"I am loving this ride" That's what Blair Underwood exclaimed while he was learning the story of his family history during the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. That same sentiment pretty much sums up why so many people are delving into their own family trees and are actually finding it fun.
The professional genealogists on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? talked about the difficulty of African-American genealogy because a "Wall" is reached once the African-American family traces its family tree back to the time of slavery. Since the US census is one of the foundations in building a family tree, many times the African-American genealogy trail stops in 1860 during the time of slavery. While the census of the free population lists every family member by name in the 1860 census, the slave population is only listed by their owner's name plus the slave's gender, age and race (black or mulatto). The slaves are not listed by name. Because of this, many African- Americans hit "the Wall" in 1860 when the paper trail stops.
DNA testing was able to help Blair Underwood go beyond the paper trail to find his roots in Africa. Through Ancestry.com DNA testing, they were able to find Blair Underwood's 10th cousin (or so) living in Africa today. A 10th cousin means they had a common ancestor about 250 years ago - assuming 25 years per generation - which would mean they had a common ancestor sometime around 1700 - 1750 during the time of the slave trade.
His 10th cousin, Eric Sonjowoh, is a college student in the African nation of Cameroon. In last night’s episode, Blair Underwood flies to the village of Babungo in Cameroon with his father. They are met by Eric and his father and all take part in the celebration and watch the tribal dances.
I wondered how it came to be that his cousin had submitted his DNA to the Ancestry DNA database, but Eric explained that "a guy" told him that many African-Americans are looking for their African roots, so many in Africa are contributing their DNA to help them. Because of this, there is the possibility that other African-Americans could find also find a distant cousin in Africa.
Dr. Kenneth Chahine, general manager of Ancestry DNA, walked Blair through his DNA analysis. DNA analysis determines ethnicity and found Blair is 26% European and 74% African which Dr. Chahine said is typical of African-Americans today.
Not only can the DNA test tell African-Americans the country in which their ancestors originated, but also the tribe. Blair's ancestors are associated with tribes found in the western part of Africa: 27% Bamoun, 22% Brong, 13% Yoruba and 12% Igbo.
What the TV show didn't mention is that the Ancestry.com DNA test performed on Blair Underwood has not yet been released. The new autosomal DNA test was announced at RootsTech in early February and will launch in late March or thereabouts. You can put your name on the contact list at Ancestry.com DNA, and they will notify you when the new DNA testing is released.
At the end of the episode while he is standing in the African town of Babungo, an obviously moved Blair Underwood said, "We have come full circle to reunite our family. When we started this odyssey, who I thought I was, is different than I know I am today."
Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Showing posts with label Who Do You Think You Are?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Who Do You Think You Are?. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Martin Sheen on WDYTYA?
Last night's (Feb 3, 2012) episode of Who Do You Think You Are followed the family history quest of Martin Sheen, American actor and the child of immigrants from Ireland and Spain. I found it interesting that Martin Sheen, also a political activist, has ancestors on both sides of his family who also had a passion for social justice.
Martin Sheen has always been interested in his maternal uncle who was involved in the Irish Civil War, so that is where he began searching for his family history. I had to chuckle to myself when Martin Sheen began by searching on Ancestry.com for his mother's brother, Michael Phelan, found his death certificate showing he died in County Tipperary, and then said, "Looks like I'm going to have to go to Ireland myself to find out more about Michael Phelan. I'm going to go the Military Archives in Dublin (Cathal Brugha Barracks)."
Well, heading off to Ireland at the beginning of a family history search makes for interesting television, but the TV show makes it seem as traveling to your ancestral homeland is the only way to research your family tree. If that were true, that would make genealogy a hobby out of reach for most of us. You do not have to travel around the world to start your family history search. Instead, if interested in an uncle's involvement in the Irish Civil War, most of us would just do additional search on the Internet. I poked around a bit and it didn't take long to find the Irish Military Archives, which is the repository for the Military Service Pensions Collection where Martin Sheen found his uncle's pension:
http://www.military.ie/info-centre/military-archives
I read in the Archives FAQ and found out how to do the same research by mail that Martin Sheen traveled to Ireland to do. And note the pension records are only available to next of kin and only available by mail - definitely the type of thing to double check in advance before booking a trip to the homeland.
Here are some additional websites that can help you find out more about Irish Ancestors:
I think people are fascinated by family history because it helps them understand themselves. We see our own selves reflected in those who came before us. In Martin Sheen's case, the same passion for political activism was present in both his maternal and paternal ancestors. Martin Sheen described his involvement in political activism: "You do it because you cannot NOT do it". He discovered his ancestors felt the same way. It's in his DNA. As the TV show says, "To know who you are, you have to know where your story began."
You can see the entire Martin Sheen WDYTYA episode online
Want to get started in your own family history? You don't have to travel the globe.
Get started in genealogy.
Martin Sheen has always been interested in his maternal uncle who was involved in the Irish Civil War, so that is where he began searching for his family history. I had to chuckle to myself when Martin Sheen began by searching on Ancestry.com for his mother's brother, Michael Phelan, found his death certificate showing he died in County Tipperary, and then said, "Looks like I'm going to have to go to Ireland myself to find out more about Michael Phelan. I'm going to go the Military Archives in Dublin (Cathal Brugha Barracks)."
Well, heading off to Ireland at the beginning of a family history search makes for interesting television, but the TV show makes it seem as traveling to your ancestral homeland is the only way to research your family tree. If that were true, that would make genealogy a hobby out of reach for most of us. You do not have to travel around the world to start your family history search. Instead, if interested in an uncle's involvement in the Irish Civil War, most of us would just do additional search on the Internet. I poked around a bit and it didn't take long to find the Irish Military Archives, which is the repository for the Military Service Pensions Collection where Martin Sheen found his uncle's pension:
http://www.military.ie/info-centre/military-archives
I read in the Archives FAQ and found out how to do the same research by mail that Martin Sheen traveled to Ireland to do. And note the pension records are only available to next of kin and only available by mail - definitely the type of thing to double check in advance before booking a trip to the homeland.
Your ancestors who served during the 1916 Rising or during the War of Independence may have made application for a medal or pension in respect of their service during that time. Pensions were awarded under the 1924 and subsequent Pension Acts. Due to data protection requirements, these pension records are currently available to direct next of kin only. Direct next of kin should write to the following address for information in respect of their relatives’ service during 1916 and the War of Independence:
Veterans Administration Section,
Department of Defence,
Renmore, Galway, Ireland
Please provide Veterans Administration Section with as many personal details as possible to include full name (and any variations in spelling), date of birth, the address/s resided at during the period in which they may have made the application (1924 to 1949 most likely) and the name of any next of kin at that time.
