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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.

Thursday, February 1, 2024

A Library List in Alphabetical Order

 

Working on this

During the past 12 years, I've visited about 98 libraries to date. The purpose is to see what they have to offer genealogists for research. For this year, I visited:
Woburn, MA on on February 10th (to see renovated library)
Reading. MA, on February 11th (to see renovated library)
Littleton, MA, on March 1st (to see rebuilt library)
Scituate, MA on March 16th (first visit)
Ashburnham, MA on March 30 (first visit)
Dunstable, MA on April 20 (first visit)
Townsend, Ma on April 23 (able to see genealogy and historical material)
Ashby, MA, on April 23rd (first visit)



There is quite a difference from the first ones I visited and wrote about to the recent ones. The Lynnfield Library in Massachusetts was the first one I visited, and I was there a lot. I learned they had the same books I was using in Boston at NEHGS, however, I could save a lot of time by not going into the city.

Initially, I just took photos of the genealogy room or area and I didn't do much writing. The most recent posts contain more writing and many more photos and I tried to showcase the entire library. In the beginning, I would secretly take my pictures, but during the past four years, I made it a point to talk to all the librarians...they have a wealth of information. Even if they didn't know much about genealogy, they knew where the books, maps, and local cemeteries were. Of course, the best librarians were the ones interested in genealogy. I think of Susan from Littlefield, MA, and Mary Bacon from Tyngsborough.

This is a newly revised list, put in alphabetical order by name of towns in the state category.

MAINE (17)

Jessup Memorial Library / Bar Harbor Library, Bar Harbor, Maine

Patten Free Library, Bath, Maine

McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Maine

Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Maine

Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Maine

Lewiston Public Library, Lewiston, Maine

Orr's Island Library, Harpswell, Maine

Kennebuck Free Library, Kennebuck, Maine

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, Maine

Rice Public Library, Kittery, Maine

Ogunquit Memorial Library, Ogunquit, Maine

Libby Memorial Library, Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Maine Historical Society and Library, Portland, Maine

Topsham Public Library, Topsham, Maine

Wells Public Library, Wells, Maine

Wiscasset Public Library, Wiscasset, Maine

York Public Library, York, Maine


MASSACHUSETTS (67)

Stevens Public Library, Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Acton Memorial Library, Acton, Massachusetts

Amesbury Public Library, Amesbury, Massachusetts

Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Massachusetts

Robbins Library / Arlington Library, Arlington, Massachusetts

Ashby Free Public Library, Ashby, Massachusetts

Bedford Free Public Library, Bedford, Massachusetts


Billerica Public Library, Billerica, Massachusetts


Berkshire / Pittsfield Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Massachusetts

Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Massachusetts (Private)

Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Massachusetts (What was in it for Me?)

Boston Public Library. Boston, Massachusetts

Massachusetts State Library, Boston, Massachusetts

New England Historical and Genealogical Library (NEHGS), Boston, Massachusetts
These were written in 2011, and there have been some changes at the library.
Are You Visiting NEHGS? #1
Are You Visiting NEHGS in Boston, Massachusetts? #2

Bolton Public Library, Bolton, Massachusetts

Sargent Memorial Library, Boxboro, Massachusetts

Burlington Public Library, Burlington, Massachusetts

Gleason Public Library, Carlisle, Massachusetts


Adams Library, Chelmsford, Massachusetts


Bigelow Free Public Library, Clinton, Massachusetts


Concord Free Library, Concord, Massachusetts

Peabody Institute Library, The Danvers Archival Center

Parker Memorial Library, Dracut, Massachusetts

Dunstable Free Public Library, Dunstable, Massachusetts

Georgetown Peabody Library, Georgetown, Massachusetts

Groton Public Library, Groton, Massachusetts


Haverhill Public Library, Haverhill, Massachusetts


Harvard Public Library, Harvard, Massachusetts

Hudson Public Library, Hudson, Massachusetts

Ipswich Library, Ipswich, Massachusetts


Thayer Memorial Library, Lancaster, Massachusetts

Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Lenox Library, Lenox, Massachusetts

