Family History

Genealogy Roundup, October 12

By |2016-10-12T10:44:22-04:00October 12th, 2016|DNA / Genetic Genealogy, Family History, Genealogy Roundup|

In this week's Roundup, explore the long-vacant custodian's apartment at the Fort Washington branch of the New York Public Library (including the "death chute"!) and read about a sad motivation for DNA testing (fortunately the exception, rather than the norm).

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.

Q3 2016 Seton Shields Genealogy Grant

By |2016-09-12T10:25:40-04:00September 12th, 2016|Family History, Grants|

This quarter, I'm awarding a grant to Mac Titmus and his co-volunteers of Long Island Genealogy. Long Island research can actually be quite challenging, so I'm really happy to support a resource I've found to be so helpful. Since they never charge for information, the group would like to file for not-for-profit status, which has a number of costs associated with it. The post explains how you can join me in supporting them.

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 . . .

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.

Genealogy Roundup, July 20

By |2016-07-20T12:20:52-04:00July 20th, 2016|Family History, Genealogy Roundup, Human Interest|

In this week's Roundup, read about a 90-year-old man who's digitized over a million records at FamilySearch -- what a great help to people looking to explore their family history! Also this week, explore an island with a dark past, check out the new Ellis Island artwork gracing a building in Tribeca, find out the "latest" in baby names, and more.

Go to Top