Here are some additional websites that can help you find out more about Irish Ancestors:
- Ireland GenWeb
- Genuki (UK and Ireland Genealogy)
- Ancestry.com Ireland Databases
- Irish Genealogy
- Ireland Genealogy Project
I think people are fascinated by family history because it helps them understand themselves. We see our own selves reflected in those who came before us. In Martin Sheen's case, the same passion for political activism was present in both his maternal and paternal ancestors. Martin Sheen described his involvement in political activism: "You do it because you cannot NOT do it". He discovered his ancestors felt the same way. It's in his DNA. As the TV show says, "To know who you are, you have to know where your story began."
You can see the entire Martin Sheen WDYTYA episode online
Want to get started in your own family history? You don't have to travel the globe.
Get started in genealogy.
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Ashley Judd’s Civil War Ancestor–WDYTYA
Ashley Judd’s appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? Friday, April 8, the last episode of Season 2.
Part of the episode focused on her Civil War ancestor, Elijah Hensley, her great-great-grandfather. Elijah Hensley was just 15 when he joined 39th Kentucky Infantry, Company I, a Union regiment.
Ashley Judd scrolled through microfilm at the Kentucky State Archives and found his muster roll pages. Interestingly enough, Muster Rolls are available online at Ancestry.com and are free this week (until April 14.)
Here is Elijah Hensley’s muster roll. It is several pages long and gives his physical description (5’ 7”, grey eyes, light hair, and fair complexion) , his capture by rebels, his leg amputation on 10/2/1864, his hospital stay, his recovery at home, and his discharge due to disability.
Ashley had tears in her eyes thinking of her ancestor as a 15 year old kid on the battlefield having his leg amputated without anesthesia and without sanitation. I had tears as well thinking of any 15 year old going though that horror especially after the amputation tools were shown.
Ashley said she wanted not just the records but also the stories behind them, and talked to Dr. Brian McKnight, a Civil War historian. After her talk with him, he sent her an envelope that contained a photo of Elijah Hensley along with a transcription of a testimonial describing him as doing Master's work in the Methodist church as well as being a farmer in Inez, Kentucky.
The photo and testimonial were part of Elijah’s Civil War pension file available for Union soldiers at the National Archives. Civil War pension records are well worth sending for as it is the pension files that have a lot of the stories behind the records.
If you want to find your own Civil War story, Ancestry.com has made its records free this week only for the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.
Not sure how if you have a Civil War ancestor? Download this guide to find your Civil War ancestor or follow this guide to determine if your ancestor was in the Civil War
Order your ancestor’s Civil War pension file online from the National Archives (NARA) and include the name, state, regiment, and especially the application number and the certificate number from the Civil War Pension Index Card, as NARA will not do research.
Part of the episode focused on her Civil War ancestor, Elijah Hensley, her great-great-grandfather. Elijah Hensley was just 15 when he joined 39th Kentucky Infantry, Company I, a Union regiment.
Ashley Judd scrolled through microfilm at the Kentucky State Archives and found his muster roll pages. Interestingly enough, Muster Rolls are available online at Ancestry.com and are free this week (until April 14.)
Here is Elijah Hensley’s muster roll. It is several pages long and gives his physical description (5’ 7”, grey eyes, light hair, and fair complexion) , his capture by rebels, his leg amputation on 10/2/1864, his hospital stay, his recovery at home, and his discharge due to disability.
Ashley had tears in her eyes thinking of her ancestor as a 15 year old kid on the battlefield having his leg amputated without anesthesia and without sanitation. I had tears as well thinking of any 15 year old going though that horror especially after the amputation tools were shown.
Ashley said she wanted not just the records but also the stories behind them, and talked to Dr. Brian McKnight, a Civil War historian. After her talk with him, he sent her an envelope that contained a photo of Elijah Hensley along with a transcription of a testimonial describing him as doing Master's work in the Methodist church as well as being a farmer in Inez, Kentucky.
The photo and testimonial were part of Elijah’s Civil War pension file available for Union soldiers at the National Archives. Civil War pension records are well worth sending for as it is the pension files that have a lot of the stories behind the records.
If you want to find your own Civil War story, Ancestry.com has made its records free this week only for the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.
Not sure how if you have a Civil War ancestor? Download this guide to find your Civil War ancestor or follow this guide to determine if your ancestor was in the Civil War
Order your ancestor’s Civil War pension file online from the National Archives (NARA) and include the name, state, regiment, and especially the application number and the certificate number from the Civil War Pension Index Card, as NARA will not do research.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Gwyneth Paltrow in WDYTYA?
The Who Do You Think You Are episode starring Gwyneth Paltrow was different from other episodes this season where the focus was on just one ancestor. Gwyneth followed numerous branches of her tree and focused on a number of ancestors.
On Gwyneth's mother side of the family, she found her great-great-grandmother Rosamund Isabel Stoute who, along with her older sister, Martha Stoute, had the courage to leave Barbados in 1868 for New York for better prospects after their parents died. Gwyneth sees the parallel to herself in her great-great-grandmother's confidence in the ability to succeed.
The TV show briefly mentioned Gwyneth's mother's Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, but since Palatines - the ancestors of many Pennsylvania Dutch - were already covered in Tim McGraw's episode, I suppose that is why this branch of her family was not investigated during this episode of WDYTYA.
On Gwyneth's father's side, her great-grandmother, Ida "Edith" Hyman Paltrow, was said to have been an uncaring mother, a hoarder, and perhaps a little mentally unbalanced. Wanting to look a little deeper into Ida's story, Gwyneth found that Ida started out with a bright future as a teacher attending college in 1897, amazing for the times, but left college the same year her mother and brother died. Later records show that one of Ida's daughters died at aged three, run over by a wagon, while she was pregnant with another child.
Ida's husband, Meyer Paltrowitz, was the son of a rabbi, Simcha "Simon" Patrowitch, who wrote a book that showed incredible reverance for his father, Tzvi Hirsch Pelterowicz, a revered rabbi. In the Holocaust Memorial book, Tzvi Hirsch Pelterowicz , is spoken of as a master of Kabbalah, and is said to have been a miracle worker by stopping a fire from consuming the village of Nowogrod in northeast Poland. Gwyneth's study of Kabbalah today is another parallel she sees to her past.
At the end of the episode, Gwyneth Paltrow, was able to put into words why genealogy and family history is so illuminating. She says,
Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
On Gwyneth's mother side of the family, she found her great-great-grandmother Rosamund Isabel Stoute who, along with her older sister, Martha Stoute, had the courage to leave Barbados in 1868 for New York for better prospects after their parents died. Gwyneth sees the parallel to herself in her great-great-grandmother's confidence in the ability to succeed.
The TV show briefly mentioned Gwyneth's mother's Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, but since Palatines - the ancestors of many Pennsylvania Dutch - were already covered in Tim McGraw's episode, I suppose that is why this branch of her family was not investigated during this episode of WDYTYA.
