July 18-21 Free New England Records on Ancestry

New England Family History Comes Alive with 220 Million New Records on Ancestry.com

Historic Records Provide an Inside Look at Life in New England

from Colonial Era to Present Day

(PROVO, Utah) – July 18, 2013 –Ancestry.com the world’s largest online family history resource, has added more than 220 million historical New England records to its existing databases, creating the most comprehensive collection of New England records available online.  Included in the new collections are birth, marriage and death records for hundreds of millions of residents in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as images, diaries and articles from Colonial times to the 1980s.

“Many Americans have roots in New England, and with the addition of these records to our site, Ancestry.com offers an unprecedented amount of information for those who want to search and discover their New England history,” said Daniel Jones, Vice President of Content for Ancestry.com.

Over the past few months, Ancestry.com has spent more than 10,000 hours digitizing and indexing historical records from the region in order to make them easily accessible online.  The new records reveal countless facts of people from the region, from population to job growth, while also bringing insights into the life of notable New Englanders. 

Life in New England

While the new records will help people discover their family’s New England history, they also shed light on what life was like for the typical New Englander in various periods of the region’s history:

• Battle of the Sexes – If you were looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right in the 1850s, you may have had better luck moving to a neighboring state. In Vermont during the 1850s, men outnumbered women by more than 35,000. Just over the border in Massachusetts, women actually outnumbered men by 68,000.
• Role of Technology in Transforming Jobs – New England has always been a hub for the latest technology. In the 1850s, the top tech jobs included cotton and wool mill workers, as well as shoe makers. By the 1940s, being a machinist meant you had the hot New England tech career. During that period, the number of farmers in New England declined by 66 percent, proving technology was the future.

Notable New Englanders

The new collections are not only a treasure trove of information for those trying to learn more about their family origins, but also those interested in learning more about notable New Englanders throughout history. Norman Rockwell’s indexed death record and Benjamin Franklin’s birth record are included in the new collections, along with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s obituary and even a record of Dr. Seuss’ birth (Theodor Geisel). The new collections also contain unique subject matter such as original letters regarding the Salem Witch trials.

The Name Legacy of a Founding Father

The new collections also reveal that the nation’s Founding Fathers left a lasting impression in many New England families. From 1850-1940 more than 500 people were named after John Adams, compared to 37 named after George Washington.

From July 18-21st, Ancestry.com will make all of these impactful records from the New England Historic Genealogical Society – along with several other New England record sets – available free of charge for the public to search. This will enable beginner and expert family historians alike to explore curiosities and research their New England heritage.

Credits: Image "Green Free Button" by nuttakit from freedigitalphotos.net