The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the United States, and probably in North America, and it is now the envy of genealogical societies around the world.
Tabitha and Stephen King. Photo courtesy of the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation.
Yesterday, it was announced that bestselling author Stephen King and his wife Tabitha (née Spruce) made a $1.25 million gift to advance educational programming at NEHGS.
The Associated Press report on the donation appeared online yesterday afternoon in major newspapers across the United States and Canada, and the story spread like wildfire among genealogists on social media.
The purpose of the Kings’ gift will be to develop educational programming that introduces family and local history to wider audiences and helps the organization expand its Back Bay headquarters in Boston.
New resources at the society will allow a visitor to explore their personal family history, discover stories of how and why people came to America, learn about the indigenous people who were already on America’s shores, better understand the burgeoning field of DNA and genetics, and inspire a new generation of young people to engage in history and genealogy.
New England Historic Genealogical Society on Newbury Street in Boston. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation’s gift will also fund the creation of a new curriculum in family history for public school students that includes teacher orientation and training.
Brenton Simons, president and CEO of NEHGS and the online brand American Ancestors, said, “This magnificent support will aid us as we expand our headquarters over the next few years. Our new wing will include a family history discovery centre where intergenerational visitors will learn about how to conduct family and local history research, explore DNA technologies, delve into immigration history, and other topics of national interest.”
“Most of all,” Mr. Simons continued, “it will help us to develop new, cutting-edge resources for expanding the practice of genealogy to new users, and by educating young people it will have far-reaching benefits.”
According to the AP story, “The society says the Kings have deep personal interest in family and local history and their importance in education.”
Mr. King was born in Portland, Maine and comes from a long line of people who lived in that state. His wife, Tabitha, is an author of several books and was born in Old Town, Maine. Mr. King’s family tree is on Geneanet.
NEHGS was founded in 1845 and has more than 250,000 members.