On Gwyneth's father's side, her great-grandmother, Ida "Edith" Hyman Paltrow, was said to have been an uncaring mother, a hoarder, and perhaps a little mentally unbalanced. Wanting to look a little deeper into Ida's story, Gwyneth found that Ida started out with a bright future as a teacher attending college in 1897, amazing for the times, but left college the same year her mother and brother died. Later records show that one of Ida's daughters died at aged three, run over by a wagon, while she was pregnant with another child.
Ida's husband, Meyer Paltrowitz, was the son of a rabbi, Simcha "Simon" Patrowitch, who wrote a book that showed incredible reverance for his father, Tzvi Hirsch Pelterowicz, a revered rabbi. In the Holocaust Memorial book, Tzvi Hirsch Pelterowicz , is spoken of as a master of Kabbalah, and is said to have been a miracle worker by stopping a fire from consuming the village of Nowogrod in northeast Poland. Gwyneth's study of Kabbalah today is another parallel she sees to her past.
At the end of the episode, Gwyneth Paltrow, was able to put into words why genealogy and family history is so illuminating. She says,
"There is this energy in your ancestry - it's more than just facts and who was born where. Seeing both sides of my family in myself is amazing. You see traits going through (the generations) and understand yourself a lot better... It's funny because you have these like echoes of your own relationships. It's amazing to see so many parallels that keep coming together."She concludes,
'"We need to take responsibility for all of our stories and teach our children about where we come from in both the good ways and the bad because the most meaningful thing about our history is what we learn from them."Amen to that.
Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Steve Buscemi and his PA Civil War Ancestor on WDYTYA?
I watched Steve Buscemi trace his family history on the NBC TV show Who Do You Think You Are? and found his family story interesting. The episode focused on Steve's great-great-grandfather, Ralph B. Montgomery, who was a dentist, then grocer, then Civil War soldier, then dentist again in a different town with a different family.
Ralph B. Montgomery, Steve Buscemi's gggrandfather, was a soldier in the 91st Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers that were recruited in Philadelphia. He is listed as R.B. Montgomery in Bates' Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War which says about him:
Many soldiers in Ralph B. Montgomery's 91st regiment, company F are listed as having deserted.
An important fact about Civil War desertion not mentioned during Steve Buscemi's WDYTYA? episode is that not all those listed as Civil War deserters were actually deserters.
According to "Desertion During the Civil War" by Ella Lonn written in 1928, Pennsylvania had 24,050 men listed as deserting the Union Army.
And it is estimated that at least 25% of the total number of men reported as deserters may have been absent from muster roll for a legitimate reason. Sometimes these men were in hospitals, or dead, or missing, or prisoners of war, yet listed as deserters because communication and record keeping were very poor at the time. In addtition, some went home to recover from their wounds and returned to their regiment as soon as they were able. Sometimes, men were later found serving with a different regiment, yet marked as a deserter with their original regiment.
That is what happened to Ralph B. Montgomery. After his second desertion, he returned to the Philadelphia area, where under an assumed name, he enlisted again in the Gettysburg Campaign in the PA Emergency Militia, 20th Cavalry. He served honorably there and was discharged.
Real deserters, or at least those who were caught, in the Pennsylvania Volunteers were dealt with harshly and executed by firing squad as an example to others.
If you find your ancestor is listed as a deserter during the Civil War, don't immediately assume he really deserted. Look first to see if he returned to his regiment, or joined another regiment, or is listed as a POW, or had been wounded or had died.
Learn more about researching your Civil War ancestor.
Ralph B. Montgomery, Steve Buscemi's gggrandfather, was a soldier in the 91st Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers that were recruited in Philadelphia. He is listed as R.B. Montgomery in Bates' Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War which says about him:
Deserted January 11, 1862; returned May 22, 1862; deserted again September 2, 1863The TV show implied he deserted because of the horrors of the battle of Fredericksburg, but the battle was December 12-15, 1862 and he deserted the first time the previous January - 11 months before the battle happened. His second desertion was 9 months after Fredericksburg, and there were other battles his regiment fought after Fredericksburg and before his second desertion including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. So, I don't understand the mention of Fredericksburg on the TV show in connection with his desertion. But as Steve Buscemi said, "He saw things that no man should see".
Many soldiers in Ralph B. Montgomery's 91st regiment, company F are listed as having deserted.
An important fact about Civil War desertion not mentioned during Steve Buscemi's WDYTYA? episode is that not all those listed as Civil War deserters were actually deserters.
According to "Desertion During the Civil War" by Ella Lonn written in 1928, Pennsylvania had 24,050 men listed as deserting the Union Army.
And it is estimated that at least 25% of the total number of men reported as deserters may have been absent from muster roll for a legitimate reason. Sometimes these men were in hospitals, or dead, or missing, or prisoners of war, yet listed as deserters because communication and record keeping were very poor at the time. In addtition, some went home to recover from their wounds and returned to their regiment as soon as they were able. Sometimes, men were later found serving with a different regiment, yet marked as a deserter with their original regiment.
That is what happened to Ralph B. Montgomery. After his second desertion, he returned to the Philadelphia area, where under an assumed name, he enlisted again in the Gettysburg Campaign in the PA Emergency Militia, 20th Cavalry. He served honorably there and was discharged.
Real deserters, or at least those who were caught, in the Pennsylvania Volunteers were dealt with harshly and executed by firing squad as an example to others.
If you find your ancestor is listed as a deserter during the Civil War, don't immediately assume he really deserted. Look first to see if he returned to his regiment, or joined another regiment, or is listed as a POW, or had been wounded or had died.
Learn more about researching your Civil War ancestor.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011
Here is the schedule for the final episodes of WDYTYA? season 2:
Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011
Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather
Gwyneth Paltrow
Season 2, Episode 7
April 1, 2011
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow finds roots in Barbados while looking into her ancestral past.
Ashley Judd
Season 2, Episode 8
April 8, 2011
Actress Ashley Judd, an eighth generation Eastern Kentuckian, discovers a connection to the first American settlers while investigating her ancestral past.
Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011
Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather
Gwyneth Paltrow
Season 2, Episode 7
April 1, 2011
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow finds roots in Barbados while looking into her ancestral past.
Ashley Judd
Season 2, Episode 8
April 8, 2011
Actress Ashley Judd, an eighth generation Eastern Kentuckian, discovers a connection to the first American settlers while investigating her ancestral past.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011
Rosie O'Donnell
Season 2
March 18, 2011
Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at the age of 10, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry. In Ireland, she uncovers the unbelievable hardships faced by her family. An Irish saga for St. Patrick's Day.
Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011
Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are Ashley Judd and Gwneyth Paltrow, but NBC had not released dates for these episodes on their website.
Season 2
March 18, 2011
Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at the age of 10, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry. In Ireland, she uncovers the unbelievable hardships faced by her family. An Irish saga for St. Patrick's Day.
Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011
Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are Ashley Judd and Gwneyth Paltrow, but NBC had not released dates for these episodes on their website.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011
This is the schedule for WDYTYA? for the next two weeks:
Kim Cattrall
Season 2
March 11, 2011 (R)
Kim Cattrall searches for information about her grandfather who abandoned her mother and aunts when they were young. Before long, she uncovers the haunting truth.
Rosie O'Donnell
Season 2
March 18, 2011 (R)
Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at a young age, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry. In Ireland, she uncovers the horrifying hardships faced by her family.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are:
If you missed Season One of Who Do You Think You Are?, or if you would like to see see the series again, the DVD Who Do You Think You Are?: Season One is now available for sale at Amazon.com.
The companion book for WDYTYA?, written by Megan Smolenyak is also available Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
Kim Cattrall
Season 2
March 11, 2011 (R)
Kim Cattrall searches for information about her grandfather who abandoned her mother and aunts when they were young. Before long, she uncovers the haunting truth.
Rosie O'Donnell
Season 2
March 18, 2011 (R)
Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at a young age, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry. In Ireland, she uncovers the horrifying hardships faced by her family.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are:
- Steve Buscemi
- Gwneyth Paltrow
- Ashley Judd
The companion book for WDYTYA?, written by Megan Smolenyak is also available Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
Friday, February 25, 2011
Kim Cattrall on U.S. WDYTYA?
I watched Kim Cattrall on Who Do You Think You Are?, and found it very emotional, heartbreaking, and moving. But I noticed that this WDYTYA? show had a different feel than the other shows this season. Kim was interested in finding out what happened to her grandfather who walked out on her grandmother and three young children. Her search for her family tree stopped when she solved the mystery of what happened to her grandfather.
I wonder if the different feel to the show was because this same show with Kim Cattrall was shown first on the U.K. version of WDYTYA? on the BBC last year. It appears that the voiceover was changed to an American accent, but the entire showed was filmed in England and Canada, unlike the U.S. version of the show where the family tree search has so far always originated in a U.S. city.
As far as I know this is the first WDYTYA? that was first shown on the BBC UK version of the show, and then shown again in the U.S. on NBC. I think it is a good idea to share shows between countries if that gets us more episodes to watch here.
I also noticed that Kim searched Ancestry.com on the show, but at the end of the show, the credits listed Ancestry.co.uk Searching the website, Kim found a family tree called the Cattrall family tree - her family tree all filled in. Didn't quite make sense that it would be called the Cattrall family tree unless there happened to be another Cattrall who had previously done this same hunt for George Baugh.
But Kim's grandfather, George Baugh, is found in an Ancestry.com family tree called the CROMBIE - BAUGH - ELLIS Family tree.
There was very little research of records on this show. Just one shocker mailed to her by an off-the camera researcher and a quick scan of some Durham records Much of what was found was done by following up on a 30 year old newspaper clipping Kim's mother had saved which led to meeting and speaking with previously unknown family.
I was truly moved by this show, and can't even imagine the pain her mother and aunties felt when they found out what happened to their father. Even 70 years after being abandoned, their hurt was still raw.
Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
I wonder if the different feel to the show was because this same show with Kim Cattrall was shown first on the U.K. version of WDYTYA? on the BBC last year. It appears that the voiceover was changed to an American accent, but the entire showed was filmed in England and Canada, unlike the U.S. version of the show where the family tree search has so far always originated in a U.S. city.
As far as I know this is the first WDYTYA? that was first shown on the BBC UK version of the show, and then shown again in the U.S. on NBC. I think it is a good idea to share shows between countries if that gets us more episodes to watch here.
I also noticed that Kim searched Ancestry.com on the show, but at the end of the show, the credits listed Ancestry.co.uk Searching the website, Kim found a family tree called the Cattrall family tree - her family tree all filled in. Didn't quite make sense that it would be called the Cattrall family tree unless there happened to be another Cattrall who had previously done this same hunt for George Baugh.
But Kim's grandfather, George Baugh, is found in an Ancestry.com family tree called the CROMBIE - BAUGH - ELLIS Family tree.
There was very little research of records on this show. Just one shocker mailed to her by an off-the camera researcher and a quick scan of some Durham records Much of what was found was done by following up on a 30 year old newspaper clipping Kim's mother had saved which led to meeting and speaking with previously unknown family.
I was truly moved by this show, and can't even imagine the pain her mother and aunties felt when they found out what happened to their father. Even 70 years after being abandoned, their hurt was still raw.
Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011
This is the Who Do You Think You Are? episode schedule for the next two weeks:
Kim Cattrall
Season 2, Episode 4
February 25, 2011
Kim Cattrall digs into her family roots, centering her investigation on the mysteries surrounding her grandfather. Before long, she uncovers a haunting truth and forges enriching connections with the women in her family.
Lionel Richie
Season 2, Episode 5
March 4, 2011
Singer Lionel Richie charts his family history by focusing on his maternal grandmother's ancestry. Determined to solve mysteries surrounding her father, Richie takes an investigative voyage from Alabama to Nashville and Chattanooga, ultimately digging up a connection to the dawning days of the civil-rights movement.
And good news! Who Do You Think You Are? has been renewed by NBC for the 2011-2012 season.
Kim Cattrall
Season 2, Episode 4
February 25, 2011
Kim Cattrall digs into her family roots, centering her investigation on the mysteries surrounding her grandfather. Before long, she uncovers a haunting truth and forges enriching connections with the women in her family.
Lionel Richie
Season 2, Episode 5
March 4, 2011
Singer Lionel Richie charts his family history by focusing on his maternal grandmother's ancestry. Determined to solve mysteries surrounding her father, Richie takes an investigative voyage from Alabama to Nashville and Chattanooga, ultimately digging up a connection to the dawning days of the civil-rights movement.
And good news! Who Do You Think You Are? has been renewed by NBC for the 2011-2012 season.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Rosie O’Donnell, Ireland and Canada - WDYTYA?
In her quest for her family roots on the TV show, Who Do You Think You Are?, Rosie O'Donnell asks the same two questions that many U.S. genealogists ask.
Her family was from Kildare, Ireland, and they came because they were the poorest of the poor living in an Irish workhouse in horrible conditions. Their transportation to Canada was paid for by two benefactors. This info was found in the Irish Poor Law Union minutes in Ireland.
The show didn’t state why they were given tickets to Canada instead of the U.S. But I've always heard the answer is that passage was cheaper from Ireland to Canada than to the United States, and, also, they didn’t have to change citizenship.
Many Irish immigrated to Canada before coming to the U.S. They came to Canada before, during, and after the Irish Famine. They came even before the creation of workhouses in 1838.
