| Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,
Here's hoping this issue finds you cooler than I am down in toasty Florida! As usual, you'll find a genealogical smorgasbord here including a behind-the-scenes interview with Reclaim the Records, the 18 heroes I've researched who have been identified since last Memorial Day (and one new one since!), the National Genealogical Society's induction of the brilliant and multi-faceted Donn Devine into its Hall of Fame, an unintended consequence of the DNA testing ban in France, and more. And for those who might be curious about how I got my start in genealogy, please check out the feature article, The Woman Who Refuses to Let History Disappear, from The Saturday Evening Post. I suspect many of you will relate to my experience.
Until next time, keep the fans going! |
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| P.S. If you have any genealogy buddies you think might enjoy this newsletter, I'd appreciate it if you'd let them know they can subscribe here (right column). It's free and I promise to never share your name or email address. Thanks! | |
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The Woman Who Refuses to Let History DisappearMegan Smolenyak at Ellis Island for the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Awards, standing next to framed ancestral passenger arrival records (Photo courtesy of Megan Smolenyak) When Megan Smolenyak was in sixth grade in Oxon Hill, Maryland, her teacher, Miss Berkowitz, assigned what seemed like a simple exercise: Go home and ask your parents where your ancestors came from. The next day, she pinned each surname to a giant world map tacked to the classroom wall. When Smolenyak’s name was placed on the Soviet Union — alone in that vast expanse — the ten-year-old paused. Great Britain was crowded with pushpins. Ireland also held a large cluster. But her family stood solitary, marooned in a geopolitical nemesis. In that moment, the pins became a question: Where did we all come from? Continue reading Back to top^
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| Genealogy Roundup, June 17Genealogical happiness is finding names you don’t recognize in a family-related cemetery plot. The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island – Whoever MysteryPoodle is, I can’t thank you enough for your thoughtful and generous review of “Annie Moore of Ellis Island.” This is everything I had hoped for when I set out to share her story. |
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| Genealogy Roundup, June 3Image: screenshot of Historic Irish counties (johngrenham.com)
The Walking Dead come again! – Fellow Ireland researchers, have you noticed all the upgrades John Grenham and his son, Eoin, have introduced lately? Getting a kick out of Eoin’s posts too. National Genealogy Hall of Fame – Just learned this from National Genealogical Society’s newsletter. So well deserved for everything Donn Devine did for the genealogical community! I well remember him being one of the first pros who recognized the potential in genetic genealogy, and even that was just a sliver of all he contributed. Also delighted to see Randy Seaver (Geneaholic) receive an award for his pioneering and enduring blog that covers every genealogical topic imaginable!
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| | | The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island: Uncovering the True Story of the First Immigrant to Arrive at America’s Isle of Hope On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore of Ireland tripped into the pages of history and became the poster child of immigration by being the first to arrive at Ellis Island. And then she disappeared. Adding insult to injury, a different Annie Moore usurped her place in history decades later. Now – 150 years after her birth and 100 years after her death – a determined genealogist finally sets the record straight and reveals the true story of Ellis Island’s first. |
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| Megan Smolenyak | St Petersburg, FL
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