Genealogy on Huffington Post

Megan Smolenyak: Lost and Found for Humans

2013-06-15T15:09:49Z

As much as I love traditional genealogy, I also enjoy playing at the fringes to discover new applications for our research skills, and that's how I fi...

Read more: Unclaimed Persons, Video, Research, Volunteer, John Doe, Genealogy, Jane Doe, Genealogists, Next of Kin, Coroner, Medical Examiner, Impact News

Megan Smolenyak: Celebrity Roots Series "Who Do You Think You Are?" Returns

2013-05-21T17:24:10Z

Good news for all those who mourned the cancellation of the American version of Who Do You Think You Are?, the popular celebrity roots series that...

Read more: Hbo, Zooey Deschanel, Who Do You Think You Are?, Chelsea Handler, Family Tree, Genealogy, Christina Applegate, Cindy Crawford, Kelly Clarkson, Family History, Tlc, TV News

D. Joshua Taylor: Gen Y: The Top Lessons Learned From Genealogy

2013-05-20T14:41:44Z

Regardless of your age, family history enables you to discover yourself. When economic times are tough, knowing that my great-grandfather worked 80 hours a week at a meager wage to support his family can be a powerful motivator.

Read more: Genealogy, Family Tree, Millennial Generation, Ancestry Websites, Family History, Gen Y, Millennials, Technology News

Megan Smolenyak: HBO's Family Tree First of Four Genealogy Series to Air in U.S.

2013-05-02T10:29:50Z

Though there's been a bit of a vacuum in genealogical programming in the U.S. over the last year or so, that's happily about to change. First up is Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock's mockumentary series, Family Tree.

Read more: Pbs, Christopher Guest, Bbc, Tlc, Finding Your Roots, Hbo, Genealogy Roadshow, Family Tree, Christina Applegate, Kelly Clarkson, Who Do You Think You Are?, Chelsea Handler, Genealogy, Mockumentary, Chris O'Dowd, Jim Piddock, Irish, Celebrities, Video, TV News

Megan Smolenyak: Family Tree Mockumentary Series Coming to HBO & BBC

2013-03-19T09:36:49Z

You know you've arrived when you've been mocked by Christopher Guest. Guest, who has a gift for putting peculiar subcultures under a microscope, has set his sights on genealogy with Family Tree, a series coming to HBO and BBC2 shortly.

Read more: Family Tree, Christopher Guest, Bbc, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Hbo, Roots, Fred Willard, Mockumentary, Genealogy, Michael McKean, Chris O'Dowd, Irish, Video, Entertainment News

Megan Smolenyak: Letter to Ireland Answered -- 28 Years Later

2013-03-05T15:41:15Z

Not long ago, I received a response to a letter I wrote to a stranger in Ireland -- in 1984. Making the experience more peculiar still is the fact that the gentleman I contacted had passed away in 1990. Perhaps I should explain.

Read more: Letters, Irish-Americans, Ancestry, Ireland, Genealogy, Irish, Family History, The Gathering, Ellis Island, Weird News News

Megan Smolenyak: Hey, Jon Stewart, Your Roots Are Showing

2013-02-25T16:39:25Z

His forebears have held one of the more eclectic mélange of jobs I've seen, including taxi driver, fruit and vegetable peddler, furrier, shoe store proprietor, and window cleaner.

Read more: Jews, Newark, Heritage, Immigration, Ukraine, New York, Politics, Manchuria, New Jersey, Jon Stewart, Poland, Comedy Central, Jewish, Ancestry, Genealogy, Belarus, News, China, Mongolia, Ellis Island, Celebrity News

Alexander Sanger: My Grandfathers at the 1913 Armory Show

2013-02-11T15:46:26Z

One hundred years ago, a February day in 1913, two strangers stand alone in Gallery G of the International Exhibition of Modern Art at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue.

Read more: Margaret Sanger, Genealogy, William Sanger, Kandinsky, Family History, Edwin Campbell, Arts News

Megan Smolenyak: Hey, Prince, Your Roots Are Showing

2013-02-08T23:00:03Z

Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as Prince, has the music world intrigued with the series of singles he's been releasing. I thought I'd take a peek into his pre-Minnesota, pre-purple, ancestral past. Here are a few of the discoveries I found scattered in the branches of his family tree:

Read more: Cory Booker, Michelle Obama, Louisiana, Breakfast Can Wait, Prince Rogers Nelson, Music, Minnesota, Black History Month, Prince, Twins, Slavery, Ancestry, Burr Oak, Genealogy, Family Tree, Great Migration, African Americans, Celebrity News

Megan Smolenyak: What If Ed Koch's Father Had Been Turned Back?

