrant ancestor was
entitled to use a coat of arms has the right to use this same coat of
arms.
If the uninterrupted male-line immigrant ancestor has no such right, then neither does the descendant.
Anyone who claims the right to arms under European laws must prove the uninterrupted male-line descent.
As
an exception, United States citizens can obtain a grant or confirmation
of their arms—from the College of Arms in England or other appropriate
national heraldic authority in other countries—by payment of required
fees.
The brochure also warns, “Commercial firms that purport to research
and identify coats of arms for surnames or family names—and sell
descriptions thereof under the guise of a ‘family crest’—are engaged in
fraudulent and deceptive marketing. The consumer’s best defense is a
proper knowledge of the laws of heraldry.”
While the laws of heraldry differ with each country, in some parts of
the world it’s actually illegal to display a coat of arms or to use it
on stationery or a blazer breast pocket unless you’re the rightful
owner. Having the same last name does not entitle you to use the arms.
Here in the US, you won’t be thrown in the slammer if you’ve already
bought and proudly displayed in your living room what you thought was
your family crest.
And who knows? You could really be descended from an ancestor who
rightfully inherited a coat of arms. To find out, let’s journey back in
time to learn how coats of arms originated, what they mean and how to
discover if any of your ancestors had a legitimate claim to them.
The History of Coats of Arms
Coats of arms developed in the 12th century as a means to identify
armored knights during tournaments and on the battlefield. Any fighting
man owned a sword and shield, carried a banner and wore a helmet, all of
which his son would one day inherit. Behind a closed helmet, it was
impossible to tell one man from another except by the decoration of his
shield and banner and the ornaments on the helmet. The term “armory”
relates to the emblems, “armoury” to weapons. Warriors also wore a
decorated “surcoat,” or fabric overlay, over their armor — hence the
term “coat of arms.”
Over time, these emblems became a means of personal identification,
allowing an owner to mark items of value, such as silver, and to engrave
bookplates and stationery. With their growing use and popularity,
disputes arose over who could legitimately use a particular design. In
1484, Richard III established the College of Arms and assigned heralds
to visit households across England to record each owner’s design. These
“visitations” were made between 1530 and 1686.
Early on, arms were the signs of nobility and rank, but eventually
practically any man who owned land also had the right to bear arms. Thus
arms became a symbol of the gentry, and it became fashionable and
prestigious to descend from a line with armigerous ancestors. Each
country has its own laws as to who could inherit the arms. Commonly, the
symbol was passed down from eldest son to eldest son in an unbroken
male line. Other sons, and even daughters, might use variations of the
main emblem, adding specific symbols — or cadency marks — to indicate
birth order, illegitimacy and adoption.
The Elements of a Heraldic Achievement
Although we commonly refer to it as a “coat of arms,” the proper term
is a “heraldic or armorial achievement.” A complete heraldic
achievement is made up of a crest, wreath, mantle, helmet, shield and,
although not essential, a motto. There may also be supporters to hold up
the arms and a compartment (or ground) for the supporters to stand on.
Crest
The crest is a figure or symbol attached to the top of the helmet.
Animals such as lions, tigers and bears are commonly used as crests, but
you’ll also find boars, foxes, horses, birds, insects, reptiles and
mythical animals such as unicorns and dragons. These may stand alone or
be combined with other symbols, such as flowers, trees, wreaths or
swords.
Helmet
The helmet supports the crest. Positioning of the helmet represents
rank: For example, a helmet facing forward with the visor opened means a
knight, while a helmet facing side-ways with the visor closed is for a
gentleman.
Wreath
The wreath, originally a piece of twisted silk showing two colors, is
at the base of the crest and was used to attach the mantle to the
helmet. Typically, the wreath shows six twists of alternating colors of
the shield.
Mantle
The mantle (or lambrequin), originally a piece of fabric attached to
the knight’s helmet to protect him from the sun’s heat, fills out the
design. It represents the fabric being slashed in battle.
Motto
The motto is a ribbon below or over the achievement, which carries a statement of fact, a hope or battle cry.
