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.

We Assist Slovak-Americans & Rusyn-Americans to Reconnect with Their Roots – For my fellow Rusyn- and/or Slovak-Americans! If you need help in Slovakia with genealogy research (in archives or on-site in your villages of origin), finding your cousins, with translations, getting photos/videos of your family homestead, tombstones, etc., I can HIGHLY recommend Martin Hyross!

He’s a recently retired business executive who has been SO helpful with my efforts in Slovakia, especially on the two occasions when we brought 40 Americans who had roots in Osturňa over there. He worked side by side with me on the world’s first geographical genetic genealogy project, serving as an actual translator, but more to the point, a cultural translator. He also helped with all the troubleshooting that comes along with large group travel in a foreign country (this person missing their flight, that car accident, this person going in the hospital, etc.).

I promise that if you’ve been thinking of hiring someone on the ground in Slovakia, you’ll be more than happy if you choose to work with Martin!

Weird Relative At Family Reunion Knows How Everyone Related To Each Other – #Genealogy

PFC Vincent A. Vega – For reasons alluded to in this obituary, this family was daunting to find. Welcome home, PFC Vincent Angelo Vega. #KoreanWar #Hero

Photo by Barefoot Beach Designs on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, October 8 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.

Ancestry’s Irish unit fails to secure rights to millions of Scottish records – Scotland says nae to Ancestry. #genealogy

1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession – Unusual book to recommend perhaps, but it certainly helps that I’ve been lured into the Tour de France world these last couple of years (lovely mash-up of sport and geography/history/culture). What the genealogist in me loves is the deep dive this author took to find out everything he could about a 2.5 minute bit of footage from 1923. Puts me in mind of my Annie Moore quest, though this was his COVID obsession. Also, there’s a surprising amount of historical context. I learned a lot about Europe in 1923.

‘It kinda made me laugh’: Mother of Brooklyn pre-schooler sees a big shift in baby names – Old names new again: “my old lady gang” & preschoolers with Ellis Island names

Photo by Joe Richmond on Unsplash

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

He thought his father abandoned him. Then he took a DNA test. – Lovely to see a welcome genetic #genealogy outcome.

The Rise of the ‘Club-Sandwich Generation’ – So now we’ve got the “club sandwich” generation thanks to the proliferation of living great-grandparents!

Photo by Chris Kofoed on Unsplash

The post Genealogy Roundup, July 9 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Andy Warhol’s Mother: The Woman Behind the Artist – As a Rusyn American, I’m so glad this book has been written. Congrats to Elaine Rusinko!

Forenamania – John Grenham does the coolest #genealogy deep dives to come up with intriguing and useful tools/data!

‘Ugly, old-fashioned, weird’: the baby names that set grandparents’ teeth on edge – turns out grandparents have opinions about their descendants’ names

The fly-tipped sofa: how an abandoned couch changed a small village – in pictures – More of this kind of random thing, please!

Korean War Memorial Photo Credit: Stanley Zimny under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, May 7 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.

Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards Now Available on Fold3! – So it’s just Alaska and Wyoming (they always start with states with small populations so they can claim more quickly), but still cool to see Korean War era draft registration cards!

Genetic Genealogy Can Stop Violent Criminals and Free the Wrongly Convicted – I’d like to see genetic genealogy be used for more exonerations as well.

How an Interracial Marriage Sparked One of the Most Scandalous Trials of the Roaring Twenties – Fascinating and eye-opening case I wasn’t familiar with. Even if you’re already acquainted with it, you’ll want to read writer Bryan Greene’s masterful rendition.

The post Genealogy Roundup, November 27 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Soldier Accounted for from Korean War (Edwards, W.) – Welcome home, Pvt. 1st Class Willard Hoyt Edwards. Honored to have researched your family. #hero #Korea

The post Genealogy Roundup, October 9 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Top Photo Credit: Ronel Reyes under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 27 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.