Honoring Our Ancestors Newsletter
December 15, 2008
By Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak
Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,
Wow, another busy month! I know you're all busy with holiday preparations so I'll keep this short. Here's wishing you and yours a wonderful remainder of 2008, heartwarming family gatherings, and maybe another genealogical discovery or two!
Happy Holidays!
Megan
In this newsletter. . .
- Moneygall Claims Obama in Unexpected Way
- Genealogical Round Up, November 6
- Genealogical Round Up, November 13
- What's online about YOU??
- Genealogical Round Up, November 20
- Why not use RootsTelevision.com for your presentations?
- Genealogical Round Up, November 28
- Upcoming Events
Moneygall Claims Obama in Unexpected Way
Little did I know what I was starting when I traced Barack Obama's Irish roots to Moneygall in Co. Offaly. Plumbing and renewable energy -- looks as if they were following the election. Imagine if folks in every town where he has roots were to start doing this -- yikes!
Genealogical Round Up, November 6
Wisdom from a 106-year-old: "After a time, we will all be one."
BBC NEWS | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Story of Obama supporter aged 106
must . . . get . . . this . . . issue!
Nature Focuses on Personal Genomics » The Genetic Genealogist
What a smart idea -- take your ancestors to lunch. Might want to borrow that.
African Americans mark a milestone in history
A little about Michelle Obama's roots . . .
From slave cabin to White House, a family rooted in black America - Times Online
Roots Television | Megan's Roots World: Moneygall Claims Obama in Unexpected Way
More online newspapers available . . .
GenealogyBank - The Official Blog: GenealogyBank adds 100 newspapers from 31 States
Pam sees DNA test as a gift | deCODE You
Check out UnclaimedPersons.org or our group here on Facebook. I think we're at 24 cases solved, but I'm probably behind a bit since I just got back in town.
Unclaimed Persons
Really impressed with this automatic tagging from MyHeritage.com -- not to mention their "face clouds"!
Share Genealogy Videos on Roots Television: free family history, reunion, promotion, sharing
Tis the time to load up on holiday genealogy gear!
Genealogy Christmas Gifts : Genealogy Gifts Store : CafePress.com
So blogging is now old school . . .
Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004
More evidence that the genomics age is upon us . . .
Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2008: The Retail DNA Test | deCODE You
Scissor Sisters and Stephen Colbert -- how could you not laugh?
I Don't Feel Like Dancing (Radio Edit) by Scissor Sisters
Blaine's in Wired!
Mr. Know-It-All: How Green Are Rechargeable Batteries?
Huh! Didn't know this . . .
24-7 Family History Circle » Ancestry New Search Offers “Hot Keys” and Search Refining Shortcut
Genealogical Round Up, November 13
DNA testing is trendy among Latinos?
Really?
WHAT'S
IN YOUR GENES? - New York Post
Hmmm . . . mtDNA?
Relative
welcomes Fromelles DNA tests
Real Estate Brooklyn coverage Bay Ridge Eagle Brooklyn, 2007 NY information
New book by Dan Lynch!
Google Your Family Tree
Book — New Genealogy & Family History Resource
Interviews with Elizabeth Shown Mills and
Irish guru John Grenham done during the recent Wholly Genes cruise. And get a
look at one of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? episodes.
Roots
Television | Og Blog: New Roots Tuesday, November 11
Roots
Television | Og Blog: It's Time to Sharpen Your Research Skills!
Your chance to get up close and personal
with Elizabeth Shown Mills.
Free
Genealogy Conference Videos on Roots Television: Lectures, education,
presentations, workshops,
Big charts on present lists this year . . .
Frugal
Christmas Shoppers Turn to Gifts from the Heart for Family Members -
International Business
I think those of us who dwell in
genealogy-land are very familiar with this issue, but I was startled to find it
among the top stories on CNN.
Holocaust
survivors to Mormons: Stop baptisms of dead Jews - CNN.com
We need more folks like David De Jonge.
