Threads of memory: Genealogy, grief, and grit on the 1888 Shaftsbury Quilt – The story of a community all wrapped up in a quilt.

Image: screenshot of Australian Museum video

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 23 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Ukrainian IT worker created the “Bridge” project to research the genealogy and history of Ukrainian villages – For those who also have Ukrainian roots.

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 16 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Library Treasures Stored on Synthetic DNA – Our worlds collide.

Meet one of the most genealogically documented families in America – I’m happy for this family, but on balance, I prefer being from an under-researched family rather than one of these with a fire-hose of information. So many sources! So much data! Yes, it takes effort to ferret out every little detail in my family, but I’d rather that than being overwhelmed. But maybe I’m an exception. Your thoughts?

Photo by Sorin Basangeac on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 9 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

The Strange Travels of a Civil War Bible – Last year I donated a bible to the American Civil War Museum and I’m delighted that it was featured in a cover article for their magazine, Ironclad. You can read pages 3-11 (lots of photos!) to discover its surprising journey. Am so happy to have found an ideal home for this bible!

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 2 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Photo by Noah Boyer on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 26 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Photo by Brent Ninaber on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 19 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

The Strange Business of Selling People Their Own Family’s Lost Photos – I mean, I’m glad families are getting their memorabilia back, but I’ve done this for decades for free – and many other genealogists do the same – so I think it’s kind of sad that some are monetizing this.

AI-generated fake historic images are destroying our past, present, and future – I fear this is true – especially since I occasionally spot fellow genealogists sharing these AI-generated photos/stories here on FB.

Photo Credit: irisWphotography under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 12 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island – If you’re heading off on vacation soon, I’ve heard that my book about Annie Moore of Ellis Island makes great reading for planes or beaches (hint, hint )

The “Kafkaesque” process of getting public records from a post-DOGE government. – It’s not your imagination. Genealogists aren’t the only ones struggling to get records that used to be fairly easy to obtain from the federal government.

Photo by Peter Herrmann on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 5 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Genealogy Firm Revises Loan Conditions to Attract Bondholders as Debt Deadlines Loom –

‘I thought, I’ve tried everything else, why not give AI a shot?’: the long-lost family reunited by ChatGPT – They oversell AI’s role in this, but still a cool reunion story.

How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are (& How to End the Cycle) – May be of interest to those curious about how inherited family trauma can shape who we are. Interview with Mark Wolynn, author of “It Didn’t Start with You.”

Photo by Sorasak on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, July 29 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Cpl. Robert C. Pierce – Welcome home, CPL Robert Clark Pierce. Honored to have researched your family (2017). Closest relatives were 1C1R! #Hero #WWII

From America to Israel and Back Again – Way back in the day, I wrote a column for Ancestry Magazine called “Found,” and I thought it would be fun to share some of them again – partly because it can be interesting to see how genealogical research was done in the not-too-distant past and partly because there still may be some resources and techniques that could come in handy today. I hope you’ll enjoy the first of these below – one which originally appeared in May-June 2006.

My family’s oldest photograph has been preserved by our National Archives for 137 years. Now the building that holds them is being emptied. – I am beyond worried about this.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, July 22 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.