Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,

Happy once-every-four-years day! I'm sure you have special plans for this extra day, so I'll keep it brief.

This month's issue features an article I had entirely too much fun researching and writing - one about Taylor Swift's rather remarkable roots, so please consider sharing with the Swifties in your life!

Beyond that, you'll find orphan heirloom rescues, DNA surprises, a lovely video featuring Bruce Springsteen's mother, my 1700th Army case (yes, really!) as well as some recent WWII soldier identifications, and so much more!

Until next time!

AI-rendered image generated from the author's prompts speculating what Taylor's 2nd and 3rd great-grandmothers might have looked like beside the shore of a totally made-up version of Simon's Town, South Africa.

When it comes to genealogy, I prefer fresh territory, which is why I usually avoid the mega-famous. If someone is universally renowned, it's a given that hundreds, if not thousands, have already poked around the branches of their family tree, so what's left to discover?

But on the few occasions I've gone ahead anyway, I've almost always wound up tripping across neglected or hidden pockets of ancestry, so when a journalist friend reached out with a specific request involving Taylor Swift, I agreed. I admire the hell out of her, so why not?

As is my habit, I started from scratch (too much sloppy research floating out there online that can lead you astray), and it didn't take long to answer his question. That should have been the end of it, but an intriguing ancestor — the genealogical equivalent of a shiny object — had grabbed my attention and I had to know more.

Click here to continue reading.

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Photo credit: Greg Johnson on Unsplash

A tornado swept away her grandparents' photo years ago. She just got it back. – Another happy, lost-photo reunion!

Final Honors for a Fallen Hero – None other than Dan Rather wrote about a soldier who was recently identified from WWII.

A Plush Dog, Samurai Sword and 42,439 Guns: Inside an N.Y.P.D. Basement – NYPD's lost and found is as strange as you probably expected.

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Photo Credit: Mike Mozart under Creative Commons license

20 People Who Took A DNA Tests And Learned Some Very, Very, Very, Very, Unexpected Things From It – Raise your hand if you've had one or more of these happen to you.

Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Marrah, J.) – Welcome home, 2nd Lt. James H. Marrah. Honored to have researched your family.

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Photo Credit: exakta under Creative Commons license

Your ancestry is a lot more than just DNA – Well, this is unexpected. Got a genealogy shout-out on Medium today!

How will you be remembered? Here's how to adopt a ‘legacy' mind-set.

BIG win on USCIS fees – Wow, they listened!

23andMe's Fall From $6 Billion to Nearly $0 – Well, I can't get beyond the paywall, but this is certainly newsworthy for the genealogy community.

‘I didn't realise I was so loved': the people hosting their own ‘living funerals'

Bruce Springsteen accepts Ellis Island award with his mother & aunts – Ah, I see Bruce Springsteen's mother passed. If you'd like to see a sweet memory of this lovely, mighty woman, you might want to watch Bruce with his mother and her sisters when he was honored at Ellis Island. They join him about 3 minutes in.

Thomas Pursell's Escape Burial Hatch – Can never be too safe when it comes to burial, eh?

More African Americans work to recover names of ancestors from before 1870 – Renate Yarborough-Sanders!!

At 116, She Has Outlived Generations of Loved Ones. But Her Entire Town Has Become Family. – Happy 116th, Edie!

World War II soldier from Metropolis, Illinois accounted for by Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency – Welcome home, Tech Sgt. William Luster Leukering. Honored to have researched your family.

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Photo Credit: Michael Lamberty under Creative Commons license

Why So Many Authors Are Writing Multigenerational Stories – In the mood for a multi-generational novel with a dusting of diaspora? This article has suggestions.

Ancestry Tests Produced Shocking Results. Should I Tell My Family? – Familiar but uncomfortable territory for genetic genealogists.

Doctored photographs create false memories of spectacular childhood events. – 😬

Her bridal photos disappeared 30 years ago. A stranger just found them. – Can never get enough of this kind of reunion story!

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