Ancestral Ties

RYAN WOODS, president and CEO of American Ancestors, knows who he is. More than most people, in fact. As a lifelong history lover, he’s delved into his own ancestry and learned many stories about his lineage.

As the director of a nonprofit genealogy organization, he’s made it his mission to bring that same level of familial connectivity to everyone who walks through the door.

The organization’s latest initiative is the opening of the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, family friendly exhibition at 97 Newbury Street that delves into family history. Here, visitors can drop an electronic pin on the countries in which their families originated, view one-of-a-kind art installations commissioned for the exhibition and learn how to answer their burning family history questions.

The exhibition also creates a more welcoming entry point to the facility, which has always been open to the public but was previously hidden behind an intimidating stone entryway. In April, the two buildings that make up American Ancestors were dedicated, one to philanthropist and preservationist Thomas Bailey Hagen and the other to historian and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr.

“We have a belief that everyone has a story worth telling and worth hearing,” says Woods. “When we can help provide access to information to help people on their family history journeys, we are fulfilling our long-standing mission.”

Woods’ tenure at American Ancestors feels a bit predestined. In his own family research, he discovered he had a relative who worked for the genealogical society in the 1880s. That relative pushed for Massachusetts town records to be made accessible to the public. Now, over a century later, Woods continues that crusade to put knowledge and resources in public hands.

In addition to his work with American Ancestors, Woods serves as a commissioner of the Special Commission for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in many other historical leadership roles around New England.

DIGGING THROUGH HISTORY

American Ancestors approaches genealogy differently than its for-profit competitors Ancestry and MyHeritage. While those companies lean on genetic testing and user-created family trees to generate data, American Ancestors relies on meticulous record-based research to delve into people’s histories. It has 10 billion searchable records, a staff of highly trained specialists and its own in-house publishing arm. The Newbury Street building also houses the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center.

In the past 10 years American Ancestors has worked diligently to make genealogical research accessible to all, starting by changing its name from the New England Historic Genealogical Society to American Ancestors. This change came with a widening of scope from just American history to global histories, with a particular specialization in the United States and Europe.

Genealogical research is especially challenging for Black Americans. Enslaved men, women and children were not included in records and documents in the same way as other Americans, leaving fewer breadcrumbs for their ancestors to follow. In 2023, in an effort to bridge that gap, American Ancestors launched the 10 Million Names project, an initiative dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million enslaved people in the United States between the 1500s and 1865. It’s an ambitious project, but one that would be game-changing for genealogical researchers of color.

FINDING YOUR PLACE

Learning about family history isn’t just about having great pieces of trivia at the reunion. Woods says there have been a number of studies at Emory University in Georgia examining the intersection of family history with sociology and psychology. It turns out that understanding where you come from fulfills a basic human need: belonging.

“When young people in particular know more about their family history, they have lower levels of anxiety and higher family cohesion. They perform better in school, and there’s greater resiliency in the face of trauma,” says Woods. It isn’t necessarily the knowledge itself that has that impact. “When you’re in an environment where family stories are told, that is highly indicative of a kind of support system which helps to produce these results.”

The Family Heritage Experience is meant to open the door to family history and to those feelings of connectivity. In one area of the exhibit, visitors can choose from a wall of questions like “How can I find more of my living relatives?” and “Was my ancestor accused of being a witch?” Computers nearby scan the QR code on each question and show visitors how and where they can find the answers.

It’s $10 per person to experience the exhibit and $25 for a day pass to the American Ancestors building, which gives you access to all the genealogical research resources, including online subscriptions to the Ancestry and FamilySearch databases and use of the Brim-DeForest Library.

Woods hopes to help others feel the power and wonder of discovering their roots.

“At its core, I think it brings joy to people,” he says. “It’s also a source of inspiration and education. There are certainly parts of family history research that can be difficult, but by and large we see it as a life-enriching experience for people.”

BY CELINA COLBY