Just briefly, we see Rosie at the National Archives of Quebec looking at the the Ancestry.com Drouin Collection. The Drouin Collection records of Quebec province spans the years 1621 to 1967 - (yes, 346 years of records) . It has over 30 million names taken from baptism, marriage and burial records of Quebec, as well as church records from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and some of the New England states. Those with ancestors in Canada, or even those like Rosie whose ancestors were in Quebec for a brief time before immigrating to the U.S.should be very excited. We don’t have to travel to Montreal to see these records.
The records of the Drouin Collection are primarily French-Canadian, but many people of Irish descent will find their ancestors' name in these French-Canadian records because so many Irish immigrated to and lived in Quebec. Some of the Irish immigrants stayed in Canada while some went to the United States like Rosie’s ancestors (and mine).
If you have Irish ancestors, it might be worth a look to see if your ancestors came to the United States via Quebec. For example, in the Drouin Collection, there are over 20,000 search results for the Irish name Murphy, and over 10,000 for the Irish name Sullivan.
Records in the Drouin Collection can be searched in French or English by name, date, place, church or institution, and religion. You will find some of the records of Irish immigrants are recorded in French. You can use this French Genealogy Glossary to help translate.
This collection is available online through a subscription to Ancestry.com but you can view them via a Free Trial or at your local library.
I enjoyed the show a lot. It showed Rosie staring with what she knew about her family, working with original documents, reading info on a microfilm, and meeting previously unknown second cousins. She said she felt moved than she expected to. I think anyone who has begun to trace their own family tree can relate to all of that!
But the question Rosie didn’t ask, and that I really wanted to know, was why her family left Canada for New Jersey. My Irish family did the same and I have never been able to find the reason.
- Where (what country and what town) did my family originate?
- What caused them to immigrate?
Her family was from Kildare, Ireland, and they came because they were the poorest of the poor living in an Irish workhouse in horrible conditions. Their transportation to Canada was paid for by two benefactors. This info was found in the Irish Poor Law Union minutes in Ireland.
The show didn’t state why they were given tickets to Canada instead of the U.S. But I've always heard the answer is that passage was cheaper from Ireland to Canada than to the United States, and, also, they didn’t have to change citizenship.
Many Irish immigrated to Canada before coming to the U.S. They came to Canada before, during, and after the Irish Famine. They came even before the creation of workhouses in 1838.
Just briefly, we see Rosie at the National Archives of Quebec looking at the the Ancestry.com Drouin Collection. The Drouin Collection records of Quebec province spans the years 1621 to 1967 - (yes, 346 years of records) . It has over 30 million names taken from baptism, marriage and burial records of Quebec, as well as church records from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and some of the New England states. Those with ancestors in Canada, or even those like Rosie whose ancestors were in Quebec for a brief time before immigrating to the U.S.should be very excited. We don’t have to travel to Montreal to see these records.
The records of the Drouin Collection are primarily French-Canadian, but many people of Irish descent will find their ancestors' name in these French-Canadian records because so many Irish immigrated to and lived in Quebec. Some of the Irish immigrants stayed in Canada while some went to the United States like Rosie’s ancestors (and mine).
If you have Irish ancestors, it might be worth a look to see if your ancestors came to the United States via Quebec. For example, in the Drouin Collection, there are over 20,000 search results for the Irish name Murphy, and over 10,000 for the Irish name Sullivan.
Records in the Drouin Collection can be searched in French or English by name, date, place, church or institution, and religion. You will find some of the records of Irish immigrants are recorded in French. You can use this French Genealogy Glossary to help translate.
This collection is available online through a subscription to Ancestry.com but you can view them via a Free Trial or at your local library.
I enjoyed the show a lot. It showed Rosie staring with what she knew about her family, working with original documents, reading info on a microfilm, and meeting previously unknown second cousins. She said she felt moved than she expected to. I think anyone who has begun to trace their own family tree can relate to all of that!
But the question Rosie didn’t ask, and that I really wanted to know, was why her family left Canada for New Jersey. My Irish family did the same and I have never been able to find the reason.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Series One DVD
If you missed Season One of Who Do You Think You Are?, or if you would like to see see the series again, the DVD Who Do You Think You Are?: Season One is now available for pre-sale at Amazon.com.
The companion book for WDYTYA?, written by Megan Smolenyak is also available Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
The companion book for WDYTYA?, written by Megan Smolenyak is also available Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
George Washington, Tim McGraw, and Historical Connections
I watched the TV show Who Do You Think You are? with interest because I was curious how Tim McGraw was connected to George Washington. I knew our first president had no children of his own, so just how was Tim McGraw connected?
Turns out that when George Washington was 16, he surveyed Tim McGraw’s ancestor,Jost Hite’s land in the Shanadoah Valley and wrote about this in his journal.
It reminded me that I also had connection to George Washington where a member of my family crossed paths with him, and I wondered how many can find this type of connection to him. If you can trace your ancestors back to pre-Revolution history, then I'm thinking there is probably a fair chance that George might have crossed paths with a member of your family. After all, George Washington was a surveyor of frontier land, was a Colonel of the Virginia regiment in the French and Indian War, then was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
My own family’s connection to George Washington was that my 5th great-uncle, Harmon Aughe of Chester county, Pennsylvania, was an Revolutionary War soldier who wintered in Valley Forge with General George Washington. In Harmon’s Revolutionary War pension application, he stated that he personally knew General Washington, as well as General Anthony Wayne, because he drove a wagon that brought supplies to the Valley Forge encampment.
I know George Washington was proud of the courage of his soldiers that wintered in the terrible conditions at Valley Forge.
I found Harmon Aughe’s 35 handwritten page Revolutionary War pension application on Footnote.com. If you want to browse the pension files at Footnote, you can get a 7 day Free Trial
More About Harmon Aughe's Revolutionary War pension application
Did your family have a connection with George Washington? Is a family member crossing paths with George Washington as “shocking” as the TV show WDYTYA? made it sound, or are there many of us in the U.S. that have an ancestor with some type of connection to George Washington? Let me know in the comments.
Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Turns out that when George Washington was 16, he surveyed Tim McGraw’s ancestor,Jost Hite’s land in the Shanadoah Valley and wrote about this in his journal.
It reminded me that I also had connection to George Washington where a member of my family crossed paths with him, and I wondered how many can find this type of connection to him. If you can trace your ancestors back to pre-Revolution history, then I'm thinking there is probably a fair chance that George might have crossed paths with a member of your family. After all, George Washington was a surveyor of frontier land, was a Colonel of the Virginia regiment in the French and Indian War, then was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
My own family’s connection to George Washington was that my 5th great-uncle, Harmon Aughe of Chester county, Pennsylvania, was an Revolutionary War soldier who wintered in Valley Forge with General George Washington. In Harmon’s Revolutionary War pension application, he stated that he personally knew General Washington, as well as General Anthony Wayne, because he drove a wagon that brought supplies to the Valley Forge encampment.
I know George Washington was proud of the courage of his soldiers that wintered in the terrible conditions at Valley Forge.
