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Press Room

About American Ancestors/NEHGS

Founded in 1845, American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society is a leading expert resource for family history research. Our eight-story Research Center in Boston is home to a vast collection of genealogical resources and materials. Our expertise includes the family histories of historical figures, many top Hollywood celebrities, the British and other European royal families, and every United States President.

Brenton Simons giving a press conference

Our expert staff and their research have been featured in a number of local and national media outlets including the Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, “The Ellen Show,” “Inside Edition,” People Magazine, NPR, CNN, BBC News, Fox News, ABC News, and NBC Nightly News. Our work has also been featured in a number of prominent national television shows including “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC and “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr,” on PBS. We have also been featured in a variety of videos and in radio and podcasts.

Press Contact

Claire Vail

Vice President for Digital Strategy and Communications
claire.vail@nehgs.org
617-226-1278

Press Releases

Patriots of Color Database from Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Now Available on 10 Million Names Website

October 8, 2024

Gore Roll of Arms Available in Print for First Time from American Ancestors and Palfrey Press

July 11, 2024

American Ancestors Names Ryan J. Woods as President and CEO

May 14, 2024

FamilySearch, American Ancestors Collaboration to Recover Names of 10 Million Enslaved Africans

February 20, 2024

Brenton Simons Receives an Honorary OBE

November 6, 2023

New Project Will Recover the Names of Up to 10 Million People Enslaved in America Before Emancipation and Locate their Living Descendants

August 3, 2023

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Launches First Ever Boston Tea Party Descendants Program in Partnership with American Ancestors/NEHGS as Part of the Boston Tea Party's 250th Anniversary Commemorative Year

March 11, 2023

American Ancestors Announces Annual Young Family Historians Essay Contest

January 23, 2023

2021

Brenton Simons Awarded History Medal by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (November 1, 2021)

Brenton Simons Receives First-Ever John Adams Medal for Outstanding Merit in the Study of History and Lifetime Achievement in Institutional Leadership from the Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (October 4, 2021)

American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society Hosts Author and Art Theft Expert Anthony M. Amore at Summer Virtual Family History Benefit (July 26, 2021)

Media Advisory: American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society Announces New Database (July 14, 2021)

Media Advisory: American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society Wins Award for Family Treasures: 175 Years of Collection Art and Furniture at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (June 30, 2021)

Media Advisory: American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society Reopens Tuesday, June 22 (June 16, 2021)

The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at New England Historic Genealogical Society Celebrates Tenth Anniversary (June 2, 2021)

American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society Appoints Meghan Hallock as Vice President for Advancement (June 1, 2021)

American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society Honors Former UK Prime Minister The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH (April 22, 2021)

Media Advisory: American Ancestors Offers Free, Online Live Family History Chat Service with Expert Genealogists (March 17, 2021)

Massachusetts Catholic Cemetery Records Now Available Online (February 23, 2021)

2019

American Ancestors Creates a New Corporate Membership Program for Boston Companies to Offer as an Employee Benefit (December 9, 2019)

New Best-selling Author Series American Inspiration to Feature Talks on the Battle of Vicksburg; the Harvard, Yale and America in 1968; and the Life and Music of Janis Joplin (November 5, 2019)

American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society Present Lifetime Achievement Award to Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and Historian Joseph J. Ellis (Oct 29, 2019)

Former UK Prime Minister The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH to Visit Boston in 2020 to Commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower Landing and the 175th Anniversary of New England Historic Genealogical Society, the World’s Oldest and Largest Genealogical Society (October 9, 2019)

Bruegger’s Bagels Co-Founder Nordahl Brue and Wife Suzanne Donate $1.5 Million to Family History Learning Center in Boston (September 12, 2019)

American Inspiration—a New, Best-Selling Author Series—to Premiere in Boston’s Back Bay (August 21, 2019)

Historic Catholic Records Online Project Expansion Announced by American Ancestors and the Archdiocese of Boston (August 7, 2019)

