Researching the Revolution Using New England’s Hidden Histories 2026

This is the second of five class sessions.

Join us this summer to explore the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary. In this five-week online class, participants will learn about the history of Congregationalists in the American Revolution through the different types of primary source materials in New England’s Hidden Histories. Explore how sermons, church records, and personal papers reveal first-hand accounts and the ways communities responded before, during, and after the war for independence.

The class will be led by Dr. Kyle Roberts (CLA Executive Director) and Dr. Tricia Peone (NEHH Project Director). Course topics will include: an introduction to researching with church records on a digital platform, overviews of the American Revolution and Congregational history, and ways to uncover the histories of marginalized New Englanders. Each week we will discuss and interpret primary source documents and learn about religious life during the Revolutionary era.

The cost to attend is $150 for individual and church members and $165 for non-members. Limited funds are available as scholarships for those otherwise unable to attend.

To attend, register by Friday, June 26th at https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/CongregationalLibrary/26SummerClasses.html.

After registering, you will receive an email with information about attending the class.

Email any questions to programs@14beacon.org.

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr. Kyle Roberts was appointed the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to the CLA, he was Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming at the American Philosophical Society and Associate Professor of Public History and New Media and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago.

A scholar of Atlantic World religion, print, and library history, he is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City, 1783-1860 (Chicago, 2016), the co-editor, with Stephen Schloesser, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits, Women Religious, American Experience 1814-2014 (Brill, 2017) and, with Mark Towsey, of Before the Public Library: Reading, Community, and Identity in the Atlantic World, 1650-1850 (Brill, 2017).

Kyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project, the Maryland Loyalism Project, and Dissenting Academies Online: Virtual Library System. In addition to being the consultant for numerous digital and public history projects, he sits on the executive committees of the American Catholic Historical Association, the New England Historical Association, the Urban History Association He is on the editorial and advisory boards for American Catholic Studies, Early American Studies, and portal.

Dr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials, early New England, and public history, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. Her scholarship focuses on early New England, particularly the history of magic and witchcraft, and her work on these subjects has appeared in journals, books, blogs, and on radio and television. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.