Fellow Family History Sleuths,

I'm not quite sure what happened, but I seem to have been on a tear this past month, so this issue is dense! You'll find:

• roots travel (Ireland, Italy, and Croatia)
• photo preservation (Ed Asner's son, among others, weighs in)
• DNA (of course)
• brief book reviews by yours truly
• another great record set (CT this time) from Reclaim the Records (have already used it for 3 records!)
• more on AI (it's coming at us with lightning speed)
• a sale on "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" (only $2.99, but hurry - it ends on Sept 30th!)
• the design of my tombstone (yup, you read that right)
• and a massive salt and pepper shaker collection.

There's more, but this will more than give you a flavor.

Until next time!

Genealogy Roundup, September 20

Image Credit: Google DeepMind under Creative Commons license

This new AI video tool clones your voice in 7 languages—and it's blowing up – 😮 AI making so many things possible so swiftly. (h/t Dick Eastman)

Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends – This book is fascinating on multiple levels. It's genealogical, although that's an extra layer to it all. The main focus is Latvia, but 3 continents feature, and the lessons are universal. We all know the expression that "history is written by the victors," but this book is a bit of a wake up call about how it can also be re-written by interested parties (sound familiar?). And then there's the interplay of history, literature, and law - and oh, the complexity of competing legal systems (especially with regard to the Holocaust). It's a LOT.

Why You Should Visit Italy’s ‘Ellis Island’ Museum – Am of fan of emigration museums that show the before-they-left side of Ellis Island (e.g., Cobh Heritage Centre), and this one definitely sounds worth a visit!

Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family – Mixed feelings on this one. Great topic - intriguing, genealogical, and well-written - but some of the fiction bits were a stretch. Also, as much as she said that she didn't want to center herself, she kind of did by the end. That said, still worth a read especially if you're new to Benjamin Banneker.

She’s 86. She’s 28. They love their hang time as the wallpaper queens of Los Angeles. – This made me smile.

Empowering Genealogists with Artificial Intelligence – Definitely worth your time if you want to learn about using AI for genealogy!

I Finally Understood My Mother In Croatia – “I always envied that my mom was full-blooded Croatian. My half-Croatian blood never felt like enough.”

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Genealogy Roundup, September 6

Photo Credit: Airman Magazine under Creative Commons license

Remains identified as Central Texas soldier missing in action in Korea since 1950 – Welcome home, Sgt Willie James Baty. Honored to have researched your family. (2012)

The deed is done. And yes, I mean “deed” both ways.

Hey, y'all, wanted to let you know that for a limited time, the ebook version of "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" is on sale for only $2.99!

Who Do You Think You Are flashback! Susan Sarandon learns about her grandmother's tragic childhood... (h/t Beth Garison Wylie)

A Sperm Donor Chases a Role in the Lives of the 96 Children He Fathered – I can't read this article (paywall), but I sure wish I could!

Happy 100th Anniversary to my maternal grandparents, James Shields and Beatrice Reynolds!

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Genealogy Roundup, August 30

Photo Credit: Antonio Marín Segovia under Creative Commons license

My Mother the Gumshoe – I read "Celine" and suspect many genealogists would enjoy this mystery - largely because it's fictional, but based very heavily on his real life, high society, private investigator mother (now deceased). She led a hell of a life, and this is an intriguing way her son has chosen to capture and preserve at least the essence of it.

Reclaim the Records: Going Nuts in the Nutmeg State – Reclaim the Records has done it again - this time with Connecticut! I'm already filling in gaps in my family tree! Thanks, RtR!

'The odds are insane': Adopted siblings find out they are related – Another DNA stunner - a happy one! 😊🧬
h/t Dick Eastman

Just read a letter from a WWII widow saying she'd rather not receive the 3 photos her husband was carrying since they were apparently damaged by a bullet, and I ... 💔

A stroll down memory lane for me. The research accumulates, eh?

Millions of old printed photos are sitting in storage. Digitizing them can unlock countless memories – Since I'm in the same boat in terms of having a *lot* of images/videos of all types to preserve, I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of Ed Asner's son, a diplomat, and a war correspondent. Nice to see @ScanMyPhotos recognized, too!

New mural of Joe Biden appears near his ancestral home after landmark visit to Ireland – I get a kick out of seeing the unexpected outcomes that trace in some way to my research, and this is the latest. Nice touch including a shoemaker!

Police Are Getting DNA Data From People Who Think They Opted Out – This article has been making the rounds and for good reason. I hope those involved in genetic genealogy will take the time to read it all. Aside from the database backdoor mentioned in the title, it covers several other issues that have left me hesitant and wary.

Maybe it's due to my personal experience. Back when I launched Unclaimed Persons, I was forced to put a fair bit of effort into damage control in the first year or so because zealous researchers sometimes overstepped boundaries. I knew that if I didn't rein things in swiftly, the whole initiative could blow up and even backfire on the genealogy community as a whole.

Sometimes the noble-cause aspect is so strong that it's tempting to downplay legitimate concerns, but I'm glad they're being discussed a little more widely. There's enormous potential here, so it would be tragic if the brakes were slammed on because we were reluctant to consider a bit more in the way of guardrails.

Family takes 96-year-old grandfather to visit his hometown in Ireland – This is delightful! ☺️

Lancashire and South Carolina pen pals of 70 years meet for first time – As someone who loved having pen pals as a youngster, and is still friends with one decades later, I love this kind of tale.

A Grandma’s Quirky Collection | Margie Soudek’s Salt and Pepper Shakers – One of the more unusual family history videos I've seen. Not sure which set is my favorite. 🧂

Sean Kirst: For childhood witness to Pearl Harbor, a Hollywood life comes to an end – Another great article by Sean Kirst that, among other things, reminds us why it's important to reach out today! It would have been so unfortunate if this story had slipped through the cracks. Can't promise you won't hit a paywall, but please give it a go.

'I booked a last-minute flight and bought a castle' – My fantasy! (h/t Jonny Perl)

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