While
writing her book, The Crooked and Narrow Streets of Boston 1630-1822,
Annie Haven Thwing (1851-1940) created a card index containing information on
60,000 individuals and 30 organizations. The original card index—containing 125,000
catalog cards occupying 74 library drawers—is at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS). In 1993,
MHS converted the cards into a searchable computer database. It took five years
to complete the project.
In
2001, as part of a joint effort between MHS and the New England Historic
Genealogical Society (NEHGS), Thwing’s book and the database were published as Inhabitants and Estates of the Town of
Boston, 1630-1822 (Thwing Collection) on a CD-ROM available from Picton Press. Known as the Thwing Collection, the
database is available to society members on the NEHGS web site.
Like any good
genealogist, Thwing used probates, deeds, vital records, church records,
gravestone inscriptions, and diaries to create her book and card index. It’s an
amazing resource, especially for researching property holders during this time
period.
The database is
searchable by any word and by advanced queries. Profiles for people within the
index section may include the following fields: name; birth; baptism; parents;
spouse; children; home; occupation; business; event; office; deed; church;
died; will; probate; burial; text; reference; abutters; miscellaneous; and a
unique numeric record identifier (to link a person to someone else’s profile).
I
use Thwing a lot in my research. It helps me to understand familial connections
and neighborhoods, information that would take me years to uncover—if I even knew to look
for them. In mid-17th century Boston, the population was small—say 1,000 people—so people often knew
each other. For example, a miller on Prince street may have attended the same
church, same businesses, and same public events as a merchant’s daughter who
lived four blocks away. It’s possible that their paths crossed, relationships
were formed, and marriage ensued. Add to that all their parents, siblings,
cousins, other relatives—and their in-laws—and you’ve got a fuller picture of your family.
I must warn you,
however, that using the Thwing Collection is addictive. For example, if I do a
search on Raynsford (73 search hits) and Rainsford (197 hits), I could spend
hours reviewing the records, adding new people to my database, and then
researching back-up information (such as finding the vital records, cemetery
inscriptions, and whatever as proof).
You will find that
Thwing did not make all the connections, that one person may have more than one
profile and numeric record identifier. But piecing together the tidbits and
creating a fuller vision of your family is part of the joy of working with Thwing’s
research.
I learned the hard way—when newer computer files overwrote older files with the same name—the importance of labeling my digital photos. Finally, I created a photo filing system that works for me. My pictures are now labeled by date; location or event; and photo number.
, now an 
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