The American Ancestry of Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Is Revealed by American Scholar (August 1, 2019)

New Website Documents Family Histories of Enslaved People Alongside the Voices of Their Living Descendants (June 19, 2019)

On the Ancestry of the New Royal Baby (May 17, 2019)

American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society Present Lifetime Achievement Award to Dan Rather (May 3, 2019)

American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society Open Boston's Mayflower 400th Anniversary Commemorations with Tributes to Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Nation (April 17, 2019)

Four Nations Unite to Realize Their 400th Commemoration Program for 2020 (March 14, 2019)

Bestselling Authors Tabitha and Stephen King Make $1.25 Million Gift to Advance Educational Programming at American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston (February 26, 2019)

2018

As Tributes Pour in Celebrating the Life of the 41st President, Genealogists at New England Historic Genealogical Society Provide a Look at Famous Relatives of George H. W. Bush (December 5, 2018)

Jewish Heritage Center at New England Historic Genealogical Society Is Named in Honor of Justin Wyner and Genevieve Wyner (November 16, 2018)

NEHGS Offers FREE Access to All Databases on AmericanAncestors.org from November 6–13 (November 7, 2018)

Historic Hotels of America® Partners with New England Historic Genealogical Society and American Ancestors to Offer Historic Benefits to Clientele (October 17, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society Announces Programs and Resources Commemorating the Mayflower 400th Anniversary (August 28, 2018)

NEHGS Offers FREE Access to All Online Databases on AmericanAncestors.org from July 10–17 (July 10, 2018)

Carolyn A. Lynch Garden Dedicated on Newbury Street; Blessed by Cardinal O’Malley (June 15, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society Announces the Release of Its New Database Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880 on AmericanAncestors.org (June 13, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) Announce Collaboration (May 15, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) Presents Its Lifetime Achievement Award to “An American Legend”: Author, Historian David McCullough (April 28, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society Publishes “2020—Your Guide to the Mayflower 400th Anniversary” (April 25, 2018)

As America Mourns Barbara Bush, Genealogists at New England Historic Genealogical Society Announce She Was Related to Ten Presidents, Including her Husband, and to Prince William (April 19, 2018)

New England Historic Genealogical Society Honors One of Its Own—William M. Fowler, Jr.—with NEHGS Lifetime Achievement Award (January 25, 2018)

2016

Open the door to your early New England ancestry for FREE (October 18, 2016)

NEHGS to Honor Cokie Roberts at Family History Benefit Dinner (October 4, 2016)

New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) to Present “Making America: Researching Early New England and Revolutionary War Ancestors” in Carlsbad, California (June 22, 2016)

NEHGS offers expertise on challenging Empire State genealogical research with FREE access to all its New York resources on AmericanAncestors.org during June (June 2, 2016)

The Country’s Founding Genealogical Society Honors Legendary Television Anchors Bob Schieffer and David Hartman with Their Family Histories (April 25, 2016)

The Jewish Heritage Center at New England Historic Genealogical Society Launched with Special Program Featuring Noted Historian Jonathan D. Sarna and CJP President Barry Shrage (April 7, 2016)

American Ancestors by NEHGS Announces an Unprecedented, Historic Event for Genealogists: A BILLION Records FREE! (April 6, 2016)

Experts from New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), to Visit the Villages Genealogical Society—Florida’s Largest Genealogical Organization—on Friday, April 1 (March 2, 2016)

During Black History Month, NEHGS Offers Free Access to Databases Featuring African American Content to Guest Users on AmericanAncestors.org (February 1, 2016)

New England Historic Genealogical Society to Honor Legendary Television Anchors Bob Schieffer and David Hartman (January 15, 2016)

Curt DiCamillo Appointed Curator of Special Collections at New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) – AmericanAncestors.org (January 11, 2016)

New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) Partners with the Congregational Library & Archives to Digitize Early Church Records (January 7, 2016)

2015