Shield
The shield is the most important part of the coat of arms. It is made
up of a field (the surface or background) and the charges (the symbols
on the field). If the achievement belongs to a lady, the field will be
diamond-shaped (a lozenge) rather than a shield. The field contains many
different ordinaries and sub-ordinaries — geometric bands or shapes
that divide the field, such as crosses, chevrons and stripes. The shield
can become quite complex, with more terms than you’d care to know and
remember. In describing a coat of arms (known as blazoning), the field
is always stated first and the components are described as being dexter
(right side of the wearer), sinister (left side of the wearer), chief
(top), fess (middle) and base (bottom).
Tinctures
Tinctures—the colors, precious metals and furs on a coat of arms—are
also represented by words and patterns. The two metals are gold (or) and silver (argent); the colors are red (gules), blue (azure), green (vert), purple (purpure) and black (sable);
the furs are ermine and vair. In black-and-white illustrations specific
conventions are used to indicate the colors, metals and furs. The
written description (blazon) might read, “Quarterly gules and or, in the
first quarter a five-point mullet argent,” which means the shield is
divided into red and gold quarters, and in the first quarter, or the
upper left as you look at the shield, is a silver, five-pointed star.
Hatchment
Another aspect of heraldry is the funeral achievement or hatchment.
According to Theodore Chase and Laurel K. Gabel in “Headstones,
Hatchments and Heraldry,” in Gravestone Chronicles II: More Eighteenth-Century New England Carvers,
a hatchment is the “painted coat of arms associated exclusively with
death, funerals, and mourning…. They are often set in decorated frames
that depict mortality symbols such as hourglasses, skulls or bones”
against a black background. These funeral hatchments “indicated to the
viewer the gender, marital status and often the family position of the
deceased” and also may be found carved on colonial New England and
Virginia tombstones. According to Chase and Gabel, “In the United
States, having an heraldic tombstone with a death date prior to 1750 is
in fact sometimes considered proof of a legitimate right to bear arms.”
Chase and Gabel are trying to find and record all the pre-1850 armorial
tombstones in the United States. For information about the project,
visit the Association for Gravestone Studies website.
Heraldry and Genealogy
Lacking a pre-1750 heraldic tombstone for your ancestor, how do you
determine if one of your ancestors had a legitimate right to a heraldic
achievement? Begin by checking the works of Sir John Bernard Burke and
the Ten Rolls of Arms published in several volumes of the New England
Historical and Genealogical Register. Large genealogical sections in
libraries may have these. Unfortunately, beyond these and other
published sources, your search can get quite complicated and time
consuming. It’s not just a matter of looking up your surname; the proper
descent must be traced and documented, which is why the bogus claims of
“family crest” companies are so laughable.
As you research your family history, you may encounter a published
genealogy on your ancestry that reproduces a coat of arms or “family
crest,” but be extremely cautious of these and research for yourself the
accuracy of its use. When I began researching my colonial Fitzhugh
ancestry, I found two Fitzhugh coats of arms illustrated in volume two
of Genealogies of Virginia Families from the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
(Genealogical Publishing Co.). One was quite familiar to me; a colorful
reproduction had hung in my great-aunt’s living room for as long as I
could remember. The genealogy described the shield as “Azure three
chevrons interlaced in base or, a Chief or” — three gold chevrons
(upside-down Vs) interlaced in the bottom half of the shield, which is
blue and has a gold band across the top. The other one had a more
complex description: “Quarterly, 1 and 4 ermine, on a chief gules, three
martlets. 2 and 3 argent three chevrons sable each charged with a
bezant.”
But William Fitzhugh, the immigrant from England who used the first
achievement mentioned above, may not have been entitled to do so.
According to the genealogy, William wrote to his brother Henry in London
to send him an illustration of the arms. When William received it, he
wrote back to his brother that it was incorrect, but Henry insisted it
was the right one. The author of the family history, however, states
that when he checked the visitations, he could not find an armigerous
Fitzhugh who had a son named William: “Though the Virginia Fitzhughs
bear the same arms as the old Barons Fitzhugh, of Ravensworth, no
descent from the ennobled family has ever been traced.”
