Past Lives of Boston
Ghosts in my DNA--Past Lives of Boston
By S.A. Beach
A genealogy Journey--
After building a life in the Caribbean, a retired science teacher turns genealogist to trace her New England lineage back to the Mayflower and Winthrop Fleet, confronting the unsettling possibility that “blood memory” and inherited DNA have been steering her choices all along.
In this historical nonfiction, S. A. Beach tackles a question that haunts many of us but few approach with such scientific and historical rigor: Why am I the way I am? After thirty-five years of teaching science and serving as a librarian in the Caribbean, Beach turns her analytical eye toward her own origin story. “Ghosts in My DNA” is not merely a recitation of a family tree, rather it is a lyrical exploration of “blood memory,” the haunting idea that the traumas, triumphs, and wanderlust of our ancestors are encoded into our very fiber.
The narrative arc begins with a stark contrast in her evocative memoir. We see the author as a young “baby boomer” leaving the rocky soil of New England for the vibrant, colonial echoes of St. Croix. This move serves as the book's primary catalyst. Decades later, Beach questions if her “cultural leap” was a modern whim or a genetic echo in a search to begin a family with greater diversity.
Beach’s research, conducted largely at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, is impressive in its breadth. She navigates several centuries of American history beginning with the Puritan Paradox. Tracing the Kingsbury lineage back to the 1630 Winthrop Fleet, Beach recreates the tension of the early Dedham Colony. She provides a nuanced look at the “Covenant of Grace” and the “Covenant of Works,” showing how these rigid religious structures shaped her ancestors’ temperaments.
The book does not shy away from the darker chapters of New England’s founding. Through the eyes of the Kingsburys, we witness the encroachment on Indigenous lands, the tragedy of the Pequot Wars, and the complex role of “Praying Indians” caught between two worlds.
One of the most compelling segments follows Fisher Kingsbury, a member of the Sons of Liberty, and his courtship of Chloe Kenney, a Loyalist. Their marriage serves as a microcosm of the American Revolution—a reminder that the birth of a nation was also a fracturing of the home.
The heart of the book lies in Beach's thesis that genetic heritage silently directs our life choices. As a science teacher, she bridges the gap between hard biology and spiritual intuition. She posits that her ancestors’ survival instincts, their religious rebellions, and even their “secret” family tragedies (such as the mysterious disappearance of Chloe Kenney) created a psychological blueprint that she inherited centuries later.
What stands out is that Beach writes with the clarity of a librarian and the curiosity of a scientist. Her popular style makes complex genealogical records feel like a propulsive mystery novel. Furthermore, the book excels at placing individual ancestors within the larger “Great Migration” and Revolutionary movements, making the history feel personal rather than academic. Lastly, the focus on “reinvention” as a family trait provides a satisfying emotional payoff for the author’s own life in the Caribbean.
Readers looking for a traditional “ghost story” may be surprised to find that the “ghosts” are metaphorical and genetic. However, for fans of Finding Your Roots or Ancestry, this is a powerful feature “Ghosts in My DNA” is a beautifully rendered map, traced through the ink of old town records and the salt of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a vital read for anyone interested in genealogy, New England history, or the burgeoning field of epigenetics.
Beach reminds us that while we may leave our homes, our homes and the people who built them never truly leave us.
Reviews
"I just read through your book; what an intriguing concept! The way you wove personal history, genealogy, and the emotional journey of self discovery together really stands out. It’s beautifully layered and has all the depth that should appeal to readers who love reflective, heritage based storytelling." Fordham University Professor and best selling author, Eloisa James:
More than a Family Tree The book is a vivid, generous gift to our family—and to anyone curious about their roots
Full disclosure: I’m the author’s sister. But that’s exactly why I can say this book feels like a gift I didn’t even know I needed.
Susan does so much more than trace a family tree. She asks a bigger, braver question: What can I learn about my own life by truly understanding the people who came before me? The history-storytelling is anything but dry—she turns long-gone ancestors into fully dimensional characters you can see and hear, from early New England colonists arriving, to abolitionists in 1850s Boston, a sixteen-year-old Civil War soldier, a vaudeville actor who became a household name, and a truly brilliant (eccentric) scientist-uncle with ideas centuries ahead of his time.
I really appreciate the depth of research and the care she brought to it. She didn’t stop at dates and names; she went into archives, letters that I never knew existed, old newspapers, and hidden corners of libraries and cemeteries to recover intimate details of lives we never got to meet. As a sister, I’m deeply grateful—without this book, I would never have known most of these stories.
It’s lively, thoughtful and presented as a journey through time that shows how courage, loss, belief, and reinvention echo across generations—and how those who came before us can help us understand our own choices. How much of who we become is really by choice, versus carried quietly in our DNA—traits, talents, courage, even unfinished dreams? I hope other families will read this and feel inspired to approach their own history with the same curiosity and heart.
Fascinating read! Thoroughly enjoyed reading about the author's delve into her family history. That research also helps all of us understand the early history of the United States from a new perspective. P. Geis
Does history hold the answers?
Research offers an answer to an intriguing question: Are the choices made by those in the present inherently linked to distant family members? J.D.
