The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

Vessels, The Women and Children of Plymouth Colony

By Donna A. Watkins. Publ. by American History Press (Staunton, Va.), 2021. 317 pages.

The author hWeakeras a sympathetic sense for the women and children of the Massachusetts Plymouth Colony. She wishes them remembered and commemorated as important and vital members of the first community, despite their immutable roles of subservience and struggles on a daily basis made arduous by the men who at least could feel in charge of their destinies and not under the rule and thumb of another class of citizens.

The prologue offers a brief overview and history of Plymouth Colony. Then on to the first chapter, where “Martyrs of the Mayflower,” describes the voyage with emphasis on the toll for the women, and relates the fate of the More Children, four children whose father paid enough to a stranger-merchant to take the children off his own negligent hands into the harsh, cold dangers of the sea voyage. Additional stories about other women and children of the Mayflower populate the chapter.

In “Laws and Standards,” we read about the setup of the colonial government and courts, and how the appointed custodians, all male of course, settled egregious punishments upon the women for such transgressions as “for her uncivil and outrageous railing words and carriages to the Deputy Governor, and afterwards before the whole court.”

Chapters cover marriage, fidelity, divorce, and “Danger and Desperation.” There are chapters about “Children’s Deaths,” and “Children in Service.” It’s not new news that women for generations have endured the yoke of male domination, but Weaker Vessels does present the situation in a fresh and different perspective. And of course, we all love to read history, and this is a specific history, and a well-written book, not just a rehash of an ancient theme. It’s a good book to read, and a good book to have.

The book is not all doom and gloom. In “Notable Women of Plymouth,” we read about some courageous and notable women. Mary Brewster had been with the Pilgrims from the beginning. Katherine Carver was the wife of the first governor. Alice Bradford offered warm hospitality to the bureaucrats as wife of Governor William Bradford. Other biographies present more of the Colony women in a distinguished light.

The author researched original court records, diaries and journals, and first-hand accounts, and those who are acquainted with her previous publication, Diverse Gashes, about her ancestors’ settlement and tragedy in Plymouth Colony, know the research is substantial and the storytelling is compelling.

Vessels, The Women and Children of Plymouth Colony is available from Amazon at from  https://www.amazon.com/Weaker-Vessels-Children-Plymouth-Colony/dp/1939995345 and from American History Press https://www.americanhistorypress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=5at: https://www.americanhistorypress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=58. 

The following announcement was written by the Register of Qualified Genealogists Conference:

The Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) are pleased to request call for papers for our forthcoming conference on 20 April 2024 ‘Sharing Memories: Uncovering your Family History through Storytelling’. The conference will be held in-person at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

We have a great line up of speakers including Professor Alison Light (author of Common People) Honorary Professor at Edinburgh University, University College London and a non-stipendiary Senior Research Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and, Michael Tobias OBE, Co-founder of Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Honorary Research Fellow – Genealogical Studies at the University of Strathclyde and current President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. Further 
speaker announcements to follow. Full details including submission guidance is available on our conference webpage along with ticket options. Refreshments and lunch 
will be provided. Closing date for call for paper submissions: 19 November 2023 https://www.qualifiedgenealogists.org/2024-Conference

If you have any questions about the conference or submitting a paper, please contact me at joannekenyon@qualifiedgenealogists.org

From the MyHeritage Blog:

Labor Day is more than just a holiday, it’s a tribute to the spirit of the North American workforce. Instituted to honor and recognize the American labor movement, it celebrates the countless contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of their country. These are the very people who built cities, shaped industries, and laid the foundation for countless family stories. 

There’s no better time to explore the lives and professions of your ancestors through census records on MyHeritage. This Labor Day, MyHeritage invites you to connect with your family’s past and unearth your family’s stories with FREE access to our extensive U.S. and Canada Census records from September 2nd to 5th, 2023.