William the immigrant was not alone in wanting to display and use
arms. It seems this coats of arms craze isn’t just a modern fad.
Colonial ancestors, many of whom were not eldest sons and stood no
chance of inheriting land or a title in Europe, adopted heraldic
achievements as a status symbol once they had settled and made a name
for themselves in America, whether they were entitled to arms or not.
Between about 1750 and 1775, many wealthy colonial families hired
painters specializing in heraldic arts to create a coat of arms for
them. Some of these may have been legitimately registered with the
College of Arms in England; others, not.
Heraldry References for Genealogists
Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry, 3 vols., by Sir John Bernard Burke (Burke’s Peerage). (Burke compiled numerous volumes of heraldic history besides these.)
Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants from Europe, 1607-1657 by Meredith B. Colket, Jr. (General Court of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America)
New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
See volumes 82 (Apr. 1982); 86 (July 1932); 106 (July and October
1952); 107 (January, April, July and October 1953); 112 (July and
October 1958); 122 (January, April and July 1968); 125 (July and October
1971); 133 (April 1979); 145 (October 1991); and 146 (July 1992).
Please note that many establishments throughout New
England have modified their hours and/or operations in response to
COVID-19. Please check with individual businesses and organizations for
the latest information before making travel plans.
The lobster roll has become the New England summertime sandwich of
choice. Tasty chunks of lobster meat drizzled with butter or tossed with
mayo and served up on a crisp, buttery, New England hot dog bun are all the rage these days. Food and travel writer Mike Urban, author of Lobster Shacks: A Road-Trip Guide to New England’s Best Lobster Joints (Countryman Press, 2012) has shared his picks for the 10 best lobster rolls in New England. (And no, theMcDonald’s lobster roll is not one of them!)
Located at Cape Cod’s “elbow” in the town of Chatham, the Chatham
Pier Fish Market serves up an excellent cold lobster roll made with
fresh-picked lobster meat from the market’s super-fresh supply. A small
fleet of lobster boats anchored just off the pier keeps the market
well-stocked throughout the season. The roll features a buttered,
toasted, split-top bun, a crisp leaf of lettuce, copious amounts of
chilled lobster, and a generous sprinkling of paprika on top. While
noshing on your roll, be sure to check out the fishing boats offloading
their catches throughout the day on the adjacent pier.
The Picnic-style roll at Bite Into Maine is served with coleslaw, celery salt, and butter.
This chrome food trailer in Fort Williams Park has developed a huge
following in the past few years, and with good reason. Not only is the
view of Portland Head Light fantastic, but the lobster rolls (six
different kinds) are also equally breathtaking. The Maine-style roll is
chilled and dressed in mayo and fresh chives. “The Connecticut” features
warm lobster with butter. “The Picnic” roll starts with a bed of
coleslaw, topped with chilled lobster and melted butter. The other three
feature chilled lobster bathed in mayo seasoned with (take your pick)
wasabi, curry, or chipotle. Whichever roll you pick, you really can’t go
wrong.
If you can handle the hour-plus wait in line on the sidewalk along
busy U.S. Route 1, your sweet reward will be a magnificent lobster roll
that’s known far and wide as one of the best lobster rolls in Maine.
With tail, claw, and knuckle meat from a 1+/-pound lobster, this roll
is bigger than most and may be had with mayo, warm butter, neither, or
both.
This shack is perfectly positioned on the town dock to receive a
steady flow of super-fresh lobster from the cold, deep waters of nearby
Sheepscot Bay. The lobster is fresh-picked throughout the day, tossed
with a bit of mayo, and served in a toasted, buttered, split-top bun
lined with a leafy piece of lettuce. Cold rolls only are served here; no
butter.
The Clam Shack’s deceptively simple lobster roll on a fresh-baked hamburger roll is as good as lobster rolls get.
