The Family Fallout of DNA Surprises – If you can read this article about NPEs, you should. It’s a *lot* – not to mention a stroll down memory lane.

Vagabond Photographer Shot 5,000 Photos of Rural Life That Were Found Years After His Death – Classic example of the value of taking photos of the “ordinary.”

At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery – OK, so this isn’t genealogical, but I love reading about unexpected, exceptional people.

Photo by Jkielty82, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The post Genealogy Roundup, August 20 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.

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.

Animate Your Ancestors: Welcome to the world of retro reality – You know that piece I wrote about MyHeritage’s Deep Nostalgia tool? I updated it to include advice about how to make the most of it, as well as some thoughts about the deepfake aspect.

Please consider reading and sharing your thoughts and experiences. Bonus points if you do so on Medium itself (article linked above), rather than on Facebook, but either place welcome.

In case you’re not aware, the app has exploded well beyond the genealogical world and is now #1 with more than 8 million images having been processed, so I thought a serious update was warranted!

She found her birth father via DNA. He’s a fugitive accused of killing his whole family. – When it comes to genetic genealogy, I’ve always said don’t ask if you don’t want to know. Fortunately, she’s taken this in stride, but this is still .

National Personnel Records Center Prepares for Expansion of Onsite Workforce – Good (and long overdue) news for the genealogical community.

Photo Credit: Boston Globe, 10 July 1922 (Newspapers)

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

Tiny book YouTube is the most soothing place on the internet. – Grab a cuppa and settle in.

This UK grandma created a knitted hospital: Spending self-isolation with a couple pair of knitting needles can lead to great things –

Mitch of ScanMyPhotos.com says his orders are at a 4-year high and it’s not hard to see why. – This pandemic lull may lead to the preservation of many family memories.
 

The post Genealogy Roundup, May 20 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Michelle Obama’s Roots, Part 1 – This is a video of a PPT I put together about Michelle Obama’s roots in Aug 2009 – a couple of months before the New York Times featured my research on their front page. I’ve learned more since then, but this covers a lot of ground.

I researched her roots on my own time and dime out of respect and admiration for Michelle Obama, and I’m so glad I did. She has classic Great Migration heritage with ancestors from 11(!) southern states, so it’s interesting from that perspective as well.

Decided to give the MyHeritage colorization a whirl. I was wondering if it was deoldify and it is. So here’s a 1935 photo from Osturna, Slovakia – ancestral home of all the Smolenyaks in the world.

Top Photo Credit: Laurita Blewitt

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

The Mystery Man Who Spent 20 Years Photographing North American Buildings – Intriguing! You might want to check and see if any of your family towns are in this collection.

Bibliographical data and working with Special Collections – a list of links for white glove debaters

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

Decorating with genealogy. Entrance hallway now adorned with Dad’s slides of Europe.

So honored to have researched Michelle Obama’s roots! I know her ancestors are smiling!

Photo Credit: VW Escape under Creative Commons license

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

Alex Jones teaches Hillary Clinton to speak Welsh on The One Show – Well, this would explain why Swansea University asked for my “full research” on Hillary Clinton’s Welsh heritage.

Talking bottles of 19 Crimes wine with augmented reality – I first bought this when I tripped across it in a store and was intrigued by the genealogy aspect of the labels. Turned out to be very good wine. Strange now to see it brought to life. My only question is: which genealogy company will partner with them?

Guy Seamlessly Photoshops Himself into His Old Childhood Photos – Way to torture future genealogists, Conor. (also, clever)

Photo Credit: Obec Louka

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

Puerto Rico Relief Collection by Lin-Manuel – One of the things that struck me as I looked at this – the lyrics to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics to “Almost Like Praying” (love the “West Side Story” inspiration!) is how many of these town’s records I’ve had cause to delve into. Occasionally for a celeb’s roots – like those of LMM himself – but far more often for military heroes who sacrificed their lives for America in WWII, Korea, etc.

Reclaim The Records is proud to announce the free public availability of the NEW JERSEY MARRIAGE INDEX, 1901-2016 – In case you haven’t heard, exciting news for those with NJ roots! I’ll be sharing my own experience shortly.

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