I found Harmon Aughe’s 35 handwritten page Revolutionary War pension application on Footnote.com. If you want to browse the pension files at Footnote, you can get a 7 day Free Trial
More About Harmon Aughe's Revolutionary War pension application
Did your family have a connection with George Washington? Is a family member crossing paths with George Washington as “shocking” as the TV show WDYTYA? made it sound, or are there many of us in the U.S. that have an ancestor with some type of connection to George Washington? Let me know in the comments.
Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tim McGraw and his Palatine ancestor Jost Hite
After seeing the show Who Do You Think You Are? last Friday night, I realized I wanted to know more about the German Palatine ancestry of Tim McGraw. Having Palatine ancestry myself, I feel a connection to his story. I like to find out how a family’s history fits into the history of our country. I like to find out why families do what they do which I guess is a reason I am drawn to genealogy.
You can read a transcribed story of the History of the Palatine Immigration. It begins with the earliest Palatine immigration and where they settled in the United States. It also tells about the “Golden Book”, mentioned on Who Do You Think You Are?, which encouraged the Palatine people to leave their homes in the Rhine country for London to eventually settle in the Carolinas, or other of Her Majesty's colonies. It also tells of the tremendous hardships the Palatines found as they settled, and how they were cheated in New York.
Books
I did find the story of Hans Josh Heydt, or Yost Hite, as his name is sometimes written, in a digitized book at Ancestry.com called Virginia Prominent Families, originally published in 1907 by Louise Pecquet du Bellet.
Chapter XIII Hite, Madison, Fontaine and Maury Families.
The Hite Family in America begins:
Magdelene Hite, Jost’s daughter, and Jacob Chrismann , her husband, were the ancestors of Tim McGraw.
I enjoy reading the stories of the pioneer families, but I found the story of Tim McGraw’s ancestors sadly ironic. Jost Hite left New York to settle in Pennsylvania. Because of the Indian raids there, he left Pennsylvania in 1730 to go to the Shenandoah Valley where years later (according to the historian on Who Do You Think You are?), Jost Hite’s grandson (and Tim McGraw’s ancestor), Isaac Chrismann, was killed along with two of his sons in an Indian raid.
Hans Jost Hite can be also be found in the family trees at Ancestry.com. This family tree which includes Hans Jost Hite is well-sourced with a source citation for almost every entry. In addition to the family tree which includes his parents and descendants, there are written stories and photos of documents, houses, and monuments including one of the Historical Marker for Jost Hite.
Want to know more? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
You can read a transcribed story of the History of the Palatine Immigration. It begins with the earliest Palatine immigration and where they settled in the United States. It also tells about the “Golden Book”, mentioned on Who Do You Think You Are?, which encouraged the Palatine people to leave their homes in the Rhine country for London to eventually settle in the Carolinas, or other of Her Majesty's colonies. It also tells of the tremendous hardships the Palatines found as they settled, and how they were cheated in New York.
Books
I did find the story of Hans Josh Heydt, or Yost Hite, as his name is sometimes written, in a digitized book at Ancestry.com called Virginia Prominent Families, originally published in 1907 by Louise Pecquet du Bellet.
Chapter XIII Hite, Madison, Fontaine and Maury Families.
The Hite Family in America begins:
“In 1710, Hans Josh Heydt, or Yost Hite, as his name is spelled in English documents dated at the time of his emigration, a native of Alsace, Germany, came from Strasburg to New York, with his wife, Anna Marie, née du Bois, and their little girl, Mary. He came in his own ships, Brigantine Swift and Schooner Friendship, bringing with him sixteen (some say more) Dutch and German families, as tenants for lands he expected to settle.
Hite remained in Kingston, New York, until 1715, when he came south to Germantown, Penn. In 1717, we find him on the Schuylkill River, where he bought lands, and in 1720 built a mill at the mouth of Perkiomen Creek, and a dwelling house, which is at present (1907) the country home of Gov. Samuel Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania, and became a thrifty, enterprising farmer and manufacturer. The mills are now called Pennypacker's Mills.
At this time the Indians, maddened by the encroachments of the whites, took revenge by making raids upon the colonists in both Pennsylvania and Maryland, ruthlessly murdering settlers and destroying property.”
More about Yost Hite and his move to Virginia…The book continues telling the story of Jost/Yost Hite and their children. It states that Yost Hite could not get the Governor of PA to help protect the settlers from the Indians, so he left for Virginia.
Magdelene Hite, Jost’s daughter, and Jacob Chrismann , her husband, were the ancestors of Tim McGraw.
Magdelene Hite, third daughter of Yost Hite, like her two older sisters, married before she came to Virginia. Her husband, Jacob Chrismann, was a German and came to America from Swabia. They also settled near Yost Hite and their home became known as Chrismann Spring, where they died, leaving a large family of children.Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants, digitized by Google Books, also tells the story of “Joist Hite”.
I enjoy reading the stories of the pioneer families, but I found the story of Tim McGraw’s ancestors sadly ironic. Jost Hite left New York to settle in Pennsylvania. Because of the Indian raids there, he left Pennsylvania in 1730 to go to the Shenandoah Valley where years later (according to the historian on Who Do You Think You are?), Jost Hite’s grandson (and Tim McGraw’s ancestor), Isaac Chrismann, was killed along with two of his sons in an Indian raid.
Hans Jost Hite can be also be found in the family trees at Ancestry.com. This family tree which includes Hans Jost Hite is well-sourced with a source citation for almost every entry. In addition to the family tree which includes his parents and descendants, there are written stories and photos of documents, houses, and monuments including one of the Historical Marker for Jost Hite.
Want to know more? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
German Palatines and Tim McGraw
I found it interesting to hear about Tim McGraw’s German Palatine background when watching him on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? .
The historian on the TV show said that the term Palatine is what the English called the Germans, and while that is so, the Palatine is actually a specific area of Germany. See map.
Having Palatine ancestors myself, I feel a connection to Tim McGraw’s ancestry (and apparently Elvis’ ancestry too since his ancestors were on the same ship coming over as Tim’s).
Palatines immigrated to the British colonies before the American Revolution and Tim McGraw’s Palatine ancestors, who were some of the first to arrive, came to New York in 1710.
My Palatine ancestors came to Pennsylvania in the mid-1700’s. Since the English in Philadelphia didn’t want the German immigrants in the city of Philadelphia, they sold them land outside the city so these German settlers could act as a buffer between the Indians and the English in Philadelphia. That land which later became known as Lancaster county turned out the be some of the most fertile land in the country. The descendants of these Palatines became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Deutch or Pennsylvania German).
Other Palatines settled up and down the east coast. Like other early settlers, they were subject to terrible privations and extreme hardships.
If you are interested in learning more about the story of the Palatines, where they settled, and the hardships they bore, there is an free online transcription of the fascinating History of the Palatine Immigration written by Daniel Rupp in 1876.
