There are two reasons I love to read scholarly genealogy research. First, what do I consider scholarly research? While there are a few top notch quality articles published at the local level, my personal favorite A+ genealogical publications include the Virginia Magazine of Genealogy, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The New England Historic Genealogical Society Register and The American Genealogist.
Why am I so engrossed with these journals? Well, the articles are written by genealogists with impeccable skills, who use a variety of strategies and resources to unravel difficult research subjects. It doesn’t matter that the subject of the article is a person or place far removed from my own family tree. It’s all about the methodology! That makes for an excellent learning opportunity to expand my own sleuthing skills.
In addition to being a great educational tool, I get very excited when I read the table of contents and discover that one of my ancestors is featured!
Randy A. West has published an article titled John Tompson of Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, First Husband of Alice (Freeman) (Tompson) Parke of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
As I am descended from this couple through their eldest daughter Mary, who married Joseph Wise in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1641, this article definitely caught my attention.
What did I learn? Several new details:
- John Tompson wasn’t originally from Preston Capes
- The name of his wife wife and marriage date
- The most likely name of his father AND
- His burial place, which wasn’t in Northamptonshire.
Access to scholarly genealogical publications isn’t cheap, but is money well spent. The American Genealogist is available by subscription. Publications by the Virginia Genealogical Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society all require membership in the organizations. Each of these societies offer members-only perks plus subscriptions to their publications included in the yearly dues.
If you haven’t ever considered becoming a member of any of these societies, perhaps their excellent publications will draw you in!