ProGen of New England's Favorite Finds

On this day in 1862, my Great-Great Grandparents were married. What interesting information have you learned about your Great-Great Grandparents? Need help? Contact us today! On the 29th of June in 1862, William Steemson married Catherine Burton in Nottingham, England. William, 26 years old, worked as an agricultural laborer. According to Family Search, this occupation could mean a variety of things in the 1860’s. “The farm laborer had considerable skill if his tasks included ploughing, harrowing, rolling, sowing seed, tending and weeding a variety of crops, harvesting with scythe, sickle and spade, and laying up and threshing during the winter.”   What did your ancestors doo for a living in the 1860’s? Let ProGen of NE help you find out! #genealogy   #progenofne   #ancestry   #familysearch

Agnes Bourrett Burke Fassett (Center) Today is my Great-Great Grandmother's birthday. On the 28th of June 1874, Agnes Bourrett was born to Louis Bourrett and Philomène Langlois. The family lore was that she was born in Canada and she was the only one of her siblings that spoke French. It was rumored that her father Louis, who was a fur trapper that worked in a tannery in New Hampshire but trapped in Canada, had two families-one in New Hampshire and one in Canada. After a trip to New Hampshire in search of local family history and more information on the Bourrett family, my mother, Aunt Louise, and I found that the local library had a book called the History of the Town of Gilsum New Hampshire From 1752 to 1879. The book contained family histories for many of the local families-including the Louis Bourrett family! The book listed Agnes' birthdate and location of Gilsum, NH and her mother's full name, Philomène Langlois. It turns out that Philomène died shortly after giving b...

Lewis Army of Worcester, MA (1845-1921) was a 1st generation Irish-French Canadian American that served in the United States Civil War between 1863-1865. Lewis served in the 3rd N.H. Infantry. Co "B" as a substitute solider. The Enrollment Act of 1863 allowed for draftees to provide a substitute solider in their stead or pay a $300 (equivalent to approximately $7,000 in 2022) fee in order to avoid having to serve in the military. Lewis participated in the Siege of Petersburg which was a trench warfare campaign that stretched over nine months and was commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Do you have an ancestor that fought in the U.S. Civil War? What records can be unearthed about your family? Maybe we can help you with your genealogy research! Lewis Army photo provided by Beth Army and Substitute Volunteer Enlistment record found at NARA. #genealogy #progenofne #worcesterma #civilwar Lewis Army, photo provided by Beth Army, private collection. Lewis Army Civil War Substitu...

Francis E. McKeon was the only surviving son of Frank and Mary McKeon. Sons James B., Joseph W., and Robert E. McKeon were all Killed In Action serving in the United States military. Francis E. McKeon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Jul 1943 but by Oct 1943 it was discovered that he had a significant hearing loss from a bout of scarlet fever at the age of 14. That hearing loss would ultimately cause him to be honorably discharged from service. Today marks 78 years since WWII's D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. We are honored to share the history of these fine young men who answered the call to service Francis E. age 25, James. B., age 23, Joseph W. age 18, and Robert E. age 23. James and Joseph McKeon were both part of the D-Day invasions. #worcesterma #dday Francis E. McKeon James Benard McKeon Joseph Walter McKeon Robert Emmett McKeon

    Patricia M. St. Marie, Lead Genealogy Researcher Patricia is the founder of Professional Genealogy Research Services of New England and the lead genealogy researcher. Patricia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders from Worcester State University and a Master of Education degree in Special Education Assistive Technology from Simmons University. Patricia has worked for the French River Education Center, Inc. since 1996 providing related services in the areas of Speech and Language Therapy and Assistive Technology throughout Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut. Patricia’s love of family history began when she was a young girl traveling in the backseat of a car visiting various cemeteries to tend to the graves of numerous relatives with her Grandmother Ruth and Uncle Fran. Her Uncle Fran would drive her and her grandmother from cemetery to cemetery where Ruth would tell stories (some ordinary and some colorful) about relatives in each cemetery. In ...