Like Tim McGraw’s ancestor, Johan Jost Hayd, many of the German immigrants eventually prospered.
Some Palatine German Immigration books are free to read on Ancestry.com
I read once that each Palatine who immigrated in the 1700s has 10,000 descendants, so there are many of us in the US who descended from these brave immigrants. Have you been able to trace your ancestry back the the 1700s? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
The historian on the TV show said that the term Palatine is what the English called the Germans, and while that is so, the Palatine is actually a specific area of Germany. See map.
Having Palatine ancestors myself, I feel a connection to Tim McGraw’s ancestry (and apparently Elvis’ ancestry too since his ancestors were on the same ship coming over as Tim’s).
Palatines immigrated to the British colonies before the American Revolution and Tim McGraw’s Palatine ancestors, who were some of the first to arrive, came to New York in 1710.
My Palatine ancestors came to Pennsylvania in the mid-1700’s. Since the English in Philadelphia didn’t want the German immigrants in the city of Philadelphia, they sold them land outside the city so these German settlers could act as a buffer between the Indians and the English in Philadelphia. That land which later became known as Lancaster county turned out the be some of the most fertile land in the country. The descendants of these Palatines became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Deutch or Pennsylvania German).
Other Palatines settled up and down the east coast. Like other early settlers, they were subject to terrible privations and extreme hardships.
If you are interested in learning more about the story of the Palatines, where they settled, and the hardships they bore, there is an free online transcription of the fascinating History of the Palatine Immigration written by Daniel Rupp in 1876.
Like Tim McGraw’s ancestor, Johan Jost Hayd, many of the German immigrants eventually prospered.
Some Palatine German Immigration books are free to read on Ancestry.com
I read once that each Palatine who immigrated in the 1700s has 10,000 descendants, so there are many of us in the US who descended from these brave immigrants. Have you been able to trace your ancestry back the the 1700s? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011
Who Do You Think You Are? Season 2 Episode Schedule 2011
NBC has just released the following dates for WDYTYA?:
Vanessa Williams
Episode 1 - Feb 4, 2011
Vanessa Williams travels to Washington, DC and to Tennessee to find family that had the courage to break barriers.
Tim McGraw
Episode 2 - Feb 11, 2011
Tim McGraw researches his father's ancestry and discovers a link to descendants who were among the U.S.'s first settlers and discovers a connection to George Washington.
Rosie O'Donnell
Episode 3 - Feb 18, 2011
Rosie O'Donnell explores her ancestry by focusing on her late mother's life. She goes to Jersey City, N.J., and then Ireland, where she uncovers various hardships faced by her family.
Kim Cattrall
Episode 4 - Feb 25, 2011
Kim Cattrall digs into her family roots, centering her investigation on the mysteries surrounding her grandfather. Before long, she uncovers a haunting truth and forges enriching connections with the women in her family.
Lionel Richie
Episode 5 - March 4, 2011
Singer Lionel Richie charts his family history by focusing on his maternal grandmother's ancestry. Determined to solve mysteries surrounding her father, Richie takes an investigative voyage from Alabama to Nashville and Chattanooga, ultimately digging up a connection to the dawning days of the civil-rights movement.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are:
NBC has just released the following dates for WDYTYA?:
Vanessa Williams
Episode 1 - Feb 4, 2011
Vanessa Williams travels to Washington, DC and to Tennessee to find family that had the courage to break barriers.
Tim McGraw
Episode 2 - Feb 11, 2011
Tim McGraw researches his father's ancestry and discovers a link to descendants who were among the U.S.'s first settlers and discovers a connection to George Washington.
Rosie O'Donnell
Episode 3 - Feb 18, 2011
Rosie O'Donnell explores her ancestry by focusing on her late mother's life. She goes to Jersey City, N.J., and then Ireland, where she uncovers various hardships faced by her family.
Kim Cattrall
Episode 4 - Feb 25, 2011
Kim Cattrall digs into her family roots, centering her investigation on the mysteries surrounding her grandfather. Before long, she uncovers a haunting truth and forges enriching connections with the women in her family.
Lionel Richie
Episode 5 - March 4, 2011
Singer Lionel Richie charts his family history by focusing on his maternal grandmother's ancestry. Determined to solve mysteries surrounding her father, Richie takes an investigative voyage from Alabama to Nashville and Chattanooga, ultimately digging up a connection to the dawning days of the civil-rights movement.
The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are:
- Steve Buscemi
- Gwneyth Paltrow
- Ashley Judd
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Ways to Find Photos of Your Ancestors
One of the things that I found most moving about Vanessa Williams’ appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? was that she was able to find a photograph of one great-grandfather and tintype of another.
I remember having the same exciting feeling the first time I found a photograph of one of my ancestors - an ancestor I only had just learned about from my genealogy research. It was a very emotional moment. I couldn't help but look to see if I recognized family features, and the photo gave me the desire to learn more about who this person was.
A photograph of an ancestor can really bring your family history to life - a reminder that this is a person who really lived. But if you are like me, you don't have many or even any photographs beyond your grandparents.
How can you find photos of your ancestors? Here are some places to look:
Family Members
Ancestry.com
Search Engines
Photo Archives
County Books
County History Books contain thousands of county resident photographs as well as biographical sketches. These books were very popular in the late 1800’s and early 1900s. Every biography I have seen is for a male, however. If there is a bio in the book, there may also be an accompanying photo. Many of these books have been recently reprinted and may be available in the county library where your ancestor lived. If you don't live near a library with the book, you can request an interlibrary loan from your local library. Places to search for county books:
Historical or Genealogy Society
Obituaries
Many times old newspaper obituaries include a photograph or illustration, just as they do today. Here are some places to find old obits.
Images of America Series
The Images of American Series, available for many towns across the US, have photos generally culled from the town’s historical society. While the book may not have close-ups of people, they generally have group shots of the townspeople. I found an ancestor in a group shot of the local Volunteer Fire Department taken 140 years ago. These books are available at local book stores, libraries, and at Amazon.com It’s worth a browse, but no guarantee you will find your ancestor. You will, however, find some pretty good photos of your town as it used to be. To find these books at Amazon.com, search for your county or town name with the words Images of America. Be sure to check out the years the book covers as some of these books have historical photos while some have contemporary photos.
I remember having the same exciting feeling the first time I found a photograph of one of my ancestors - an ancestor I only had just learned about from my genealogy research. It was a very emotional moment. I couldn't help but look to see if I recognized family features, and the photo gave me the desire to learn more about who this person was.
A photograph of an ancestor can really bring your family history to life - a reminder that this is a person who really lived. But if you are like me, you don't have many or even any photographs beyond your grandparents.