2013-02-04T13:05:17Z

As we mourn the passing of larger-than-life mayor, Ed Koch, who loved New York City so much that he spent $20,000 to ensure he would be buried there and never have to leave, it's worth remembering his immigrant father, Leib (later Louis) Koch.

Read more: Ed Koch, Mayor Koch, Immigration, Genealogy, Italy, Ukraine, New York City, New York, Ellis Island, New York News

Megan Smolenyak: Martin Luther King Day Could Have Been Michael Luther Branham Day

2013-01-18T14:18:34Z

In the 10-15 years following Emancipation, there was some experimentation with surnames, so it's not unusual to find a family with one name in the 1870 census and an entirely different one in the 1880.

Read more: Census, Religion, History, George Washington, Martin Luther King, Emancipation, Martin Luther, Obama, Genealogy, Martin Luther King Day, Barack Obama, African Americans, Politics News

Megan Smolenyak: 150th Anniversary of the USS Monitor: Meet Civil War Naval Heroes Robert Williams and William Bryan

2012-12-28T11:39:52Z

Under ideal circumstances, living relatives of both Williams and Bryan could provide DNA reference samples to compare against the remains to make the final assessment, but the obstacle is Williams' name.

Read more: Dna, Confederacy, Skeletons, History, Robert Williams, Wales, Civil War Sesquicentennial, Civil War, Mystery, Scotland, Genealogy, William Bryan, USS Monitor, Good News News

Megan Smolenyak: Crew of the USS Monitor: Could Sailor Jacob Nicklis Be One of the Mystery Skeletons?

2012-12-26T14:20:06Z

The USS Monitor remained at the bottom of the ocean until 10 years ago when recovery efforts succeeded in bringing the ship to the surface. Along with the vessel was a surprise -- a pair of skeletons in the turret. But which of the 16 were they?

Read more: Civil War Sesquicentennial, Genealogy, Civil War, USS Monitor, Buffalo New York, Jacop Nicklis, Uss Monitor Skeletons, Jacob Nicklis Uss Monitor, Megan Smolenyak, Weird News News

Craig Kanalley: How I Met A Living Cousin In Ireland

2012-11-19T16:50:30Z

My last name is Irish and I've long been curious about my roots, particularly my Irish heritage, as I never knew my paternal grandfather. When my Dad found a great deal on a trip for one to Ireland, I felt it was tailor-made for me.

Read more: Dna, Dna Genealogy, Kerry Ireland, Heritage, Kennelly, Ireland, Limerick Ireland, Family Tree, Irish Heritage, Genealogy, Travel, Irish, Family History, Ireland Trip, Video, Travel News

David J. Olson: In Alsace, Land of My Ancestors, People Still Live Off the Land to Surprising Degree

2012-11-13T15:28:50Z

Alsace is famous for its blend of France and Germany. The Alsatians consider themselves French but only up to a certain point. In the area of food, they pick what they like but do not accept everything French.

Read more: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Genealogy, France, Alsace, Wine, Sauerkraut, Home News

Megan Smolenyak: What Race Is Bruno Mars?

2012-11-12T10:26:41Z

Were Bruno Mars to go on a world tour for the release of Unorthodox Jukebox, there would likely be unsuspecting cousins in the audiences in Madrid, New York, Kiev, San Juan, Manila and Budapest. So tell me: Which box do you think Bruno Mars ticked on the 2010 census?

Read more: Obamas, Heritage, Hispanic, Cloud Atlas, Texas, Philippines, Race, Ukraine, Bruno Mars, Puerto Rico, Jewish, Genealogy, Hawaii, Family History, Multiculturalism, Diversity, Spain, Hungary, Ellis Island, Unorthodox JukeBox, Celebrity News

Megan Smolenyak: A Veterans Day Tribute to Those Who Are Still Coming Home - from Vietnam, Korea, WWII and WWI

2012-11-09T13:41:11Z

Though many don't realize it, "no man left behind" is much more than an expression. The U.S. military genuinely does all it can to recover soldiers from all conflicts, and for more than a decade, I've had the privilege of contributing to cases pertaining to WWI, WWII, Korea and Southeast Asia.

