This case was tough because the soldier was both an immigrant and foster child, but I did indeed find relatives from his birth family who could provide DNA reference samples, so I think there’s probably more to the story than is shared here.

Regardless, welcome home Sgt. Roger Laurent Raoul Duquesne. Honored to have researched your family. #hero #KoreanWar

Photo by Joe Richmond on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, March 11 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Soldier Accounted For From World War II – Welcome home, Pvt. Donald Roger Lichty. Honored to have researched your family. #hero #WWII

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, February 25 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

After 70 years overseas, he returns to complete the genealogy – Way back on the first TV show I ever worked on, I got to tackle a story involving a Chinese woman who had a family tree that went back 4000 years! This is an article about finding the *recent* missing piece of the puzzle! Fun video, too.

Green-Wood Merchandise Design Contest – If you’ve got some artistic flair, here’s a chance to design for Green-Wood, an amazing cemetery!

Photo by Alyssa Coulter on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, February 18 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Top photo: Aisne-Marne Cemetery caretaker and me as a youngster

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 28 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Blackstone weighs options for Ancestry.com, including sale or IPO, sources say – Here we go again? #genealogy

The Do’s and Don’ts of Find a Grave – I know a lot of us have strong opinions about this!

Ancestry.com tries to access millions of Scots’ family records – NAGL, Ancestry (not a good look), #genealogy

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

The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It? – Twiblings, eh? Good luck, future genealogists.

10 Cemeteries to See Before (or After) You Die – Cool cemeteries to ponder over the holiday weekend and put on your to-visit list.

Taylor Swift’s Formidable Female Forebears – Seems a good time to share my research about Taylor Swift’s fascinating ancestors!

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

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ethnicity, confirmed – So strange when your research from years ago resurfaces, but for fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda who didn’t see this before. #genealogy

Photo by Oshin Khandelwal on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 21 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Grave Site Maintenance Business Instruction Program – This comes by way of Dick Eastman who finds the quirkiest of genealogical content.

IAAM Center for Family History: “In Search of…Identifying An Enslaver” with Megan Smolenyak – I had completely forgotten about an interview I did on identifying an ancestor’s enslaver for the International African American Museum, but recently tripped across it. I sort of fire-hose the listener with ideas, but I hope some might find it useful! #genealogy

Photo by danyl russo on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, July 10 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Who Was the Mysterious Woman Buried Alone at the Pet Cemetery? – Loved this story.

How many books did you read in 2023? Are you in the top 1 percent? – Surprised to learn that the 62 books I read last year put me at 99%. Also, I have this cart!

Europe’s island that swaps nationalities – I’ve always found these shared-nationality places so fascinating.

Photo Credit: Beverly & Pack under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 24 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Thicker Than Water: A Brief History of Family Violence in Appalachian Kentucky – I hate how common events like this were, but it still gets my attention. “The daughter of Mary Jane was my great grandmother, Susan Bishop, who was given in marriage at age fourteen to seventy-four-year-old Henry Hazelwood in exchange for an apple orchard.”

Manatee specialist marks over 40 years of research, genealogical records – A different kind of genealogy.

The Merry Cemetery – Yeah, I’d be that woman who wanted a picture of herself walking through the cemetery.

Captured in Time: The Immigrant Lillicrap Family upon Arrival in America in 1890 – In April 2022, I wrote an article (link in first comment) about a photo of an immigrant family (seen colorized here) who arrived in NY in 1890 and tracing their family to learn what happened to them (tragic tale) and find their descendants. Well, the daughter/granddaughter I found – 83 years old at the time – and I have become pen pals of a sort! I see I’m getting another letter from her today!

For those who saw my post about my accidental pen pal, I’m happy to tell you that Mary Louise has given me permission to share this story from her local MS newspaper about the dramatic rescue of her cat, Fluffy. It was literally front page news, but everyone’s safe now.

Top Photo Credit: Joshua Woroniecki under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 17 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.