Photographer
races clock to honor last few World War I vets - CNN.com
More good stuff coming for those
researching Canadian roots.
Eastman's
Online Genealogy Newsletter: Library And Archives Canada Partners With
Ancestry.ca
I knew this was coming. If you meet anyone
named Barack a few decades from now, there's a good chance he was born in 2008.
www.nytimes.com
Oh . . . my . . . gosh. Where does Chris
(The Genealogue) find this stuff?
The
Genealogue: Genealogue Challenge #139
A great summary of where the Genographic
Project stands.
A
Lecture by Spencer Wells » The Genetic Genealogist
Cyndi Howells told me about this remarkable
memorial to the Irish Famine which I definitely have to go check out the next
time I'm in NYC. She and her son Evan explored it shortly before the recent
Wholly Genes cruise. And while you're taking a look, check out the website these photos are hosted
on -- by a fellow who walked every single street of New York City. Pretty cool.
IrishFamine
| Images | New York City Walk
This is the kind of story I like to read.
24-7 Family History Circle »
WWI Awarded Last Posthumous Medal for Service his Family Didn’t Even Know
Wow, I have to admit this is blowing my mind just a bit. I decided to check out 123people.com, and of course, did a vanity search on my own name. And was I surprised at everything that popped up! There are blog postings, videos, photos, news stories, bios, Amazon links -- you name it.
It took me a while to figure out some of the items included. For instance, one of the images is a cover of OK Magazine with Britney Spears on it. Turns out that a blogger had posted something about that mag, and followed that with another posting about Palin's roots -- an article in which I was quoted. So it apparently uses proximity as one indicator.
What was especially interesting to me was this customized tag cloud. Seems the internet associates me heavily with genetic genealogy. That's where words like Trace, Ann and Turner come in -- Ann Turner, M.D. is my co-author on Trace Your Roots with DNA. While I love gg, I guess I'll have to do a better job of letting the world know that I do other stuff, too!
Genealogical Round Up, November 20
23andMe on Oprah!
Live
with Rob Lowe, Melissa Etheridge and More!
You can also watch an interview I conducted with Sen. Paula Benoit
about this legislation here: http://rootstelevision.com/players/player_conferences.php?bctid=1840812394.
Her own story is pretty darn remarkable.
Adoption Law to Take Effect
I like hearing about undertakings like this
one.
Italian
immigrants to share their stories in a film documentary | DesMoinesRegister.com
Check out the latest partnership in the
genealogy world!
MyHeritage
And Family Tree DNA Partner To Help People Trace Family History Using DNA
Every Tuesday on RootsTelevision.com, we
post new videos. In fact, we call it New Roots Tuesdays. Here's this week's
batch!
Roots
Television | Og Blog: New Roots Tuesday, November 18
Oh, man. This is a nice story on the
surface, but as much as I'm into genetic genealogy, I have to say that the
results have been exaggerated here. I was especially amused by the comment that
this is the first time that "people from two continents have been matched
by DNA."
Fredericksburg.com
- Man achieves royalty
Buzzy Jackson's writing a book (to be
published in 2010) about her genealogical odyssey -- both her personal quest
for roots as well as her foray into the genealogical world. Check out this
RootsTelevision.com interview conducted by Dick Eastman to learn more.
Eastman's
Online Genealogy Newsletter: Video Interview: Buzzy Jackson
Check out Cyndi on RootsTelevision.com!
Eastman's
Online Genealogy Newsletter: Video Interview: Cyndi Howells
Worth reading.
The
Spittoon » African American Roots: What Genetics Can Reveal
If you like RootsTelevision.com, please
help spread the word by linking to it! Here's how.
Free Genealogy, Family
History Videos on Roots Television
Didn't know Doctor Lissa before this, but
appreciate the shout-out!
Health
Care Examiner: Nothing's as Irish as Barack O'Bama
Blaine's always up on the latest in the
world of genetic genealogy. Agree with him across the board.