Read more: Dna, Repatriation, Arlington National Cemetery, Veterans Day, Alabama, Ireland, Wwi, Veterans, Pow/Mia, Soldiers, Jpac, Military, Army, Wwii, Armed Forces, Vietnam War, Forensics, Finland, Korean War, Genealogy, Slidepollajax, Bruce Springsteen, Impact News

Ancestry.com Reportedly Agrees To $1.6 Billion Buyout

2012-10-22T02:03:00Z

(Reuters) - An investor group led by private equity firm Permira Advisers LLP has agreed to buy genealogy website Ancestry.com Inc for about $1.6 bill...

Read more: ancestry.com, Spectrum Equity, Ancestry Deal, Howard Hochhauser, Video, Ancestry Buyout, Ancestry, Reuters, Genealogy, Tim Sullivan, Permira Advisers, Wall Street Journal, Technology News

Megan Smolenyak: Enough With the Famous Cousins Already!

2012-10-17T09:11:57Z

In just the past week, we've been regaled with the supposedly startling revelations that: Halle Berry and Sarah Palin are cousins; Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are related; Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Ryan Gosling and Celine Dion are all cousins. My reaction to all this: Yawn.

Read more: Heritage, Mitt Romney, Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie, Avril Lavigne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barack Obama, History, Brad Pitt, Celine Dion, Halle Berry, Colonial, French-Canadian, Sarah Palin, Ancestry, Gabrielle Giffords, Hillary Clinton, Genealogy, Famous Cousins, Justin Bieber, Celebrity News

Megan Smolenyak: 10 Things You Didn't Know about Rachel Maddow's Roots

2012-10-02T12:19:05Z

Without further ado, here are some snippets of Ms. Maddow's family history.

Read more: Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Lithuania, Netherlands, England, Heritage, Holland, Ireland, Catholic, Ukraine, Canada, Rachel Maddow, Jewish, Roots, Genealogy, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ellis Island, Politics News

Megan Smolenyak: Which Countries Could You Be President Of?

2012-09-28T09:47:04Z

Being of half-Irish heritage and having been born in France, Ireland and France are the most promising for me to become president of another country. Again for reasons of heritage, Slovakia is also a candidate.

Read more: Passports, Bill Clinton, Slovakia, France, Heritage, Roots, Ireland, European Union, United States, Genealogy, Piers Morgan, President, Politics News

Megan Smolenyak: American Dream Family Lore of DNC Keynote Speaker and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro Rings True

2012-09-02T12:31:37Z

Mayor Castro's family lore rings true. His grandmother, with a family tree extending back to Coahuila and Zacatecas, came here as a young girl and was taken in by relatives.

Read more: Elizabeth Warren, Dnc, Marco Rubio, Joaquin Castro, Democratic National Convention, Rnc, San Antonio, Mexico, Immigration, Harvard, Stanford, Susana Martinez, Texas, Politics, Truthiness, Soledad O'Brien, American Dream, Genealogy, Julian Castro, Family History, Hispanic, Politics News

Marcia Dawkins: Is Obama Now Black (Enough) Because He's White?

2012-08-02T13:42:12Z

President Obama embodies and embraces tough questions about race like few others. His ever-evolving racial identity questions the construction of the color line.

Read more: ancestry.com, Mixed Race, Slavery, Multiracial, Genealogy, Race, John Punch, Barack Obama Racial Identity, Barack Obama, Barack Obama Race, Video, Black Voices News

Megan Smolenyak: A Second Chance to Be a Genetic Pioneer

2012-08-02T11:05:07Z

Genetic genealogy -- DNA testing done for the purpose of learning about one's roots -- has been around for about a decade, but a recent development suggests that we've reached the pioneering sweet spot.

Read more: History, Migration, Geno 2.0, National Geographic, Dna, Deep Ancestry, Heritage, Ancestry, Genetics, Genealogy, Populations, Denisovans, Neanderthals, Science News

Obama Research Reveals Surprising Result

2012-07-30T18:54:59Z

The ancestry website Ancestry.com revealed an interesting new wrinkle Monday into President Barack Obama's roots, announcing that he is a descendant o...

Read more: Politics News, Video, Barack Obama Ancestry, Bv-Politics, 2012 Election, Barack Obama Geneaology, Elections 2012, Genealogy, Barack Obama 2012, Barack Obama, Politics News