Genealogy Round Up, July 28

Can't wait to see this show! Did Carla's roots for TopChef!
Chef Carla Hall

Why we do it. One of these was Sharon's case and one was mine. RIP.
Three MIA World War II soldiers finally laid to rest

Has anyone else seen this Ancestry.com commercial? If so, what say ye?
Ancestry.com

Tradition meets technology!
Genome Quilts by Beverly St. Clair

Documentaries love to do this for DNA drama.
Rudolf Hess Exhumed: A Look At World Figures Who Were Dug Up Post-Mortem from LIFE.com (PHOTOS)

The Real French Ancestry of J.K. Rowling

Painful. Reminds me of an unclaimed persons case I did.
A Brevard woman disappeared, but never left home - St. Petersburg Times

WDYTYA for cars, eh?
BBC America Looks to Expand Roster of Original Content with 5 New Pilot Orders » BuzzFocus.com

Seriously cool.
Long-lost brothers members of same church

NARA's getting ready for us!
NARAtions » Are You Preparing for the 1940 Census? We are!

Be part of a 10,000 person movement to power genetic research for African Americans 23andMe.
Roots into the Future - 23andMe

Check out the settee! (a phrase I never expected to utter)
Family Cherished: Creative Ways to Display your Heritage

A little history mystery I tackled!
Mystery Tombstone Finds Its Place of Rest

Wow!
Unearthing an African-American Village Displaced by Central Park

Hey, is he mocking my name?!
JustASC » Blog Archive » I heard you the first time

Winners of incredibly cool heritage t-shirts announced!

Thanks so much to the almost 600 of you who decided to follow me on Google+ last week! As promised, three were selected as winners of customized, roots-based t-shirts from MeOnATee.com! Since I know so many fellow genealogists, I asked my husband to randomly select from my circles. The winners have all now been notified so I can share their names. Hearty congratulations to:

  • Madaleine Laird
  • Bret Petersen
  • Pam Brinegar

Here's hoping they'll model their shirts once they get them!

If you'd like one of your own, remember that you can still get a 25% discount between now and August 15th. Just go to Meonatee.com and use the discount code of -- what else? - roots. As to me, I'm snagging one for half-Irish, half-Rusyn. Just debating whether to go with the flags or pie chart!

Genealogy Round Up, July 21

Reminding everyone about the chance to win cool, custom roots t-shirt ('til next Friday)
Follow me on Google+ to win a customized t-shirt that flaunts your heritage!

Not taking sides, but DAR comment re: DNA off. No need to dig people up!
Daughters of the American Revolution challenged by Bates family of Virginia

Did you catch my interview on @blogtalkradio with Jane Wilcox re: Barack Obama's Irish roots and the family tree of Michelle Obama?
Obama Genealogies Megan Smolenyak - Your Ancestors Stories

Am working on this series!
Kyra Sedgwick Finds Out She's Related to Husband Kevin Bacon on TV Show (Video) - Hollywood Reporter

If These Plates Could Talk

6 Degrees of Separation: Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon Are Cousins

Genealogy Grant Awarded to Skagit Valley Genealogical Society

Congrats to our newest grant recipient!

The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS) provides educational programming throughout Skagit County, Washington on research methods, getting started in genealogy, and more. The SVGS genealogy library currently has a collection of over 1,500 books, and has outgrown its shelf space at the Burlington Public Library. The grant award will help fund the purchase of more shelf space for the growing collection of books, and will be used as a matching gift "seed" to encourage others to join in and help SVGS by matching this initial gift.

Apply for a genealogy grant here.

Follow me on Google+ to win a customized t-shirt that flaunts your heritage!

Hey Everyone!

A few months ago when I spoke in New York, I met Rachel Mehta of Meonatee.com who showed me some fun heritage-based t-shirts she was custom-designing.  I've included one of the flag designs below and you can see pie-chart versions on her website.  

Diane Haddad’s entertaining Genealogy Insider article, “If You Were a Pie Chart,” made me think of Rachel’s shirts again, so I checked with her and she's kindly agreed to give three of my readers a free t-shirt designed especially to reflect their roots! 

To enter, all you have to do is add me to one or more of your circles on Google+ by midnight of July 22nd. If you're one of the early birds who's already following me, you're already entered!  Once the contest is over, I'll post the winners and contact them directly as well.

But if, like me, you're into an occasional dash of instant gratification and just can't wait to see if you've won one of the shirts, Rachel has also generously agreed to offer a 25% off for those who purchase from Meonatee.com by August 15th.  The discount code -- naturally enough! -- is roots. 

Please do me a favor and share this with your genealogical friends!  And good luck!

Megan

P.S. I don't think you still need an invitation to join Google+, but if you do, just email me at megan@honoringourancestors.com with your name and email and I'll send you an invitation.


 

 

 

 

 

Genealogy Round Up, June 30

CHESTER | Chester County man gets birth certificate after 63 years - almost

Wow. Just wow. Check out these 4 photos.
Timeless Reflections - ReflectionOf.Me

With my mother buried at Arlington National, this turns my stomach.
More Problems at Arlington National Cemetery - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Warning for the sensitive- some language here, but amused by the concept.
My Daguerreotype Boyfriend: Archive

This year's Who Do You Think You Are? celebrities revealed | BBC Who Do You Think You Are Magazine

I hate it when that happens.
Woman Dies At Her Own Funeral: Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov Dead At 49

Obama Genealogies Megan Smolenyak - Your Ancestors Stories

Ksenija Yoder Batic, one of my genealogy grant winners, just published this in English for kindle! I'm going to download it later today and check it out!
The Curse of the LeRoys

Should be lot of photos of my relatives!
Every Jersey City high school yearbook since 1900 being collected by library

Just wrote the checks for the latest two Honoring Our Ancestors #genealogy grants. Are you next?
Genealogical Research Grants - Apply for a grant - Current Grants Awarded

My family lived in house #88, so isn't here, but this gives a feel for Osturňa, the village all Smolenyaks come from.
Osturňa House Tour - Houses 175 to 210

Good. Maybe now we'll get some answers.
Arlington Cemetery’s mishandling of remains prompts FBI criminal probe

Summer Genealogy Reads

Obama Genealogies Megan Smolenyak - Your Ancestors Stories

Genealogy Grant Awarded

Congrats to our newest grant recipient!

Amy Brown-Arneil has been creating an obituary index from the mircofilms of the Marlette Leader Newspaper while she researches and writes a book on the pioneers that settled before 1900 in Marlette, Elmer, Flynn, Lamotte, Moore and Evergreen Townships of Sanilac County, Michigan. She has currently compiled information on over 300 pioneers for the book. The grant award will help cover book publishing and printing expenses, as well as assist with the cost to print copies of the obituary index for the Marlette Leader Newspaper.

Apply for a genealogy grant here.