Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,

This month's issue is a little lighter than usual, partly because I'd like to invite you to watch a video that I've been working on with my husband, Brian, and friend, Michael Mills. It shares our experience at the opening of the new Statue of Liberty Museum. We hadn't intended to make a video, but it was a memorable event, so we decided to assemble this from the bits and pieces that Brian and I had recorded on our iphones so we could share it with everyone. I'm really pleased with the outcome, so hope you'll take 5 minutes to watch. Aside from that, you'll find more 3 more soldier identifications and the latest Seton Shields Genealogy Grant to the Nichi Bei Foundation.

Until next time, keep on sleuthing!

Statue of Liberty Museum Opening

Hey, y'all, when Brian and I attended the opening for the new Statue of Liberty Museum, we hadn't intended to make a video, but then we decided that we had to share the experience. We've worked hard with our friend Michael Mills to make this, so I hope you'll enjoy and share it. Oprah's remarks about the American dream are especially relevant these days.

P.S. The kids singing at the beginning of the video? Either my sister or I are among them as it's a recording done at one of the elementary schools we went to. I just can't remember which one of us was in the grade that sang this particular song!

Back to top^

Seton Shields Genealogy Grants

Photo courtesy of the Nichi Bei Foundation.

I’m delighted to announce this quarter’s grant in support of the educational programming offered by the Nichi Bei Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping the Japanese American community connected, informed, and empowered.

In their own words, here's a taste of some of the educational programming previously launched by the Foundation:

• Films of Remembrance, a day-long showcase of films presented by the Nichi Bei Foundation in conjunction with the Day of Remembrance commemoration, sheds light on the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent — most of whom were American citizens — into American concentration camps. More than 750 attended mostly sold-out screenings in February of 2017.
• Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage. The Nichi Bei Foundation has led more than 1,300 people on the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage, reconnecting the community to our forgotten legacy at the former Immigration Station, where some 85,000 persons of Japanese descent were detained between 1910 and 1940. In addition to reconnecting participants to their family legacies with the help of partners like the California Genealogical Society, the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage honored those who rediscovered the forgotten Immigration Station barracks in the 1970s, as well as those who took up the preservation efforts shortly thereafter. Held in partnership with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, the National Japanese American Historical Society, and in collaboration with the California Parks Service, California Genealogical Society, San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Program, San Francisco Japanese American Citizens League and J-Sei.

During past pilgrimages, volunteer genealogists helped Japanese Americans get started in finding their roots. The photo above shows some of the volunteers from the California Genealogical Society who provided such support.

The Nichi Bei Foundation hopes to increase genealogy programming for Japanese Americans so that they can learn more about their families, including obtaining immigration and internment camp records. Toward this end, a bi-monthly genealogy column is run in their newspaper, Nichi Bei Weekly.

You can apply for a Seton Shields grant here. Don’t miss checking out the cool projects I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to over the years, plus an article that will give you a behind-the-scenes peek into my grants program (and might help you increase your odds of being selected when you apply)!

Back to top^

Genealogy Round Up, July 3

Photo Credit: The U.S. Army under Creative Commons license

Remains of Spring Grove soldier killed in the Korean War are accounted for – 3 Korean War soldiers I researched between 2004 and 2010 have been identified this week. Welcome home, Cpl. Earl H. Markle. Honored to have researched your family.

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Geary, S.) – Welcome home, Pfc. Sterling Geary. Honored to have researched your family.

Back to top^

Genealogy Round Up, June 26

Man accused of stealing WWII dog tags from National Archives – It happened again.

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Cates, J.) – Welcome home, MSG James Gerald Cates. Honored to have researched your family.

New York Adoptee Rights Coalition: We Did It! – YES WE DID! 126-2. WE HAVE MADE HISTORY. THANK YOU!!!!

Back to top^

Upcoming Events

After traveling around and speaking in 40 states and half a dozen countries, I decided to take a breather from the road to tend to some projects. That said, I'm sharing exceptions here. And by the way, you can see if I’ll be in your area any time by checking my Events Calendar.

Back to top^