Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,

Sometimes good things come in pairs! This month's issue includes the identification of two World War II soldiers as well as two books I've had a hand in – one digging into the quiet epidemic of unclaimed persons and the other celebrating 25 amazing years of genetic genealogy. You'll also find a mesmerizing video of New York City in 1911, a peek into 23andMe's latest ups and downs, and a deep dive into the tale of my ancestor, John Murphy – a story I hope lights a fire under anyone hitting brick walls with those pesky common names!

Until next time!

AI-rendered image generated from the author’s prompts

My earliest American-born ancestor was my great-great-grandfather, Edward Murphy. It took a while to figure this out as the skimpy traces he left claimed both New York and Ireland as his birth place, but then I stumbled across his baptism. To my delight, he was christened in historic St. James church in Manhattan not long after it opened in 1836 — the 175th child in the register.

I had long known about Edward’s sister, Hanora “Nora” Murphy who married a man named John Nelligan, but he also had two brothers — John and William — who remained a mystery. Since Murphy is the most common Irish surname, both of them became lost in an ocean of John and Williams Murphys as soon as they left home.

It didn’t help that this portion of my family had scattered. Most worked on the Erie Railroad, so many migrated from Piermont, New York to Jersey City, New Jersey when the terminus moved south, but others went elsewhere. Massachusetts, Illinois, and Brooklyn, New York all came into play, meaning that even if John and William had survived childhood and stayed close to some pocket of the family, I had a handful of cities in four states to wade through Murphys in.

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Photo Credit: DPAA

Airman Accounted for from WWII – Welcome home, Tech. Sgt. Paul Frederick Eshelman. Honored to have researched your family.

The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels – haven’t read it yet, but I did a lot of research for this book, so fingers crossed it’s good!

Playing with AI again and wound up with this. Who wants to join me in this room after hours for a sip and a chat?

Tanker Accounted for from WWII – Welcome home, Sgt Richard Gibbs (Audet dit LaPointe) Hammond. Honored to have researched your family.

Joe Biden’s Irish Roots – It’s that time of year again when I share my sleuthing on Joe Biden’s Irish roots along with a photo of President Biden and President Obama’s Irish cousins! Wishing all a memorable St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀

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A Trip Through New York City in 1911 – New York in 1911 is weirdly mesmerizing.

How I Found my Elusive John Murphy – I got my geek on with this piece about finding an elusive John Murphy in my family! 🍀

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How 23andMe Went From $6B Valuation to Penny Stock – Nervous about 23andMe’s prospects. 😬

Driving Madeleine – If you ever get a chance, do yourself a favor and watch Driving Madeleine.

Proclamation on Irish-American Heritage Month, 2024 – For my fellow Irish Americans. So tickled to have done the sleuthing on those Blewitts and Finnegans!

So Far: Genetic Genealogy, The First 25 Years (1999-2024) – Want the inside story of the first quarter century of genetic genealogy (yes, really!)? It’s all here and it’s free!

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Photo Credit: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.

Taylor Swift's Formidable Female Forebears - I had entirely too much fun doing this.

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