Genealogy Round Up, August 4

Usually not a huge fan of prank videos, but in this case, the pranksters were the ones caught off-guard - by a remarkable act of generosity

Nas Discovers His Third Great Grandmother: Pocahontas (no, not THAT one) - coming up this season on Finding Your Roots

I know you're just dying to know whether David Duchovny's family was from Russia or Ukraine, right? Because of that Siberian beer commercial? Well, here's the answer.

A SECOND Homecoming: LeBron James and His Return to Cleveland

Genealogy Round Up, July 28

Nas and LL Cool J to earn about their heritage on "Finding Your Roots" (PBS)

Coming up this week on WDYTYA - "Modern Family's" Jesse Tyler Ferguson Learns His Family History on "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Interview with Jenn Utley (!) re: Cynthia Nixon episode of "Who Do You Think You are?"

In case you're into Pinterest, here's my board on GENEALOGY ON TV. Lots more genealogy-related boards there, too!

Courtney B. Vance, Anna Deavere Smith, Nas & Khandi Alexander find their roots in PBS series

Researchers From Ancestry.com Help Explore the Oregon Trail, Klondike Gold Rush, & More on New Season of TLC Series "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Unexpected application of genealogy


First the drinking game and now WDYTYA bingo. Wednesday nights are getting dangerous!





April 2014 Seton Shields Genealogy Grant Awarded

In 2011, the Historical Society of Kent County, one of Maryland's earliest counties, was delighted to receive the donation of a building that will be the future Bordley History Center. The History Center will have both a research library, with computers and databases accessible to the public, as well as a state of the art archival room that will keep the society's collection of negatives, family Bibles, portraits, oral histories, family photo albums and legal documents preserved. Liberty Bliss, a work-study student at the society, requested a grant, explaining that, "under the current director Karen Emerson, we are working very hard to preserve and document the African-American and Hispanic communities that have been in Kent County forever but underrepresented. We are going to begin an oral history project with members of the Hispanic community in the fall, and I am currently working on a proposal to begin a slave genealogy project. In addition to this much needed research center, we are doing our best to fill this crucial need in the historical and genealogical communities. We have the heart, we have the hands, we just don't have the funds." This month's grant is intended to help with the funds part of the equation.

May 2014 Seton Shields Genealogy Grant Awarded: 14th Anniversary!

One of the nice aspects of running your own grants program is that every once in a while, you're allowed to indulge in a little favoritism, and that's what I've done this month for grant #174.

My father's entire side of the family is Carpatho-Rusyn, so I've been a member of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society (C-RS) since it first launched in 1994. In fact, I recently had the honor of speaking at the society's 20th anniversary event in Pittsburgh, and as it happens, this grants program has just reached its 14th birthday!  So I've decided to celebrate both together by awarding a grant to the C-RS in support of the Carpatho-Rusyn National Cultural Center in Munhall, PA. If you happen to be part Rusyn yourself, please consider joining and/or visiting soon!


Genealogy Round Up, June 23

Did a fun interview with @Scholastic! Discover Your Family History: Easy advice to help you start exploring your family’s past

D-Day Veteran Gets 2,500 Cards For His 90th Birthday In Amazing Display Of Support

Hidden Mothers: Spooky Photographs of Victorian Babies Held By Their Mothers

Love this Video! (Never Too Old To Be) Happy

$18k/yr?! The high cost of searching for your ancestors

Preview video for upcoming season of Finding Your Roots

Watch what happens about 55 seconds in - Man who saved 669 kids from death gets a tearful surprise on TV

This video truly blew my mind. Of course, the fact that I'm part Ukrainian may have biased me slightly, but this young woman has created an amazing intersection of art and story-telling. Wow. Just wow.