How can you find photos of your ancestors? Here are some places to look:
Family Members
- Ask your family members. You never know who in your family may have the passed-down photos of grandparents, great-grandparents or even further back, and never mentioned it because they thought no-one was interested. Today, it is easy to make copies – you can go to their house and take a digital photograph of the photo or take your laptop and scanner to scan the photo.
- You may be able to find unknown distant cousins on the internet by posting a query on the RootsWeb Mailing Lists, either the county or surname mailing lists. You may find someone with a common ancestor and be able connect to share information and photos. I found a 3rd cousin this way who been handed down the portrait of our mutual ancestor and she gladly sent me a photograph of the portrait. It was one of my most rewarding moments in genealogy to see a photo of my 3rd great-grandfather who born in 1811.
Ancestry.com
- Ancestry Photos and Scanned Documents - This database contains photos submitted to Ancestry family trees by users who have indicated that their tree can be viewed by all Ancestry members, including those with a free membership. You will find submitted photos of people, tombstone, documents, and more. According to the Ancestry Card Catalog, this database has over 26 million records. Free.
- Build Your free family tree online and Ancestry.com will connect you with other members who also happen to be researching your ancestors. You can contact them to share research and photos. Free.
Search Engines
- Google Image Search There are a lot of ancestors images that can be found using Google Image Search. Google finds the images on personal genealogy pages, Google books, and all the typical places that Google searches.
Photo Archives
- Search the historical photo archives on the internet.
- Ancestor Genealogy Photo Archive
- Dead Fred - Free Genealogy Search
- Ancient Faces - Share Research Photos
- Family Old Photos - antique images and vintage photographs
County Books
County History Books contain thousands of county resident photographs as well as biographical sketches. These books were very popular in the late 1800’s and early 1900s. Every biography I have seen is for a male, however. If there is a bio in the book, there may also be an accompanying photo. Many of these books have been recently reprinted and may be available in the county library where your ancestor lived. If you don't live near a library with the book, you can request an interlibrary loan from your local library. Places to search for county books:
- The county library where your ancestor lived.
- Google Books Search Google books for the name of your ancestor and the county where he lived.
- US Genweb Archives, It is worth a try to take a look, but it has been my experience when the bios were transcribed from a county book, the photographs were not included.
- Ancestry.com has digitized many of these books. When you search Ancestry for a surname, check the box that restricts your search to Stories and Publications.
Historical or Genealogy Society
- Search the photograph archives of the Historical Society located in your ancestor's county.
Obituaries
Many times old newspaper obituaries include a photograph or illustration, just as they do today. Here are some places to find old obits.
- Google News Archives
- Search Historical Newspaper Collections at Ancestry.com for obits.
- Many libraries have archives of local newspapers and will do a lookup for a nominal fee.
Images of America Series
The Images of American Series, available for many towns across the US, have photos generally culled from the town’s historical society. While the book may not have close-ups of people, they generally have group shots of the townspeople. I found an ancestor in a group shot of the local Volunteer Fire Department taken 140 years ago. These books are available at local book stores, libraries, and at Amazon.com It’s worth a browse, but no guarantee you will find your ancestor. You will, however, find some pretty good photos of your town as it used to be. To find these books at Amazon.com, search for your county or town name with the words Images of America. Be sure to check out the years the book covers as some of these books have historical photos while some have contemporary photos.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Family Homeland Journey Contest
Enter Ancestry.com's sweepstakes and you could win a $20,000 journey to your family's homeland. The Grand Prize includes
- $20,000 in travel money
- Up to 8 hours of consultation time with an expert genealogist
- Help from up to 5 experts in fields relevant to your family history
- A yearlong Ancestry.com World Deluxe membership for you and 5 family members
Ancestry.com is partnering with NBC to help celebrities discover their family stories in Season 2 of Who Do You Think You Are? and giving you a chance to win an amazing experience of your own.
For additional chances to win, come back and enter once a day through April 8, 2011.
Be sure to tune in on Friday, February 4 on NBC 8/7c for the first episode of Season 2 of "Who Do You Think You Are?"
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Who Do You Think You Are? Reruns on MSNBC
MSNBC has begun re-airing the run of NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are" series on Friday evenings at 10pm ET through June 11th.
If you missed any of the original WDYTYA episodes or if you want to review any of the genealogy search techniques shown in the shows, now you can.
If you missed any of the original WDYTYA episodes or if you want to review any of the genealogy search techniques shown in the shows, now you can.
Friday, March 05, 2010
How Do I Find My Ancestors?
You may be asking yourself, "How do I find my ancestors?" after viewing the compelling new TV show, Who Do You Think You Are?. The TV show tells the stories of the family history of celebrities, and unearths connections to the California Gold Rush, Salem witch trials, slave auctions, the Civil War, and other unique slices of American history.
This show personalizes the family history of celebrities and turns it into a gripping narrative entwined with the history of the country. The celebrities reflect who we all are - a microcosm of the United States multi-ethnicity. All families have a unique story, not just celebrities. After all, before they were celebrities, they were regular people from regular families.
If you are interested in tracing your own family tree and discovering your own unique family story, it's easy to get started. Begin with yourself and work backwards as they do in the TV show.
Start your private family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself, your parents, your grandparents, and as far back as you know. Invite your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and other family members to contribute what they know to add to your online tree - fill in names and dates, tell stories and upload photos. Ancestry.com will use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.
Talk to the older people in your family. You may be surprised what they know but never talked about because they thought no one was interested. Here are some suggested questions to ask them to get the ball rolling.
After these first steps, learn the additional steps for building your family tree at the Ancestry.com Learning Center. And here are further resources for how to begin your genealogy search.
Your family story is waiting to be found. "To know who you are you, you have to know where you came from." Your journey can be as exciting, as emotional, and as surprising as the stories on the TV show because it is your personal family history. The excitement and surprises happen as you uncover that story
This show personalizes the family history of celebrities and turns it into a gripping narrative entwined with the history of the country. The celebrities reflect who we all are - a microcosm of the United States multi-ethnicity. All families have a unique story, not just celebrities. After all, before they were celebrities, they were regular people from regular families.
If you are interested in tracing your own family tree and discovering your own unique family story, it's easy to get started. Begin with yourself and work backwards as they do in the TV show.
Start your private family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself, your parents, your grandparents, and as far back as you know. Invite your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and other family members to contribute what they know to add to your online tree - fill in names and dates, tell stories and upload photos. Ancestry.com will use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.
Talk to the older people in your family. You may be surprised what they know but never talked about because they thought no one was interested. Here are some suggested questions to ask them to get the ball rolling.
After these first steps, learn the additional steps for building your family tree at the Ancestry.com Learning Center. And here are further resources for how to begin your genealogy search.
Your family story is waiting to be found. "To know who you are you, you have to know where you came from." Your journey can be as exciting, as emotional, and as surprising as the stories on the TV show because it is your personal family history. The excitement and surprises happen as you uncover that story
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