Life From The Roots: 2026

The Life From The Roots blog topics have changed several times since I began this blog in 2009. I initially wrote only about the family history I had been working on for 20 years. Years later, I was into visiting gardens, historical homes, churches, libraries that had genealogical collections, historical societies, war memorials, and travel/tourism places. I also enjoy posting autographs and photos of famous people I've met or have seen.

Along with my New England roots, other areas include New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Please check out the labels on the right side for topics (please note, they need work). Below the labels and pageviews is a listing of my top nine posts, according to Google. Four of them pertain to Lowell, MA. These posts change often because they are based on what people are reading.

Monday, June 8, 2026

Beals Free Library, Winchendon, Massachusetts

Beal Memorial Library

50 Pleasant Street

Winchendon, MA 01475

Email: bealsmemoriallibrary@gmail.com

Website: https://www.bealslibrary.org/

Phone: (978) 297-0300

Once I started up the stairs, I saw I needed to enter on the side.

But, I'm not sure why I had to go through a basement filled with Christmas decorations.

I visited this library on April 27, 2024, the same day I went to Ashby Free Public Library. The reference / checkout area was a large round desk surrounded by four rooms and two hallways. The employees were very busy so I didn't ask questions. One thing I noticed was the ceiling fan was keeping us cool. I'm showing seven of the surrounding rooms.

The Library flyer stated that this library was built in 1913 with a $50,000 donation from Charles Beals in memory of his wife, parents and siblings." The population in this town is about 10,000.

At some point, I inquired about their genealogy section and I was taken to the basement. I find it more interesting if I have an ancestor to research, but unfortunately I didn't have anybody to look up. I'm showing what I thought other genealogists would be interested in. Lots of shelved filled with old genealogy / history books in a very dusty basement. If you locate your family, you are in for a treat.

I love old card catalogues. I don't know if they still use them because they have the internet

The collection of similar books are a set of the "Tan Books". Genealogy "Tan Books" most commonly refer to the Systematic Series of Massachusetts Vital Records.. This is a massive collection of 180+ published volumes covering the birth, marriage, and death records for over 200 Massachusetts towns up to the year 1850." Many Massachusetts libraries have at least some of these books, and you can find them online.

I only hope employees were able to locate what they were looking for.

Then an employee brought me up to the third floor where I saw a large meeting room and several small private ones.

This staircase was lovely, but another one wasn't as nice.

A side view from a Library window.

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Ashby Free Public Library, Ashby, Massachusetts

Ashby Free Public Library

812 Main Street

Ashby, Middlesex County, MA 01431

Ashbylibrary.org

Phone: (978) 386-5377

On April 27, 2024, I went through these doors that brought me into the Ashby Library built in 1901. It looks like a small library from the front view, but I could see it had a rather large addition on the side. Not sure about back parking, so I parked on the main street.

View from the library, a church is in front.

Inside really meets with my approval, since I love old stuff, especially card catalogue and stained glass.

Not sure which room this was taken in.

The genealogy room was right in the front and I went in to look around. As luck would have it, there was a genealogist there and we had quite a conversation. One topic led to another. We found out we both worked at the same company in Lowell, MA and she was a good friend of a former employee, as was I. So we changed numbers and when I got home, I made a quick call to my friend to share who I met up in Ashby. Genealogists do love to talk.

There was only one bookcase, so it was easy to photo their genealogy resources.

A new addition was next to photo. If you look at their website with photos the newest beautiful addition has a collection of photos. https://www.google.com/search?q=ashby+ma+library+edwin+chapman&oq=ashby+ma+library+edwin+chapman&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigAdIBCjE4MDU0ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBfeDafRKqE70&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D,ik:CAoSFkNJSE0wb2dLRUlDQWdJQ0R0cVN3THc%3D I'm sorry I didn't go into that area. They do have internet and one computer for people to use.

Edwin Chapman

1841-1915

"Originally organized “largely through the efforts of Rev. George S. Shaw,” the library began in a private home before moving in 1902 to its current building—funded by local businessman and Civil War veteran Edwin Chapman.

In the early 2000s, an 8,000 sq. ft. passive solar addition was built as a model project for the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. This bright two-story space includes a children’s library downstairs and a young adult area, adult library, periodicals, and offices upstairs."

The current population of Ashby, Massachusetts, is approximately 3,211 residents. This figure reflects official census-derived estimates, making it the least populous municipality in Middlesex County.