Celebrities

Genealogy Roundup, November 30

By |2016-11-30T11:17:59-05:00November 30th, 2016|Celebrities, Family History, Genealogy Roundup, Human Interest|

This week: A look at some of the highlights from Who Do You Think You Are? over the years, in which "participants often come away with a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in their world". Various guests explore the appeal of genealogy on The Why Factor.

Genealogy Roundup, October 26

By |2016-10-26T11:36:40-04:00October 26th, 2016|Celebrities, DNA / Genetic Genealogy, Family History, Genealogy Roundup|

Get ready to time-travel this week: past, present, and future! To start, cemeteries face special challenges in densely-populated urban areas. Check out the fascinating history of a Hong Kong cemetery where lie diplomats, missionaries, opium smugglers, soldiers, revolutionaries and local Christian converts and then concept art for a light-filled potential cemetery in New York City. Next, enjoy a story in which DNA plays a role in introducing two half-siblings to each other. Round off this week's exploration with more on the 2016 Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards.

Genealogy Roundup, September 21

By |2016-09-21T11:05:08-04:00September 21st, 2016|Books, Celebrities, Family History, Genealogy Roundup, Human Interest|

Lots of inspiration this week! Start with a look at a memorial which had as its genesis this thought: "The character of a nation as a people of great deeds is one, it appears to me, that should never be lost sight of." Explore the story of Lucy Lee Shirley, a woman who transcended the shadows of slavery and domestic abuse and who, among other things, was able to educate herself and her family and leave her children more than $23,000 in today’s money; check out the update on the DNA of long-lived Italians which was previously reported as stolen, and more.

Genealogy Roundup, September 14

By |2016-09-14T11:11:24-04:00September 14th, 2016|Celebrities, DNA / Genetic Genealogy, Family History, Genealogy Roundup, Human Interest|

Lots of goodies in this week's Roundup! British celebrities highlight their "refugenes" in an effort to help refugees. We also have two stories around DNA, two stories in which blacksmiths play a part -- one forging awards from pieces of the Statue of Liberty and the other performing marriage ceremonies(!) -- two stories about segregation in cemeteries, and more.

Genealogy Roundup, September 7

By |2016-09-07T10:56:53-04:00September 7th, 2016|Books, Celebrities, Family History, Genealogy Roundup, Human Interest|

In this week's Roundup, read about a woman who, inspired by a memoir of her grandfather found after his death, delved deeply into the world of her great-grandfather, a prominent portrait painter in Warsaw in the early-to-mid-20th century. Also this week: old documents which had lain in a bottle for more than 60 years tell about life, death, and love as seen through the eyes of a young girl called Hanna, a Who Do You Think You Are? retrospective, Melissa McCarthy, Irish Civil Registration records, and more . . .

Genealogy Roundup, August 24

By |2016-08-24T12:16:03-04:00August 24th, 2016|Celebrities, DNA / Genetic Genealogy, Genealogy Roundup, History, Human Interest, Immigration, Military|

In this week's Roundup, get your funny bone tickled with an Ellis Island cartoon, explore a tattoo shop formerly frequented by medieval pilgrims (and still in the same business!), check out two family sagas you might enjoy reading, and more.

Tim Kaine Ancestral Samplings

By |2016-08-09T11:38:47-04:00August 9th, 2016|Celebrities, Family History, Human Interest, Immigration, Research|

I recently took a peek into the family tree of Tim Kaine in a piece that combined a big-picture perspective with a mini-saga of the Kaine branch. During the course of my research, though, I came across other random tidbits of interest, so thought I’d share them clustered by branch of the family tree.

What the Family Tree of Tim Kaine Has in Common with Downton Abbey

By |2016-08-04T13:35:12-04:00August 4th, 2016|Celebrities, Family History, Immigration, Research|

No sooner had Hillary Clinton announced Tim Kaine as her running mate than articles on his roots began to appear – mostly about his inherent Irishness. But what else was there to learn?

Hillary Clinton’s Celtic Roots

By |2016-07-27T12:49:57-04:00July 27th, 2016|Celebrities, Family History, Human Interest, Immigration, Research|

When it was announced that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame in 2015 for her work on the Irish peace process, it was inevitable that I would explore the branches of her family tree, but it wasn’t the first time. Having delved into her roots in years past, I was familiar with the basics, but when I took a deeper dive into the Welsh portion of her heritage, I discovered that it’s rather surprising that Hillary Rodham Clinton exists at all.

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