Search U.S. Census Records

Search Canada Census Records

U.S. Census records offer an enlightening glimpse into the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of your relatives in the United States. With 60 collections, totaling over 860 million records, you can trace family progressions, migrations, occupations, and so much more.

If your roots stretch to Canada, we have treasures for you too. Dive into our Canada Census records to uncover narratives from the north. With 13 collections and close to 40 million records, every page can hold a new revelation about your lineage.

While our Census records are an invaluable resource, the exploration doesn’t stop there. MyHeritage’s database of historical records consists of over 19.4 billion historical records. 

Take advantage of the free access to these expansive census records from September 2nd to 5th, and step into the shoes of your ancestors. 

Read more at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2023/08/dive-into-your-family-history-with-free-access-to-census-records-this-labor-day/. 

A library card is one of the most useful things you can have in your wallet. Libby offers free access to ebooks and audiobooks if you have a supported library card (some 90 percent of public libraries in North America now use OverDrive's app). Not only that, you can also use Libby to read a host of magazines for absolutely zilch. Some updates are coming to the app next month that should make it easier to read the likes of The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Bon Appetit and Wired for free.

Libby says there will be streamlined access to magazines, which will seemingly be easier to subscribe to and receive an alert when there's a new issue. There will be improved discovery, while you'll be able to start reading with a single tap.

The company notes that the app includes access to more than 4,000 magazines with up to three years of back issues. Unlike audiobooks, ebooks and other Libby offerings, there's no circulation cap on magazines and no restrictions on how many users can read them at once, so you won't have to wait — unless, that is, you still need to sign up at your local library first.

This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I offer it as a public service to the millions of folks planning flights:

Google has apparently amassed enough historical data to pinpoint when tickets for a large crop of routes are at their cheapest.

Google is trying to solve a problem that has long vexed travelers everywhere: When is the best time to book the cheapest flight? Starting this week, the company will answer that question through Google Flights.

The service is already designed to help you find the cheapest airline tickets from third-party providers. It shows you the cheapest flights for a given day and destination, and can show you how the fare compares to past price averages for the same route. 

But whether you should buy a plane ticket now or wait for prices to go down is something that has eluded Google Flights until now. 

The tech giant has apparently amassed enough historical data to pinpoint when tickets for a large crop of routes are at their cheapest. “For searches with reliable trend data, you’ll now see when prices have typically been lowest to book your chosen dates and destination,” Google wrote in a blog post on Monday.  

You can read more in an article by Michael Kan at: https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-flights-will-tell-you-the-cheapest-time-to-book-a-ticket. 

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Norfolk Memorials

Local resident Louise Cocker has been hard at work, photographing Norfolk headstones to both preserve them for the future, and make them easier to explore. A further 30,149 new additions have been added this week. The information you'll find does understandably vary from headstone to headstone, but typically, you can expect to see a first name, last name, and year of death, alongside a confirmation of which cemetery the grave was found in. However, you could be lucky enough to also find information such as a full date of birth or death, clues to the cause of death and even information about any relatives also buried there. 

Irish Army Census 1922  

Improvements have been made to this existing collection. The transcriptions have been expanded to include information such as rank, address, attestation dates, marital status, next of kin and other extra details from the original records. What's more, you can now also search the collection using some of this information, allowing you to narrow your search even further. 

Newspapers 

Three new titles, updates to a further 31, and over 265,138 new pages make up this week’s newspaper release. 

