Census Tree FAQ – Hmm. Might be some interesting things that could be done with this cross-pollinated US census data.

Photo Credit: Nikolas Fečunda via YouTube

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Photo Credit: A24 via YouTube

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

Biden’s understated UK visit will be in stark contrast to Trump’s triumphalism – Not everyone is looking for their 15 minutes – including Biden’s English cousin.

A Tribute to Anthony Bourdain and His Wild, Vagabond Roots – Thinking of Anthony Bourdain on the 3rd anniversary of his loss. Hope he’s swapping tales with his Bourdain grandfather who stowed away to America at the ripe old age of 13.

Finding Adelia, Val Demings’s Great-Great-Grandmother – Adelia’s great-great-granddaughter is running for Senate.

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

1950 Census on Track for 2022 Release, Despite Pandemic –

Findmypast says ‘timelines will be met’ on 1921 census despite covid impact –

The Keepsake Kitchen Diary – Sharing in case this might be of interest to my fellow genies looking for ways to preserve family recipes. There are several variations available.

As I continue excavating (aka decluttering), I keep stumbling upon pieces of my past I was either unaware of or had forgotten. This video is one of them. To be clear, I remember this experience well, but had forgotten about this ad hoc video made at the time.

Filmed in 2007, it’s the story of my gut-wrenching genealogical discovery that Coleman Sharpton, great-grandfather of Rev. Al Sharpton, was enslaved by members of Strom Thurmond’s family – and that he was bought and sold several times while still a youngster. The jarring title is a direct quote from one of the documents pertaining to Coleman Sharpton.

The Golden Apple: A Story From Osturňa – My fellow Osturnites (and really, Rusyns, those with roots in Slovakia, and Slavs in general) will want to read this! There’s a good chance you’ll recognize your surname in this re-telling of a classic saga. It’s a labor of love by Thom Kolton.

Photo Credit: danna § curious tangles under Creative Commons license

The post Genealogy Roundup, May 12 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

The Family Tree of Pharrell Williams and Why He Almost Didn’t Exist – Several weeks ago, I posted to ask folks help me get from 900 to 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel, and ya’ll responded like crazy! I’m now up to 1,271 subscribers, a 41% increase!

I know it’s out of sight, out of mind, so I’ve decided to periodically post a particular video to give y’all an idea of what’s on there.

This one – about Pharrell Williams’ roots – is one of my favorites. For one thing, he loved it! For another, it showcases one of those pockets of American history that many don’t know about – the American Colonization Society and the (partially successful) effort to send “free blacks” (i.e., those who secured their freedom before Emancipation) in America to Liberia. Nat Turner is also a factor in this tale about an intriguing ancestor of Pharrell’s, Ambrose Hawkins.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please consider sharing it. Thanks!

Ancestry to lay off 6% of workforce because of a slowdown in the consumer DNA-testing market – First 23andMe and now Ancestry. Tough days for the genetic genealogy market.

Griffis: Happy birthday, Mr. President! – Some kind words from Joan Griffis who has been writing about genealogy for as long as I can remember. I think we first connected way back when my first book was published!

Genetic Family Reunion: DNA Reveals Alex Haley’s Scottish Roots – Thought I’d share this trip down genetic genealogy memory lane from my YouTube channel. Alex Haley’s nephew DNA testing. Cool update: Even though this was 11 years ago, Chris Haley and his cousin June Black remain close and just recently got together in London. Family is family!

The post Genealogy Roundup, February 13 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Bring Back Handwriting: It’s Good for Your Brain – Guessing many of my fellow genealogists would agree with this

After nearly 70 years, a Pennsylvania farm boy killed in Korea will be coming home – Welcome home, Cpl. Earl Henry Markle. Honored to have researched your family. (2004)

Tribal Elder Hears Grandfather’s Voice in Archived Songs –

The Nebraska Death Index: Free, searchable database, presenting by Reclaim The Records – !!!

A Massive New Database Will Connect Billions of Historic Records to Tell the Full Story of American Slavery – Not quite sure about “billions,” but this sounds like a promising resource.

Annie Moore of Ellis Island Memorial – Annie Moore of Ireland was the first to arrive at Ellis Island on Jan 1, 1892. In 1924, she was buried at Calvary Cemetery in a plot that holds 11 people (including several of her children), but had no tombstone. This is video of the 2008 memorial dedication for her.

FYI – I neglect to mention my YouTube channel, but you’ll find plenty of other genealogy-themed videos here as well!

Photo Credit: Artful Ashes

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 2 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Queen of Creole Cuisine, Leah Chase, still cooking at 93 – Proud to have researched the roots of Leah Chase, truly a remarkable woman!

Joan Griffis/Illinois Ancestors: Apply for genealogical research grant

Here’s how many babies have been born on the sides of Utah roads since 2010 – Well, this is a vital statistic I hadn’t given any thought to until now.

Royalton native John Winscher wins glimpse into family history on Swedish reality TV show

Dublin Rising 1916-2016 – Very cool – hope we see more of this kind of thing. Helps bring history alive. Whether you’ve got Irish roots or not, I suggest you take a few minutes to check this out.

VIDEO: Saoirse Ronan and Stephen Colbert pronounce ‘ridiculous’ Irish names – I was almost named Siobhan (can you imagine? Megan Smolenyak wasn’t challenging enough, so I could have been Siobhan Smolenyak!), so found this charming. Also, if you haven’t seen Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn,” go check it out. Lovely wander-back-in-time about the immigrant experience.

The post Genealogy Roundup, January 13 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Why Pen and Paper Are Making a Surprising Comeback – Interesting – especially the second page.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars – ooh . . . look at Legacy Family Tree new Genealogy Education website!

Why the Queen has been erased from this database

The post Genealogy Roundup, November 4 appeared first on Megan Smolenyak.

Meet The Physicist Building A Time Machine To See His Dead Father

Why Irish Dirt is Worth Millions of Dollars – Some of this dirt was sprinkled on the grave of Annie Moore of Ellis Island fame

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Bradley Cooper’s Family History of Cooking – Round about the 3:00 minute mark, they start talking about their family histories and grandmothers – apparently, Cooper’s family was into garlic-packing

Suzanne Koven on White Matter : A Memoir of Family and Medicine – This book sounds intense, but intriguing. Might have to read it.

Genealogy Today: British Peers turn to DNA – This sounds as if it could open up a can of worms to me – do they really want to know how many “outside children” there have been in the peerage over the years?

Best-Selling Author Lisa See Offers Valuable Chinese-American Genealogy Resource

Russia will exhume Tsar Alexander III in a final bid to prove remains of the country’s last emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their two children are genuine – I wonder if the Romanovs will ever get to RIP . . .

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

2015 Gala in the Great Hall – So grateful to get to experience this wonderful evening arranged by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.

15 Years of Genealogy Grants

Video: Zendaya Gets to the Heart of Her Family Tree for Immigrant Heritage Month – The video is a little confusing, but it’s always cool to see a teenager interested in her roots!

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