List: Genealogy & Family History | Curated by Megan Smolenyak

Oct 1, 2024
20 stories
1 save
Genealogy & Family History
Megan Smolenyak
Barry Manilow Is a Limerick ManHow name changing hid his Irish heritage
Mar 3, 2021
Mar 3, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
Genetic Genealogy’s First DecadeThe Pioneering Days of 1999–2009
Jun 20, 2024
7
Jun 20, 2024
7
Megan Smolenyak
How I Found my Elusive John MurphyThe Deadly Trail that Finally Revealed a Phantom Branch of My Family Tree
Mar 8, 2024
1
Mar 8, 2024
1
Megan Smolenyak
Taylor Swift’s Formidable Female ForebearsThanks to this mother-daughter duo, she’s got cousins around the globe
Feb 23, 2024
Feb 23, 2024
Megan Smolenyak
We Finally Know What Happened to Arne Pettersen, the Last to Leave Ellis IslandAnnie Moore and Arne Pettersen were Ellis Island’s bookends. An Irish teenager, Annie was the first to arrive when the immigration…
Dec 21, 2020
3
Dec 21, 2020
3
Megan Smolenyak
Finding Barry Manilow’s Mysterious GrandfatherHe did the crime, he did the time, and then he disappeared — again.
Mar 9, 2021
Mar 9, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
No Man Left Behind: Capt. Lawrence E. DicksonOn December 23, 1944, Tuskegee airman Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson went down in his P-51 Mustang in the vicinity of the Italian-Austrian…
Feb 16, 2019
1
Feb 16, 2019
1
Megan Smolenyak
DNA Testing Dispels a Genealogical MythA bunch of people named Smolenyak, all hailing from the same tiny village, thought they shared a common ancestor. We were wrong.
Apr 27, 2021
8
Apr 27, 2021
8
Megan Smolenyak
Philip Reed, The Enslaved Man Who Rescued FreedomThis is an updated version of an article that was first published in the May/June 2009 issue of Ancestry (pages 54–56), which has become…
Jan 10, 2021
Jan 10, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
From Ellen to EileenA tale of genealogical serendipity
Mar 17, 2021
Mar 17, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
Correcting the Record of WWI Hero and Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Henry JohnsonA century ago, on the evening of May 14, 1918 while on post duty with one other soldier, Private Henry Johnson single-handedly repelled an…
May 25, 2018
4
May 25, 2018
4
Megan Smolenyak
I Was the Only One Who KnewI’ve written an entire book of genealogical serendipity tales, but have been something of a wallflower in this regard. With a couple of…
Jun 29, 2021
2
Jun 29, 2021
2
Megan Smolenyak
A Memorial Day Tribute to Dad for his Service in VietnamMy dad is the understated, modest type who’s reluctant to talk about his service in Vietnam. In fact, he will likely be irritated with me…
May 22, 2019
1
May 22, 2019
1
Megan Smolenyak
There’s Always a Kernel of TruthSolving a Long-held Family History Mystery Leads to an Enigmatic Playwright
Feb 27, 2020
5
Feb 27, 2020
5
Megan Smolenyak
Best Babyhood EverAs the rest of the world commemorates what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, I celebrate my 60th. More or less confined at home…
Oct 9, 2020
2
Oct 9, 2020
2
In
The Shadow
by
Megan Smolenyak
The Gift of the Double CensusCensus records are a building block in genealogy for the simple reason that they provide so much information about our ancestors…
Feb 10, 2021
Feb 10, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
Name Game: Celebrities Have Nothing on the Rest of UsMuch has been made in recent years of the proclivity of celebrities to give their children unusual names. Who among us wasn’t at least a…
Feb 17, 2021
Feb 17, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
Animate Your AncestorsWelcome to the world of retro reality
Feb 25, 2021
2
Feb 25, 2021
2
Megan Smolenyak
Rock Out with Your AncestorsWhich animation will you choose from the menu?
Apr 6, 2021
Apr 6, 2021
Megan Smolenyak
Happy 20th Anniversary, Ellis Island Immigrant Database!What a difference two decades make
Apr 14, 2021
Apr 14, 2021