This is arguably the best of the best lobster rolls in New England.
Owner Steve Kingston’s meticulous use of fresh-daily, soft shell
lobsters and chilling each handpicked order on ice creates a freshness
of flavor unmatched anywhere. Served on toasted, buttered
hamburger-style buns from a local bakery, the Clam Shack’s cold-meat
rolls may be had with mayonnaise or warm butter. This is one of the best
lobster rolls, by which all others should be measured.
Nestled in a quiet corner of Cape Ann, this pretty little spot serves
up the best lobster roll between Boston and the New Hampshire border.
Each roll at the Pool is made to order with generous chunks of lobster
mixed in a small bowl with mayo, then placed atop a crunchy leaf of
lettuce and wedged into a toasted, buttered split-top bun. Butter may be
substituted for mayo, on request. The Pool’s lobsters are procured
fresh daily from a supplier in neighboring Gloucester, then cooked up
and hand-picked at the Pool throughout the day.
Owners Enea and Cathie Bacci have put a unique Italian spin on their
hot, buttered lobster roll at this quaint, dilapidated shack next to the
Clinton town harbor. Instead of making their lobster rolls with
split-top hot dog buns, they load their warm, buttered lobster meat into
hefty Italian grinder rolls that have been toasted on a standard-issue,
propane-fired backyard barbecue grill. The result is a warm, buttery,
crispy-crunchy lobster roll that pleases in both quantity and quality.
Down by the town dock in Rye Harbor is a tiny, sunny shack that
serves some of the most innovative lobster dishes anywhere in New
England. From Lobster Gazpacho to Lobster Pizza, there’s plenty to try
here. Don’t miss the hot lobster roll with the meat bathed in a warm
butter-and-sherry sauce and served on a buttered split-top bun that’s
toasted on a plug-in griddle. There’s also a cold roll with mayo, a
touch of celery, and a hint of lemon.
This warehouse-like seafood market on a commercial strip north of
Newport masks a wonderful eatery that serves up a heaping, six-ounce
lobster roll that comes with fries, coleslaw, and a pickle for a
belt-busting plate of lobster-roll goodness. The picked-fresh-daily
lobster meat is tossed with a bit of mayo and lightly sprinkled with
white pepper. The price tag is higher than most, but the extra cost is
well worth it.
This small seafood market and lobster shack is about as far northeast
as you can go in the United States. Owned by a local lobstering family,
Quoddy Bay Lobster is blessed with its location astride the deepest,
coldest port and waters on the Eastern seaboard, perfect for propagating
big, tasty lobsters. Their cold-only lobster roll comes plain or with
mayo, Miracle Whip, or drizzled butter. They recently added a jumbo
8-ounce lobster roll on an 8-inch bun to the menu.
Best Lobster Rolls in New England Bonus Pick!
One
of the many advantages of a roll from McLoons in South Thomaston is
that you can order it prepared with half-mayo and half-butter.
In 2017, Yankee Senior Food Editor Amy Traverso embarked on The Lobster Roll Adventure up the Maine coast, from Kittery to Eastport, to sample nearly two dozen rolls and crown a champion. Here’s what she had to say McLoons, her top pick.
Imagine the lobster shack of your dreams: a tiny red hut perched over
the water with a tented patio and picnic tables. Across a small cove,
another red building serves as the drop-off point for day boats like
the Four Winds, whose crew is unloading lobster crates while the Edith C. idles
behind, waiting for the berth. And one family does it all, the catching
and the cooking. There’s homemade peach pie and coleslaw and the
freshest lobster. And here’s the genius part: Not only can you get a
half-and-half roll (one side butter, one side mayonnaise, sliced
crosswise), but also they put the mayo in the bottom of the bun. Like a
condiment! Which is what it is! The lobster tastes like lobster, the bun
tastes like butter, and the sauces enrich the lean meat. One thing is
certain: This will be hard to beat.
What do you think? Are these the best lobster rolls in New England? Share your picks in the comment section below.
This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.
