Robert Charles Anderson, best known as the author of The Great Migration Series, passed away February 15, 2025. Robert was born May 24, 1944, in Bellows Falls Vermont. He attended Harvard College from 1961 to 1964 dropping out to enlist in the Army where he learned Russian. Following his discharge in 1969 Robert returned to Harvard where he earned a BS in Biochemistry. He went on to receive a Masters in Biochemistry from California Institute of Technology.
While he loved his chosen field, a chance encounter with a family Bible changed his life forever. The Bible presented information that his paternal family were early settlers of Dedham, Massachusetts.
Robert was a huge part of American Ancestors over his lifetime. Much of the information in this article was taken from “Remembering Robert Charles Anderson (1944-2025)” in the Spring 2025 vol. 1 issue of the American Ancestors. After earning an MA from the University of Massachusetts in history he began his career as a genealogist and historian in earnest.
In 1976, he began to develop the idea of a comprehensive history of what was eventually titled The Great Migration. With the sponsorship of the new England Historic Genealogical Society (now American Ancestors), Robert began his work on this incredible series. In addition to his publications, Robert lectured and organized heritage tours throughout the Netherlands and England.
The Hall House Research Library is privileged to have his entire series of The Great Migration and will soon be adding his extensive Great Migration Newsletter due to the generosity of longtime Fenton member and genealogist Jack Ericson. For anyone whose ancestors came from England in the 1600s, this is a must-see resource.
