Seminar: Massachusetts Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
Seminar: Massachusetts Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
Wednesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026, 6 to 7:30 pm
Presented by Christopher C. Child, Hallie Kirchner, David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure and Melanie McComb
Digital presentation available at americanancestors.org
5-Class Course $125, including exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation; and in-depth Q&A sessions with the instructors
Whether your family connection to Massachusetts is 400 years old or 40, there is a treasure trove of genealogical resources waiting for you: vital records have been kept by towns since the early seventeenth century; newspapers have existed since colonial times; and there are thousands of published genealogies, local histories, study projects, and other references that exist for Massachusetts research. This online course will provide a century-by-century look at the records, resources, repositories, and research strategies that are essential to exploring your Massachusetts roots. We will also look at the historical context, settlement patterns, and migrations into—and out of—the state; from colony to Commonwealth.
About The Family Heritage Experience and American Ancestors®
The Family Heritage Experience—an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research—was launched in 2025 by American Ancestors®, a national center for family history, heritage & culture. The Family Heritage Experience is located on the first floor of American Ancestors’ headquarters at 97 Newbury Street, in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit fhe.americanancestors.org.
American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage and culture based in Boston, Massachusetts that has been setting the gold standard for genealogical research since its founding in 1845. Today, American Ancestors serves 400K+ members and subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of family history resources. In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research, located at 97 Newbury Street at our headquarters in Boston. American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, a project dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-colonial America before emancipation. For more information, visit americanancestors.org.