The
ASHG Ancestry Testing Task Force » The Genetic Genealogist
genomeboy.com | My dog would like his sequence, too…assuming it’s edible
I'm not exactly sure how, but this family
of twins and twins and sextuplets is related to me via our Figler/Figlyar line.
Their grandad Bernie Figler (or Dziadzi of 14, as he describes himself) told me
that the show will air at 10:00 pm on TLC. And the family will be on Good
Morning America that morning. This family is unusual in that they truly
resisted the urge to share to go public, but circumstances caused them to move
forward with this. So check out 10 of my little cousins!
Hayes Family (Twins, Twins
and Sextuplets)
RootsTelevision.com gets a shout-out and
the Family History Expo in Mesa, AZ!
»
Blog Archive » Live from the Family History Expo, Mesa (AZ) Convention Center
There's just something about the notion of
Barack Obama doing river dance that tickles my imagination . . .
'There's no one as Irish as
Barack Obama' (Irish TV) aka Bádhraic Ó Bamaigh
Here we go again in the realm of genetic
genealogy . . .
The
ASHG Ancestry Testing Statement and Recommendations » The Genetic Genealogist
OK, I clearly said that the Finnegan tie to
Carlingford was less than certain, so I'm prepared to be contradicted if I'm
wrong, but all that's said about this challenge is that someone thinks the
Finnegans might be from Derry or Mayo. That's it. No other substantiation.
Margaret, give us some specifics if someone's found something else! As best as
I can tell, Biden's Blewitt line is probably Mayo-based, but what's led some
mystery person or entity to determine the Finnegans hail from Mayo or Kerry?
This is a tease!
Claim
to Biden ancestors challenged - News, frontpage - Argus.ie
Most of the other words are fairly obvious. Annie and Ellis clearly come from the story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island.
And That's?? Well, that had me baffled for a bit until I realized that almost everything written about me includes a remark about my Smolenyak Smolenyak name -- "yes, that's her real name."
Anyway, try it out with your own name and see what you find!
Why not use RootsTelevision.com for your presentations?
Here's a great idea from Dick Eastman. He found himself pinch-hitting at the Family History Expo in Mesa, AZ over the weekend, speaking about Footnote for Beau Sharbrough, who wasn't able to make it. On the fly, he decided to use a video on RootsTelevision.com to get his presentation going and it worked brilliantly!
You can read all about Dick's experiment and how he did it here.
l've shown videos on RootsTelevision.com at assorted events -- sometimes to demo the site itself and sometimes in the format of mini-film festivals on topics such as DNA or Annie Moore. But I had never thought about others doing this and I have to say that I like the idea!
Societies often tell us that they're now using RootsTelevision.com to pre-screen speakers, and I suppose we have enough videos up there from various conferences now (check out the Conference channel) that speakers could check out conferences as well!
If you have any other creative ideas for using RootsTelevision.com, I'd sure like to hear them!
Genealogical Round Up, November 28
I feel the same way about genealogy.
A
perfect hobby for these anxious times - Home Stories - NJ.com
Apparently one bad apple spoils the whole
name . . .
The
Genealogue: Few Bambinos Named Benito
Dee Welborn brought this one to my
attention (thanks, Dee!). Times, they are a-changin'...
Japan offers
mourners high-tech access to ancestors | Reuters
More videos from RootsTelevision.com --
Craig Scott and John Titford!
Roots
Television | Og Blog: New Roots Tuesday, November 25
Interesting. I didn't know the National
Parks Service was against this.
Thanks
for the Ellis Island Memories … Bob Hope? - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com
Dick Eastman blogged the other day about
how you could search Life Magazine images via google, so I had to check out
whether they had the photos from the 1951 article I snagged while researching
who would be king of America if George Washington had been king instead of
president (see this link for the article: http://www.ancestrymagazine.com/2008/09/cover-story/the-man-or-woman-who-would-be-king.).