When it comes to researching your genealogy, mobile apps are a great
way to access your family trees while you’re away. Here’s a fresh lineup
of must-use free genealogy mobile apps.
Genealogy is no longer restricted to the home, archives and
libraries. Mobile apps give us the freedom to research and review our
family history anywhere at any time. Head to your mobile device’s app
store, type in the word genealogy, and you’ll find countless results.
But not all genealogy mobile apps are worth the cost or space on your
phone or iPad. And some of the best apps for genealogical research don’t
even have genealogy in their description at all. So, before you load up
your home screen, check out these 13 diverse apps that are must-haves
for any genealogist. These apps cover a wide variety of research
activities and integrate with some of the most popular online tools.
All four giant genealogy websites—Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast,
and MyHeritage—are easy to use on-the-go. These genealogy apps are
free, and can be used with your free guest log-in or paid subscription.
You’ll get the same access to features as you do on the full sites. So
download these free genealogy apps to make and share family history
discoveries whenever and wherever you are.
If you have a subscription to Ancestry.com,
the free Ancestry app is a must-have. The app brings a surprising
amount of functionality to your mobile device. Here, you can search
Ancestry’s billions of genealogical records and add new family members
to your online tree.
Along the bottom of the screen is the main menu. When you tap on one
of the tools (Hints, Tree, DNA and Account), any available menu for that
tool will appear at the top of the screen.
The first tool, Hints, provides you with record suggestions from
Ancestry based on your family tree. If you find yourself overwhelmed
with the number of available hints, tap the filter icon in the top left
corner of the screen to sort hints by type (records, photos or stories)
or filter hints by last name. You can also toggle between Best hints and
Latest hints at the top of the screen. You can also access hints in the
Tree tool by tapping the green leaves attached to your ancestors.
Tap Tree from the main menu toolbar to view your tree. In fact, the
tree is the foundation of your activity in the app. You can build your
tree from scratch in the mobile app, or link to a tree you’ve already
started on the website. At the top of the screen, you can switch between
vertical and horizontal views of your tree. Tap a person to pull up a
menu where you can view the person’s profile, add a relative or edit the
person.
The app also includes a DNA section, but our next app is an even better choice for working with your AncestryDNA results.
Never miss a DNA discovery with the AncestryDNA app. The app provides
several ways to explore your genetic genealogy. You’ll find your Ethnic
Origins under the DNA Story menu. This is a breakdown of your genetic
makeup, comprised of 150+ regions around the world and including a
summary of the region’s history.
In this section, you’ll also find Migrations, which provides more
specific details about your ancestors’ migration paths. Tap the various
years listed to learn more about the paths your ancestors may have
followed.
Under the Matches tab, you’ll find other users who match your DNA
results. Use the handy Filters tool to narrow down your list as it
grows.
New to AncestryDNA? You can activate a kit within the app by taking a
photo of the kit’s barcode and following the activation instructions.
The app will send status updates as your DNA test is processed, and your
results will be delivered straight to your mobile device.
Since FamilySearch’s vast digitized records collections are free, the
FamilySearch app is an excellent research tool for thrifty
genealogists.
While most apps require you to sign into an account before you start
searching, that’s not the case with the FamilySearch Tree app. You can
jump right in search for an ancestor from the home screen. But to get
the most out of the app, you’ll want to log in with your free
FamilySearch account.
The app’s easy-to-use tools help you explore your family history by
adding and sharing your favorite family photos, stories and documents to
the global family tree. And your life stories are archived forever for
free in the FamilySearch vaults.
The menu appears at the bottom of the screen. When you’ve signed in,
tap Tree, and you can view your existing tree or start building a new
one. You’ll appear as the home person by default. Note that you can only
view your pedigree chart in portrait view through the app.
The next menu item is Tasks, which collects record hints associated
with people in your tree that you can explore and verify. A third menu
item, Recents, is a list of the most recent people you’ve viewed.
