‘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.

Which of the following describes the heritage of Peter Gene Hernandez, better known as Bruno Mars?

• Ukrainian
• American
• Filipino
• Hispanic
• Jewish
• Hawaiian
• Puerto Rican
• European
• Hungarian
• Asian
• Spanish

The correct answer is all of the above. And though I haven’t been able to prove it through the paper trail, he may well have some Taíno and African roots through his Puerto Rican ancestry.

As a genealogist who’s been delving into the past for most of my life and playing with DNA for almost two decades, I’ve climbed the branches of several thousand family trees, and the more branches I explore, the more apparent the growing “melangification” of America becomes.

Folks like myself who are 100-percenters or half-and-halves with roots in only one or two places are rapidly becoming quaint, and families like Bruno’s are slightly ahead of the curve. If you were to come back 100 years from now, I suspect most families would look like the cast of Hamilton. But for now, let’s linger on Bruno’s for a bit. Here are a few things you probably didn’t know about his roots:

• He’s typically described as being Hawaiian-born to a father of Puerto Rican heritage and a mother from the Philippines. This is all true. His parents are Boricua and Filipina. But his ancestral pool also happens to be one-quarter Jewish hailing from Hungary and Ukraine.
• In the U.S., Hawaii, New York, California, Nevada, Puerto Rico and Texas all hold a piece of his family’s past.
• Bruno’s Ukrainian immigrant ancestor, a one-time Hebrew teacher, entered America not through Ellis Island, but through the port of Galveston, Texas as part of the Galveston Movement. His future bride, however, was of Ellis Island stock.
• This same ancestor was once banned from ever becoming a citizen, but after modifying his name (please see the Ellis Island chapter of Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing if you still believe that old myth about names being changed by immigration officials) and waiting about 20 years, he was finally naturalized.

• As seen in this photo, continental blending in Bruno’s family began a long time ago. This shows a pair of his great-great-grandparents — the father born in Spain and the mother in the Philippines — with two of their daughters around the 1890s. About a decade after her husband passed away, Bruno’s great-great-grandmother remarried to a Chinese gentleman 19 years her junior, introducing yet another country into the family mix.

Spanish birth record of a great-great-grandfather of Bruno Mars

• When it comes to Spain, it’s Segovia — I’m talking to you, Nava de la Asunción and Fuentepelayo! — that gets the bragging rights.

Whenever Bruno Mars races around the globe on tour, there are likely unsuspecting cousins in his audiences in Madrid, New York, Manila, Kiev, San Juan, and Budapest. I look forward to the day when we all realize there’s nothing especially remarkable about that.

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Soldier Accounted For From World War II – Welcome home, Staff Sgt. Junior “Jez” J Shelton. Honored to have researched your family. P.S. This was a daunting case, so I’m even more pleased than usual that he’s coming home to his family.

Trump administration resumes layoffs, targeting National Archives staff – Oh, no! More cuts at NARA.

Close as twins, one lost at war, bond of North Side brothers deserves honor from their city – Love this kind of profile that reminds us of the fascinating history residing in our own neighborhoods! I hope Sam Spadaro’s family passes this article down through the generations.

Photo by Bernd Dittrich on Unsplash

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

Genealogy Songs – For anyone who’s playing with Suno, I’ve got a playlist of (AI-generated) genealogy songs I’d be happy to add yours to if you send me the link.

‘Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables’ Set For Release November 15 Via Owepar Entertainment – Who’s up for a 4-part docuseries and companion album on Dolly Parton’s roots (coming in November)? I love that the producer is a cousin – that person in the family who’s the go-to for family history. #genealogy

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