‘I never thought that at 21, some of my best friends would be 99 and 100’ – I could not love this more! Please read. I promise you, you’ll be glad you did. #genealogy

Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

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

Providing Fresh Meals For Those In Need After Disasters – If you’re in a position to help with World Central Kitchen’s efforts in Ukraine and elsewhere, that would be terrific. All of Kyiv is now without water.

Robert Clary, Corporal LeBeau on ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ Dies at 96 – Extraordinary. What a life.

Remains of Brooklyn veteran killed in World War II finally identified – Welcome home, Lt. John Joseph Heffernan, Jr. Honored to have researched your family.

Bruce Springsteen will plant a tree in his great-great grandmother’s home of Rathangan on his next trip to Ireland – Well, this is cool. Bruce Springsteen might visit Rathangan, a town I traced his roots to in Ireland.

Common Sense About Ancestors – Familiar territory for genealogists. BTW, one of my favorite authors.

Searchers find five World War II-era US bombers in waters off Croatia – Wondering if some of those I’ve researched might be among potential crew members. Sure hope we get to bring more home.

Photo Credit: MattCC716 under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, November 23 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Taking my baby steps on Mastodon and have that sort of woozy feeling that comes after pulling an all-nighter. Will be my usual mix of genealogy and feel good stuff, but be forewarned, also some politics. Would be delighted should you choose to follow me if you’ve joined!

Photo Credit: MudflapDC under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, November 16 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Danish pop star Zindy feels the love from long lost Vietnam War veteran father – DNA leads to a happy reunion!

Lifeslices: Genealogical Adventurer – Had a fun chat about genealogy with Steve Fisher for his Lifeslices podcast! Maybe give it a listen while you’re on a walk or tackling some chores at home?

At 88, he is a historical rarity — the living son of a slave – Slavery is not as distant as many think.

Chuckles for the Day: New Ancestry.com Feature Warns Users When They Might Want To Stop Sticking Noses Where They Don’t Belong –

Photo Credit: guayacan_verde under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, February 16 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Down Under: The Miltons – Hey, y’all, George G Morgan of The Genealogy Guys reached out to me recently to see if I could share a video he and Drew Smith did with me (as part of RootsTelevision for those of you who remember). Last year, I did a lot of physical and digital decluttering, so could actually get my hands on it! It was in Flash, so had to be converted, so it’s not as crisp as I would like, but it’s a touching, bittersweet story about a pair of tombstones in Tampa. I hope you’ll consider watching.

Retirement of Archivist David S. Ferriero – Heaven knows he’s earned his retirement. Quite the legacy, especially given the challenges he’s had to deal with that no other in his role has encountered.

Former child prodigy pianist to release album marking 97th birthday – This is the kind of story I love.

Woman Slammed for Dumping Boyfriend After Finding Out He’s a Distant Cousin – I guess many people still don’t realize how common this is.

Surviving family of Raleigh veteran reunited with WWII dog tags after nearly 80 years – Another orphan heirloom reunion and reminder that there are plenty of nice people out there!

Herriman family saved from house fire by off-duty firefighter, his wife—turns out they’re all related – That thing where unknown cousins save your house and maybe your life

Photo Credit: Cindy Shebley under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 26 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Top Image Credit: VirtualHistorians.com

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

November 14th was the first anniversary of the passing of my father, Col. George C. Smolenyak, so when Sean Kirst reached out a few days back for a little sleuthing for this article he said would be published on Sunday, the 14th, it was a no-brainer that I would help out. I consider it a modest tribute – something Dad would have appreciated. Thanks for the invitation, Sean.

It was clear from an early age that I was destined for a career in genealogy. What gave it away for you?

Just to torment my fellow genealogists

Top Photo Credit: James P. McCoy | The Buffalo News

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

Top Photo Credit: The U.S. Army under Creative Commons license

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

Photo Credits: Lea Bowie / Mark Mulville of The Buffalo News

The post Genealogy Roundup, September 8 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Jack Ford explores his Irish Reynolds Roots with Genealogist and 2nd Cousin Megan Smolenyak – Time to share another digital nugget excavated from my past. This was my first time ever appearing on TV. I had a local access show so was familiar with TV, but highly resistant to being on camera. Preferred to be behind it.

I think it was 1999. A second cousin of mine, Jack Ford, was a weekend host for the “Today Show” and the show decided to do segments on everyone’s roots, so yours truly got a call. I tried my best to steer them to his mom, Peggy White, one of my favorite partners in crime genealogy-wise! And you’ll see her in there. But the producer kept calling with more and more questions, and finally asked if I would just come up to New York to be in it.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Revolutionary Ancestors – On this, our first nationally recognized Juneteenth, it’s worth remembering that Texas was not only the last place to free the enslaved, but was also where many well-heeled Confederates from other states brought those they had enslaved in an effort to keep them out of the reach of the Union during the Civil War. And then there’s the fact that slavery was a major factor in the founding of Texas to begin with.

I got an intensive education in the last aspect when researching Lin-Manuel Miranda’s roots. LMM’s? Yup.

A branch on his mother’s side – a mixed Black-white couple and their children – got swept up in Texas’s revolutionary days and it was a constant struggle to retain their freedom, even for those in the family who had been born free.

The post Genealogy Roundup, June 23 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.