All posts by Gaia Cloutier

About Gaia Cloutier

Gaia Cloutier is Project Archivist at American Ancestors and NEHGS. She is responsible for the processing and description of the Reinier Beeuwkes III Family Collection. Gaia graduated from Simmons University with dual Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Arts in History degrees in 2019. Her thesis concerned cookbooks and gender in Post-War England. Gaia formerly worked as a Processing Intern for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

Voyages abroad

American History, Family Stories, NEHGS Collections
Images from the Hannah LeBaron (Drury) Clark sketchbook. Reinier Beeuwkes III Family Collection in R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, NEHGS

One of my favorite things to do is travel. When that isn’t possible, I try to travel vicariously through the experiences of someone else. While working on the Reinier Beeuwkes III Family Collection this past year, I have had the chance to imagine myself voyaging all around the world. Here are some of my favorite adventures:

According to family legend, Captain Daniel LeBaron Goodwin (1767-1830) began his career as a sailor when he ran away from home at age 12. He spent the next thirty years sailing merchant vessels between New England, England, South America, and the West Indies. Continue reading Voyages abroad →

The Manzana Colony

American History, Research Methods, ,
Click on images to expand them.

Every family historian knows that research can feel like investigating a series of cold-case mysteries: How did they know each other? Where did they move after leaving their home town? Are these people related, or do they just share a last name? What exactly is a chandler or an alderman? My own family history is filled with unsolved mysteries, like why did my great-great-grandmother change her name so many times? When faced with a seemingly endless series of questions, it is important to celebrate when you actually find an answer. Recently, while processing the Reinier Beeuwkes III Family Collection, I was able to solve a mystery: what was the Manzana Colony? Continue reading The Manzana Colony →