New titles: 

·         Skelmersdale Reporter, 1963, 1965-1972, 1976-1978 

·         Sutton & Epsom Advertiser, 1908-1914, 1916-1928 

·         Western Echo, 1899-1903, 1906-1915 

Updated titles: 

·         Atherstone News and Herald, 1887-1888 

·         Bath Journal, 1772-1773, 1775-1776, 1779-1783, 1786-1789, 1791-1798, 1800-1809, 1813, 1815-1816, 1820-1821 

·         Belfast News-Letter, 1957-1958 

·         Cambridge Chronicle and Journal, 1770-1812 

·         Cambridge Daily News, 1908 

·         Cornishman, 1990-1991 

·         Frome Journal, 1989 

·         Gloucester Citizen, 1991, 1994, 1996-1998 

·         Hinckley Echo, 1901-1902, 1904-1905, 1907-1908, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1942 

·         Holyhead Mail and Anglesey Herald, 1921-1929, 1931-1950 

·         Huddersfield and Holmfirth Examiner, 1864 

·         Ilfracombe Chronicle, 1879 

·         Leeds Evening Express, 1860-1861, 1865-1870 

·         Macclesfield Times, 1933, 1943, 1952 

·         Manchester Evening News, 1977-1979 

·         Medway News, 1993 

·         Paddington Mercury, 1995 

·         Portsmouth Evening News, 1960-1961 

·         Rochdale Observer, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1991 

·         Royston and Buntingford Mercury, 1990 

·         Runcorn Weekly News, 1979, 1983 

·         Sherborne Mercury, 1749-1750, 1752-1758, 1760, 1763-1764, 1766, 1772-1777, 1798, 1814, 1819, 1821, 1826, 1828 

·         St. Ives Weekly Summary, 1911 

·         Stalybridge Reporter, 1914-1916 

·         Streatham News, 1909-1916, 1931-1937 

·         Sunday Sun (Newcastle), 1926 

·         West Surrey Times, 1919 

·         Westerham Herald, 1882 

·         Widnes Weekly News and District Reporter, 1964-1971, 1973-1979 

·         Wokingham Times, 1945 

This is a quick note to announce that I think I am back in operation from my recent hospitalization and recuperation. I am not back to "my old self" but I do feel better than I did for the past week or so.

I want to thank everyone for posting the "get well soon" comments. There is no way that I can reply to every one. However, I have read everyone and I want to say a heartfelt "Thank You" for each.

I will add one comment. Several folks suggested I seek medical help. Indeed, I did just that. I lost count but think I saw at least a dozen different doctors, most of them specialists of one sort or another. It is because of their excellent care that I am back within a week. I cannot offer enough "thanks" to all the excellent medical care I had.

I do think my return to writing this newsletter will be a bit slow to begin with but I hope to be back to full speed before long.

Again, thanks for all the well wishes.

 - Dick Eastman

I am delighted with the comments from yesterday's announcement that I am offline for medical reasons. There is no way i can write individual replies to each person. But they are welcomed and I want to say a heartfelt "Thank You" for each.

In case you are interested: I spent lastnight in a local emergency room and today am in the hospital. I have had 2 cat scans and expect a 3rd and maybe more. In short, I am in good hands.

Sooner or later, I'll be back.

I had a small accident over the weekend and it looks like it will require several days to recuperate. In the meantime, posting new articles online (such as this one) seems to require a Herculean effort. So please excuse me if I crawl off to a quiet corner and heal.

Last Friday, after a long, long road trip. I arrived at the home of one of my passengers. When I went to get out of the automobile, I either tripped or slipped or stumbled (I don't know which) and then fell to the driveway pavement, hitting my head on the pavement in the process. 

It hurt. Big time. I saw stars and lightning and lots of other flashing lights. I stumbled back to my feet and tried to carry on as normal. But things weren't normal.

For the sake of brevity, I won't list everything that happened after that. But the short trip to my home was difficult. When I got home, I fell to the ground several times while walking from the garage to my bedroom. Dizziness was the primary culprit, aided by double vision, and various other impediments. 

It is now 48 hours later and I have improved significantly, but not completely. My vision is still somewhat blurred and even typing this brief message is arduous. I think I need a few more days to recuperate. So I'm going remain in a quiet corner and let things heal.

Unfortunately, I run this web site as a one-person operation. There is nobody waiting in a backup role to step in when I am out of commission.

I'll be back...