Old Bones Genealogy of New England

11/05/2025

Here are a couple of pics I took during a meeting at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the printing press that belonged to Patriot Isaac Thomas. He escaped from Boston to Worcester Massachusetts as the Revolutionary War was getting started. It was built in London in 1747.

11/04/2025

Wednesday, November 12, 2025: How to Begin Your Genealogy Search with Dave Robison In-Person.
Curious about your family history but not sure where to begin? Join us for this beginner-friendly genealogy class with experienced genealogist Dave Robison, who has spent over 25 years helping others uncover their roots.

In this session, Dave will walk you through the first steps of family history research—where to start, what questions to ask, and how to organize your findings. He’ll introduce key resources, best practices, and tips for avoiding common pitfalls. Whether you’re exploring your ancestry for fun, for family, or for the first time, this class will set you on the right path.

All levels of curiosity welcome—no prior experience necessary!

Register for this free presentation now! Address: 2 Canal St, South Hadley, MA 01075
Phone: (413) 538-5045

03/09/2025

We made on time to see and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. An important srop while we're here at RootsTech in Salt Lake City.

03/08/2025

It took Karen and I 22 hours to fly to Salt Lake City! Weather problems, mostly. But we made it! I'm here with Colin Whitney of the San Diego Genealogical Society at RootsTech. I'll be delivering two presentations to SDGS via ZOOM on Saturday from my hotel room!

03/06/2025

Finally made it to RootsTech inspite of about 20+ hours on airplane! Here's a quick video of the opening:

11/05/2024

Remains of nearly 30 Civil War veterans found in a funeral home’s storage are laid to rest
Source: CNN

For several decades, the cremated remains of more than two dozen American Civil War veterans languished in storage facilities at a funeral home and cemetery in Seattle.

10/12/2024

Interesting events yesterday. Mid-afternoon, a gentleman, who is both deaf and mute, rang my doorbell and quite frankly seemed confused. He asked me a few questions by using a paper tablet and a quizzical look on his face. I tried to answer his questions the best I could.

As it turns out, he had gotten my location from a local City Hall and was seeking genealogical research assistance. Once we got that all figured out, I invited him in. He showed me a diverse collection of documents he had gleaned from Ancestry.com and we began writing notes to each other.

After an hour or so we confirmed a few facts and discovered a few more, including the fact that even though he is from a state far south of Massachusetts, we seem to be cousins at some level.

We've agreed to stay in touch as I agreed to do the best I could to clarify some of the data he has been working on.

It is the very first time in over 20 years of researching for myself and dozens of clients, that a potential client would show up on my doorstep!!

03/19/2024

In November of this year, I will have made my 100th blood donation at the Red Cross. (This doesn't count the dozen or so I made at a local hospital that no longer has a program.)
Find a center near you! https://www.redcross.org/
If you don't like needles, they'll be happy to accept your cash donation!

Every 8 minutes the American Red Cross responds to an emergency. Support the Red Cross. Join us today by making a donation.

02/06/2024

RootsTech 2024 is open for registrations. The interesting aspect is you can register and participate from home at no cost to you. Or you may want to take a trip to Salt Lake City. The last time I went was in 2021. There were over 30,000 attendees!

If your family tree is on the FamilySearch web site, you can use "RootsTech Relatives" and discover relatives among anyone attending live or virtually. My own report lists 6,787 people from all over the world who are "relatives" at some level!

11/22/2023

https://www.history.com/news/squanto-pilgrims-help-plymouth-thanksgiving?cmpid=email-hist-inside-history-2023-1122-11222023&om_rid=b7f4afee8805fe08c158f87d2d42d94ea6374e1b405e38b5a43fa6b4a59e7100%20~campaign%20%3D%20hist-inside-history-2023-1122

Without Squanto, a.k.a. Tisquantum, to interpret and guide them to food sources, the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims may have never have survived.