Why didn’t people smile in old photographs? It wasn’t just about the long exposure times. – Why our ancestors didn’t smile in photos (and it’s not just because they had to be still)

Meet the First and Last Immigrants Who Passed Through Ellis Island – Annie & Arne: First and Last through Ellis Island

Reluctantly Practicing the Art of the Obituary – Suspect this might resonate with a lot of genealogists.

‘I didn’t think it was possible’ – This piece is about one of the soldiers I researched for the Army, and his nephew – one of the most enthusiastic family members I’ve reached out to in a while – is right about DNA. Y-DNA in this instance had died out going back more than 200 years. Fortunately, there were other options.

How Britain’s ‘brown babies’ were hidden away: the secret history of the first mixed race orphanage – I’ve been gently fascinated with this topic ever since one of my Army cases was for a “brown baby” from Germany (sadly killed in Vietnam). Had to go to court to find his bio family, but managed to do so. So many unacknowledged pockets of our collective history.

Image: thumbnail from CBS News video

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

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.

Photo credit: Greg Johnson on Unsplash

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

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!

Photo Credit: Michael Lamberty under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 31 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.

He thought his parents’ wedding rings were lost forever. Then, he got a message. – Could read stories like this all day long.

So if I use this for my holiday greeting card to fellow genealogists, what should it say on the inside?

Sean Kirst: 75 years ago, life-or-death struggle overshadowed Buffalo high school game with 50,988 fans – Another moving story from my friend, Sean Kirst.

Longing to Belong Led Me to Genealogy – I had the opportunity to do something similar to this with a 96-year-old woman last week, and it’s very special. This tale is heartbreaking at times, but ultimately heartening.

The lack of pockets in women’s clothing has always been a pet peeve of mine, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to read this! And yeah, I’m one of those who enjoys one-topic history – salt, walls, disease, etc.

Top Photo Credit: Sean Biehle under Creative Commons license

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

Meg Ryan’s Irish Heritage – In case you hadn’t heard, Meg Ryan’s got a new movie coming out that’s something of a return to her rom-com roots, so I decided to look into her other ones.

Texas WWII veteran to buried in Belton, 80 years after his death – Welcome home, Tech. Sgt. Turner Yearwood Johnston. Honored to have researched your family.

Ancestry Launches Parental Traits Inheritance; Bringing a deeper understanding of which parent’s DNA has the most influence on their offspring’s unique DNA makeup – Interesting, but I already know I’m a spice-loving, risk-taking, eat/drink-anything, boogie-down, non-sneezing introvert – and with the exception of the hothead trait (self-induced ), I know exactly which came from Mom, from Dad, and from both!

The 5 Clones in Argentina’s Election – So the guy who might be Argentina’s next president plans on appointing a “national cloner” due to his beloved 5-pack of cloned dogs.

AI Is About to Photoshop Your Memories – I know we genealogists have been thinking about this.

These identical twins dress alike daily. They are 84 years old. – These two are getting serious mileage out of their twindom!

Don’t ever change, AI:

Top Photo Credit: Quinn Dombrowski under Creative Commons license

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

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!

Top Photo Credit: Airman Magazine under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 6 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

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)

Top Photo Credit: Antonio Marín Segovia under Creative Commons license

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

Buried Secrets – Just read the sample chapter of “Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida,” and can’t wait to get to the rest! If you’re in the mood for a genealogical mystery, I think I might have found your next engrossing read!

In 2008, I researched then-VP Biden’s roots. It was March 2013 before I met him in person. Amazing to watch his return to Ireland as President recently. He and his Blewitt cousins have become quite close, and I hope they had the happiest of family reunions in Ballina!

Goldsmith’s Boat Shop makes history as oldest continuously run marina in the country – Love this kind of story about businesses still run by the same family a century later.

Photo Credit: A.Davey under Creative Commons license

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

Captured in Time: Nameless English Singing Girls upon Arrival in America in 1890 – Hey, y’all! I added an update at the end of this story because I heard back from a descendant! Folks are always asking me about relatives’ reactions, so I wanted to be sure to share this. Quite an ancestor to claim!

Image Credit: OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay

The post Genealogy Roundup, March 29 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.