Leominster Public Library, Leominster, Massachusetts

Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, Massachusetts

Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, Massachusetts

Reuben Hoar Library, Littleton, Massachusetts

Doing Research in Lowell, Massachusetts? Here's Help, Lowell, Massachusetts
Pollard Memorial Library, Lowell, Massachusetts

Lynnfield Public Library, Lynnfield, Massachusetts

Marlborough Public Library, Marlborough, Massachusetts (New June 2022) working on it

Medford Public Library, Medford, Massachusetts

Merrimac Public Library, Merrimac, Massachusetts

Nevins Memorial Library, Methuen, Massachusetts

Flint Public Library, Middleton, Massachusetts

Newburyport Public Library, Newburyport, Massachusetts

Peabody Institute Public Library, Peabody, Massachusetts

Lawrence Library, Pepperell, Massachusetts


Reading Public Library, Reading, Massachusetts


Rowley Public Library, Rowley, Massachusetts

Salem Public Library, Salem, Massachusetts

Salisbury Public Library, Salisbury, Massachusetts

Scituate Public Library, Scituate, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts

Stockbridge Public Library Association, Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Randall Library, Stow, Massachusetts

Goodnow Library, Sudbury, Massachusetts

Tewksbury Public Library, Tewksbury, Massachusetts

Tyngsborough Public Library, Tyngsborough, Massachusetts

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield Massachusetts


Waltham Library, Waltham, Massachusetts


Watertown Free Library, Watertown, Massachusetts

Wayland Public Library, Wayland, Massachusetts

J.V. Fletcher Library, Westford, Massachusetts

The Forbush Library, Westminster, Massachusetts

Wilmington Memorial Library, Wilmington, Massachusetts


Winchester Public Library, Winchester, Massachusetts

Woburn Public Library / Winn Memorial Library, Woburn, Massachusetts


NEW HAMPSHIRE (13)

Derry Public Library, Derry, New Hampshire

Dublin Public Library, Dublin, New Hampshire

Gilmanton Library, Gilmanton, New Hampshire

Hudson (George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library) Hudson, New Hampshire (New July 2022)

Keene Public Library, Keene, New Hampshire

Kelley (Salem), Public Library, Salem, New Hampshire

Leach Library, Londonderry, New Hampshire

Manchester City Library, Manchester, New Hampshire

Merrimack Public Library, Merrimack, New Hampshire

Nashua Public Library, Nashua, New Hampshire

New Ipswich Public Library, New Ipswich, New Hampshire

Well, January is Over. What Did I do that Month?

Why not post my photo of Dolly. I think she will bring a smile to all.

I posted a blog a day for the past 31 days in January. Many were of libraries, cemeteries, historic houses, and museums that were visited between 2032 and 2023. Some of my favorite ones like taking a backstage tour of a large Boston theater and visiting a museum with a collection of items of Georgia O'Keeffe. Although I posted quite a few related to genealogy research (libraries and cemeteries) the more popular of all 31 posts was the one about my Lexington house.

When I decided to post the Lexington house blog to a Lexington group, I received a huge surprise. Why? Well, I left that town in 1961 and have had no contact with my neighbors and now, I received three comments saying they remembered me! And I responded, telling them something about their family. The biggest surprise was a message from a realtor saying she knew the people who recently bought my old house!

As of this writing, I received just shy of 12,000 hits this month. I had many nice comments and sometimes didn't know if I was coming or going, especially since my goal was to post each day between 8-8:30...it was a great way to start my day. Since January is usually a miserable month for many, I made sure it wasn't for me. I now have posted 1,505 posts since 2009.  I will not be doing a daily post for February.

Thank you to those who took the time to read something I wrote in January.

My most popular posts in order were:
Claypit Cemetery, Lowell, MA.
The Lexington House, Lexington, MA.
The Coffin House, Newbury, MA.
1713 Job Lane House, Bedford, MA.
Charter Street Cemetery, Salem, MA.
The Browne House, Watertown, MA.
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