How Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman saved the mission’s moon mascot: ‘It’s hard not to love this little guy. I can’t let Rise out of my sight’ – This has nothing to do with #genealogy, but I can’t resist sharing it.

Glencastle Irish Dancers performing Annie Moore – Could not love this more! Look what Annie Moore of Ellis Island inspired! And how talented are these young dancers?!

Virtual Reading Room at the Library of Virginia – Very cool!

Idris Elba thought he knew who he was… – Idris Elba reacts to his DNA test results.

The post Genealogy Roundup, April 15 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island – As this is the last day of March which is both Women’s History Month and Irish-American Heritage Month, I’m sharing links for my book about Annie Moore, the Irish teenager who was the first to arrive at Ellis Island. If you enjoy sleuthing for pockets of history, I think this might appeal to you!

The Woman Who Refuses to Let History Disappear – Whoa! So grateful for this lovely profile by Christina Stanton! Henceforce, please refer to me as “the woman who refuses to let history disappear”!

Photo by Nahrizul Kadri on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, April 1 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

‘Meeting my dad was a D:Ream’ – pop star’s 50-year search for his birth father – If you’re one of those who believes non-physical traits are also passed on, you’ll enjoy this one.

The post Genealogy Roundup, March 4 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

WWII soldier missing since Bataan Death March identified, finally returning home – Local news piece about one the soldiers I researched who’s been identified. While I appreciate that they told this story, it sort of insinuates that the family couldn’t be found or wasn’t all that involved, and I can tell you that they definitely were and are. My guess is that they couldn’t get one of them to interview so took this fellow-veteran approach, and while that’s fine, I wish they had mentioned that James McKinley Walker’s family is very much in the mix. In fact, they were the ones who decided to bury him there. #genealogy

Reclaim The Records Year in Review 2025 – Worth taking a few minutes to see all that Reclaim the Records has done for us just in 2025! #genealogy

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 7 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

About the Author Megan Smolenyak – Seasonal reminder that “The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island” and “In Search of Our Ancestors” make great gifts for genealogists and history buffs! And while you can snag the eBook version in all the usual places (maybe for yourself?!), both the print and digital versions are available directly from BookBaby and you’ll get the paperback more swiftly. Thanks you!

The post Genealogy Roundup, December 3 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Soldier Accounted For From World War II – Welcome home, Pvt. Henry J Smith. Honored to have researched your family. #hero #WWII

Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness: A Journey through the Carpathian Mountains by Nick Thorpe – I find the author’s attitude to Rusyns almost flippant, but if you’re able to set that aside, this book is still an intriguing exploration of the Carpathians. #Rusyn

Ellis Island Photo Credit: New York Public Library/Public Domain

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 13 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

“I, Genealogist”: Using First-Person Voice in Family History Narratives (members only) – I found this article by Sunny Morton on the use of the first person in genealogy in National Genealogical Society’s Magazine really interesting as I wrestled with this when writing “The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island.”

Top Image Credit: EpicTop10.com under Creative Commons license

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

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War – Welcome home, Sgt Elwyn Dean Nordyke. Honored to have researched your family. #KoreanWar #Hero (2003)

Top Photo Credit: Arseni Mourzenko under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, April 30 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast – I’ll be joining Damian Shiels & Fin Dwyer to chat about Annie Moore of Ellis Island and other Irish American topics on their Transatlantic podcast! Will share the link after the fact.

Hegseth Announces 100th Service Member Identified From Remains Turned Over by North Korea – I was astonished to read about this milestone as it turns out that 81 of these 100 soldiers were heroes I researched.

Image: AI-generated family tree using a combination of ChatGPT and Whisk

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

The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island – You know I can’t help but remind you of Annie Moore on St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you’ll consider reading about the Irish teenager who was the first to arrive at Ellis Island and what it took to uncover her story. #stpatricksday

Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans – So it turns out one of the soldiers I researched for a posthumous Medal of Honor (Henry Johnson, WWI) is part of this scrubbing.
Update: Many people are remarking about online grave memorials. Sites like Findagrave are non-governmental, so they’ll remain, but if you read the article, you’ll see that what’s happening is that his story is being erased from tours at the cemetery.

Photo by danyl russo on Unsplash

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