At any rate, sure enough! Here's one of the potential monarchs -- although he
had passed away by the time I started climbing the Washington family tree.
LIFE:
Portrait of retired carpenter Frank Crai... - Hosted by Google
A multi-generational GM family . . .
Family
that's given 300 years to GM hopes for future - CNN.com
Now the Swiss want to claim Obama!
Genealogy
is becoming more fashionable in Switzerland. - swissinfo
A new magazine for those with Scottish
roots!
Discover
My Past Scotland - Connecting you with your Scottish heritage
More than 100 of his descendants! This is
the kind of story I like to stumble across.
Firefighter
honored 113 years after his death -- chicagotribune.com
Ireland finally coming into its own in the
genealogical world.
Bringing
history back to life - Irish - Independent.ie
Hmmm . . . a new book on genealogy with a
twist. The writers aren't genealogists. They're technology writers. I'm kind of
curious, aren't you?
Amazon.com:
The Online Genealogy Handbook: Brad Schepp, Debra Schepp: Books
Oprah and Abigail Thomas weigh in on how to
write your memoir.
How to
Write Your Memoir by Abigail Thomas
I remember a few years back getting a call
asking me to find Bob Hope in the Ellis Island database (search on Leslie
Hape), so I'm delighted both that he's getting a stamp and that the Ellis
Island library is being named after him!
Postal
Service Provides Sneak Peek of Bob Hope Stamp - 7thSpace Interactive
Genealogy charts designed specifically for
weddings to show how the bride and groom are related to all their guests. What
will they think of next?
Genealogy
Charts by Melangerie | Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog
In my book, this qualifies her as a cool
mom, but I don't know how many would agree with me!
Genetic
test as a Christmas present | deCODE You
City directories online! Let's have more!
Ancestry.com
Blog - » New U.S. City Directories Database
BBC NEWS | Europe | Polish tests 'confirm Copernicus'
If you plan to be near any of the events where I'll be speaking, I would love to meet you. It's always a kick for me when folks mention that they read this newsletter, my blog, Ancestry Daily News or whatever, so don't be shy about introducing yourself!
For more information on these events, please see my Events Calendar. And if you're interested in scheduling me, just click here.
- January 16-20, 2009 - Auckland, New Zealand - Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations 12th Australasian Congress on Genealogy & Heraldry - Topics TBD
- February 14, 2009 - Secaucus, NJ - Hudson County Genealogical Society - "Trace Your Roots with DNA"
- March 7, 2009 - Surrey, BC - Surrey Public Library - "Trace Your Roots with DNA," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Introduction to Ancestry.com" and "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt"
- April 18, 2009 - Anchorage, AK - Anchorage Genealogical Society - "Introduction to Ancestry.com," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Find that Obituary! Online Newspaper Research" and "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt"
- April 22-26, 2009 - Manchester, NH - The New England Regional Genealogical Conference 2009 - Topics TBD
- May 30, 2009 - Marion, IN - Marion Public Library - "Trace Your Roots with DNA," "Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "No Man Left Behind" and "Mini-Film Festival"
- June 20, 2009 - Wichita, KS - Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies - "Trace your Roots with DNA," "Welcome to Roots Television," "Reverse Genealogy" and "Find that Obituary!"
- September 11-13, 2009 - Spokane, WA - Eastern Washington Genealogical Society - Topics TBD
Please forward this newsletter to your family and friends who are interested in genealogy -- thank you!
Wishing you an abundance of genealogical serendipity!
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak
www.honoringourancestors.com
www.rootstelevision.com
Note: You are receiving this because you have demonstrated an interest (e.g., you have a story in one of my books, applied for a grant, attended previous events, etc.) or subscribed via my website, but please let me know if you do not want to receive any further emails, and I will promptly remove you from my list. And rest assured, this is my personal list and not shared with anyone else! Thanks, Megan