The last option, More, provides you with an expanded menu of
functionality. In More, you can search historical records and find a
person in the FamilySearch global tree. You’ll also find the Relatives
Around Me feature here. Wherever you are, you can open the app and see
other people who’re physically near you who’re related to you. It’s a
fun way to find cousins at a genealogy event or identify distant cousins
among your friends.
Some of the newest features include the ability to enable multiple
screens when you need to compare information side by side. You can
enable this feature in More > Settings. To open a menu and select a
new screen, simply tap and hold a name.
If you have a family tree on FamilySearch, you’ll love using
Memories. And if you don’t have a FamilySearch tree, this app may
convince you to create one. It provides an easy way to collect
photographs, stories and audio recordings, and bring them together with
your family tree.
You’ll need a FamilySearch account to get started. The Memories app
will synchronize with that account when you’re connected to the
internet. Without an internet connection, you’ll still have convenient
access to your data through the Memories app.
Download the Memories app, then tap the gear icon to go to the
Settings menu and log in to your account. Under Settings, you’ll also
find the Help section, where you can get tips for using the app, see
what’s new and provide feedback.
Start by adding old family photos. Tag the faces to automatically add
the images to those relatives’ profiles in your FamilySearch Family
Tree. You also can snap images of genealogical documents with your
mobile device and tag them with the people named.
The app’s Stories feature is an easy way to collect details about the
photos you’ve added. Expand your storytelling to favorite family jokes
and sayings. If you don’t want to type it all, tap the microphone key
and dictate your story. The story is attributed to you and includes the
date you created it. Finally, don’t miss the Audio tool. Use it to
interview family members and record audio memories about your parents
and siblings, family traditions, vacations and more.
The Findmypast genealogy mobile app is off to a decent start.
According to the app description, you can use it to “search, add to, and
update your Findmypast family tree,” but user comments reveal that
there isn’t a tree view yet (you can view individual ancestral
profiles). The ability to review record hints within the app is
especially good, given that Findmypast has been expanding the records
included in hinting lately.
Other functions of this genealogy app include: upload photos to your
tree from your mobile device, get tips to help your tree grow, order DNA
tests through Findmypast partner Living DNA, and more.
The Findmypast app is currently available for iOS and Android.
MyHeritage
is especially known for its tech tools, and its free genealogy mobile
app doesn’t disappoint. In fact, the app enjoys a healthy 4.7-out-of-5
rating from more than 7,500 iOS users!
Most of the full-site features and languages are available on the app
version as well. Build your family tree, review automated record and
tree hinting, and scan and upload photos to relatives’ profiles right
from your mobile device. Those with DNA results on the site can access
DNA ethnicity and matches information.
Tap Discoveries in the menu for a list of people in your tree for whom MyHeritage
has found new information. Or tap any person in your tree with the
Discoveries icons to go directly to their new matches. The patented
Instant Discoveries feature uses MyHeritage’s billions of online records
and other users’ family trees to reveal information about people in
yours.
Search all collections at one time or choose a specific historical
records collection. To search a specific collection, tap Research in the
app’s main menu. Tap All Collections, pick a category and select a
subcategory. Choose a specific collection by tapping the down arrow next
to the collection name and reading the collection description.
Advanced search capabilities allow you even more control as you
search. Get started on the home screen by tapping Research. This screen
allows you to search all records or by collection. Slide the Enable
Advanced Search button just under those categories to reveal additional
search fields. The Relatives portion of the form is unique in that it
allows you to search for people and their relatives, such as Conover
Burkett with a spouse named Viola or a mother with the maiden name
Hulse.
Invite family members to collaborate in the Invite Members section
via email or text message. You can sync members with your device’s
contacts, or add them manually. New members will be able to explore your
family tree and help it grow by adding facts, photos and people.
A portion of this summary was written by Sunny Jane Morton
Combine crowdsourcing with cemeteries, and you have Find A Grave.
This massive online database of more than 170 million graves in half a
million cemeteries is owned by Ancestry.com and fueled by more than
200,000 volunteers from around the world who upload digital photographs
of headstones and burial locations.
