France Archives - Megan Smolenyak

Genealogy Roundup, June 10

Megan Smolenyak — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:00:04 +0000

1st Sgt. DANIEL PROCTOR – Welcome home, 1st Sgt. Daniel V Proctor, WWII. Honored to have researched your family. (2024) (FYI: POWs in the Philippines were often career military, so older soldiers) #Hero #WWII

Radio programme tells the story of French couple who were left fearing they were half-siblings because of DNA test ban – I’ve long been curious about the state of #geneticgenealogy in France given its ban. Interesting read or listen.

Photo by John Maldonado on Unsplash

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Genealogy Roundup, January 28

Megan Smolenyak — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:23:19 +0000

Identifying the Mystery Man in My Baby Photo – A mystery that’s tormented me for years finally solved! (shares appreciated!) #Genealogy

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

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Genealogy Roundup, July 22

Megan Smolenyak — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:49:08 +0000

The Deep Roots of an Italian Song That Sounds Like English—But Is Just Nonsense – Scroll down for what’s one of the weirdest videos ever. And yeah, it does kind of sound like English.

What a towering figure of a man and what a loss to us all:

France: Old Storefront in Nimes Mask – For my fellow genies with French roots

The stuff genealogists trip across while researching. This was from 1998. Odds that he’s still swinging by himself? 99.8%

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J.K. Rowling on #WDYTYA

Megan Smolenyak — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:02:41 +0000

We’re finally getting J.K. Rowling’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? in America! Originally aired in the U.K., this episode shows the Harry Potter mastermind learning about her own story – including the fact that she wasn’t the first struggling, single mother in her family. Be sure to tune into TLC on Sunday, August 2 at 9/8c.

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A Peek into my Own Past

Megan Smolenyak — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:48:25 +0000

I was recently asked to write a short piece about my mother, and debated about it. While I write about non-relatives all the time, it was daunting to think of trying to capture even a hint of my mother in 500 words and I hadn’t tried in the 9 years since we lost her. But I gave it a go and wound up including my sister, too. So here’s a little peek into my own family history.

A digital version is available in Irish America on page 96.

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