Anyone can use the free app to search the database’s records. To
search for an ancestor, tap Search for a Memorial on the home screen.
You can search by name, birth and death year, and cemetery location. Tap
Search and review the matching results. The app’s search feature is
simple and doesn’t support wild cards or search operators. So if you
don’t get a result, try searching different variations of the name and
information.
Among the newest features of this app is the ability to upload
multiple headstone photos at one time. Another new feature sends photos
you upload but don’t transcribe within seven days to the Find A Grave
community for transcription.
If the headstone you’re searching for isn’t currently in the
database, you can request that someone photograph it. And it’s worth
checking back often because Find A Grave boasts that thousands of new
images are added daily.
You can also honor your ancestors by creating and tracking memorials
that include biographies and photographs. And finally, inspire others to
get involved by sharing your discoveries on Facebook, by email, or
through text messages.
Although smartphones now sport higher quality cameras than ever
before, it can still be a challenge to take a quality, glare-free photo
of an old photograph or document that you’ve found. For example, if you
meet up with a cousin who has old family photos or you come across a
document in an unexpected location, you may not be so lucky as to have
immediate access to a digital scanner.
Google PhotoScan can step in to save the day by allowing you to snap
the best possible image. The free app does so by taking not one, but
four images of an item, then stitching the photos together. That one
composite image is comparable to the quality of a flatbed scanner.
The app also automatically detects the edges of an image and crops
accordingly. PhotoScan also enhances the photo by straightening it out,
correcting the perspective and using smart rotation so that your photos
appear right side up no matter how you scanned them.
Even though PhotoScan does conveniently auto-correct, there are a few
things you can do to get even better scans. First, remove photos from
any sleeves, albums and frames when possible. Try to scan in good light
(such as outside during the early morning), and set up a dedicated,
work-area light if you’re scanning indoors. Point a small desk lamp at
the image at an angle, and place your photographs on a solid matte color
background. White works well because it makes it very easy for the app
to identify the edges of the photograph.
Also remember not to tilt your phone while scanning. For best
results, hold your phone vertically when scanning vertical photos, and
hold your phone horizontally for horizontal photos. You may get better
images when your flash is turned on, but test that in your conditions.
Genealogical notes come in all shapes and sizes. Typed text, photos,
audio, video and content from websites all need to be captured and made
available for easy reference.
Evernote can handle all those formats and more, and note taking is
what Evernote does best. While you can use Evernote from the
Evernote.com website or the downloadable software on your computer, the
app gives you the ability to continue your research on the go.
Install the free app, and sign in with your Evernote account. As you
surf the web on your phone, you can save snippets of webpages to
Evernote, up to and including full pages. To save a portion of a page,
press and hold on the text until the menu pops up. Tap Select and move
the handles to encompass the desired area. Then tap Share, and Evernote
will be one of the options offered.
You can also turn your photos into notes by sharing them from your
Photos app. And if you want to record an interview with a relative,
simply open the app, tap and hold the + sign to create a new note, and
tap the microphone icon. Notes are automatically saved and retrievable
by all your devices connected to the same account.
Evernote is free to use on two or fewer devices. But if you want to
use the Evernote app on more than two devices or to upload more than
60MB per month, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. A popular
alternative to Evernote is Microsoft’s OneNote, which sports many of the
same features.
The project management app Trello makes easy work of writing,
organizing, collaborating and task management. Trello uses customizable
boards, lists and cards to help you visualize and organize everything
you’re working on. You can also customize your workflow to suit the
individual research project. You can upload photos, videos and files,
and you can share your boards with others to facilitate collaboration.
Trello tracks the history of the project so you can see when items are
added or removed.
Like other organizational apps, Trello allows you to work offline
then sync everything when you reconnect to the internet. The app is
“free to use forever” and offers upgrade options for more functionality.
Trello is widely popular among genealogists, and yet it’s extremely
well suited for organizing all areas of your work and home life.
Trello lets you add PowerUps (other apps like Calendar, Evernote and
Dropbox) to help you accomplish even more. For example, built-in file
search lets you attach Evernote notes to a Trello card and create new
notes right from your card.
There’s nothing sweeter than when genealogical research leads to old
family photos. Unfortunately, photos that’ve survived the decades are
often worse for the wear. Adobe Photoshop Fix makes quick work of photo
restoration right from your mobile device.
For best results, scan your photos at the highest resolution
possible. Save copies of the photos stored on your computer to a
Cloud-based storage app such as Dropbox or Google Drive so you can
access them from your phone. Import a photo to the app and tap Healing
in the menu.
Here you’ll find the Spot Heal tool that lets you instantly correct
small blemishes with a simple tap of the finger. The app makes the
correction based on the surrounding area. If the fix isn’t quite right,
tap the Undo icon and try zooming in a bit closer and tapping Spot Heal
again.
Fix larger and more serious image defects with the Clone Stamp tool.
Zoom in on the offending area by spreading the image with two fingers.
Next, tap a spot on the image that looks the same as the spot you want
to repair. For example, if you’re repairing a blemish that appears on
the lapel of your ancestor’s coat, tap a nearby portion of the lapel
that’s in good condition so you can replicate it. You can adjust the
size and hardness of the clone by tapping the brush icon on the left
side of the screen and adjusting the tool.
Also in the main menu at the bottom of the screen, you’ll find the
Smooth tool, which does a nice job of detecting faces and smoothing
graininess that can come with a photo’s age. Tap Adjust, and you’ll find
a wide variety of editing tools. Now whenever you have a few spare
minutes, you can pull up Adobe Photoshop Fix and bring your old
photographs back to life.
If you’re looking for a 21st-century digital family album, JoyFlips
is a great solution. It’s completely free and includes unlimited secure
cloud storage.
Start by tapping the Add Photos button. You can take a photo, import a
photo from your Photo Library, or scan a photo with the built-in
scanner. Photos are stored in the Cloud attached to your account. Create
an album by tapping Create Albums and Videos, and select the photos you
want to include. Name the album and arrange the photos in the desired
order. The image you place in the first position in your album will
serve as the album’s cover.
A unique feature of JoyFlips is the ability to personalize your
photos and albums with voice commentary. You can tag your photos with
voice or text, and record stories about them. Tap the Add Stories button
and record stories for any photos you want as you browse them in the
Slide Viewer. To record a story, tap the Record button to start and stop
recording. You can review it by tapping the playback button. Tap Done
to save or delete your stories.
The Tagging feature lets you add information much like your ancestors
might’ve written on the back of a photo. The app allows you to add
titles, keywords and descriptions as tags by typing or voice. Voice tags
are converted to text. Tags are permanently embedded into your photo’s
meta data. These tags are powerful because they not only provide
important context to your photos, but they’re also searchable, making it
possible to quickly retrieve any photo. You can tag photos in the photo
section by tapping Tag Photos from the home screen and selecting
individual or groups of photos to tag.
If you use RootsMagic software to log your research finds, you’ll
love the free RootsMagic app. It serves as a companion viewer to the
desktop software, letting you access your family tree information on
your mobile device. The app is designed to let you view—but not add to
or edit—your tree. It also includes tools such as a perpetual calendar,
date calculator, relationship calculator and Soundex calculator.
Clear instructions make it easy to load your family tree from
RootsMagic on your computer into the app via Dropbox or iTunes. Even if
you don’t use RootsMagic software, you still can use this free viewer
app. Simply download the free version of RootsMagic Essentials software
and start your tree or upload a GEDCOM (the universal format for family
tree files).
A version of this article appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of Family Tree Magazine.
The Wyoming Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming State Libraries.
The collection is comprised of over 140,000 issues of Wyoming
newspapers from as early as 1849. Search by entering keywords in the
search box. Clicking the search icon will bring you to the advanced
search page where you can filter by publication date, county, city,
and/or title. Click the page number link in the search results to view
the page image. Click Browse on the site’s homepage to browse the
collection by title, date, or county.
