Lord of the Rings: A family tree
Image Source: http://free-extras.com/
Traditionally, most people research their own family, or one that that they have some connection to - but college student Emil Johansson is different.
Johansson has chosen a more peculiar family tree. He recently received international attention when he published his gigantic tree focusing on most of the characters in “Lord of the Rings”.
In his own words, Johansson is “overly enthusiastic about Tolkien's Lord of the Rings,” leading him to create a project where he has attempted to collect all Middle Earth’s characters and creatures in one giant family tree.
Emil's "Lord of the Rings" Family Tree
Eighteen months ago, he began studying chemical engineering at Chalmers University of Technology, but it wasn’t an easy choice:
Research: Using a professional genealogist
A few days ago we posted a poll on MyHeritage’s Twitter account, asking readers if they’d ever paid a genealogist to do family history research.
Of those who responded, 33% said that they, or someone they knew, had paid a genealogist; 67% said they hadn’t.
The idea that 1 in 3 people are paying genealogists to research is an interesting one that we’d like to explore further.
Have you ever paid a genealogist and, if yes, what was it you wanted them to help with that you couldn’t access yourself through MyHeritage or some other genealogy source?
Continue reading "Research: Using a professional genealogist" »
UK: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Sixty years ago today, Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, and her Diamond Jubilee takes place during 2012.
Although she came to the throne on this day in 1952, her coronation took place on June 2, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II is the male-line great-granddaughter of Edward VII, who inherited the crown from his mother, Queen Victoria. His father, Victoria's consort, was Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Queen Elizabeth is a patrilineal descendant of Albert's family, the German House of Wettin. This princely house claims other notables, such as King Albert II of Belgium and former King Simeon II of Bulgaria.
Elizabeth's male-line ancestry goes back to Conrad the Greatof Meissen; see Patrilineal descent of Elizabeth II.
Through Victoria - and several of her great-great-grandparents, Elizabeth is directly descended from many British royals:
Continue reading "UK: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee" »
RootsTech 2012: Day two highlights
It was another exciting day at RootsTech. The MyHeritage booth was very busy all day, as the team told those who stopped by how MyHeritage and World Vital Records can help advance their research. Visitors were a mix of those new to MyHeritage, along with those who were already members.
A large audience heard Dave Barney of Google present the many uses of Google for genealogy. He demonstrated various features, ranging from Google Maps and how to pinpoint your ancestors on a street level view map and how to zoom in to their historic homes, churches and more to show your family’s living history. He shared a photo of the Swedish church – still standing - where his ancestors were married more than two centuries ago. The building was shown in Google street view.
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WDYTYA: An interview with Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow in the episode on her own family (Season 1, Episode 3)
Lisa Kudrow, executive producer of the US version of “Who Do You Think You Are?” was the guest for a group phone interview on Friday, January 27.
I was honored to participate in the call which focused on the show’s new season, which begins at 8pm, Friday, February 3, on NBC.
This year"s celebs are Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.
Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, my own questions could not be answered. However, the others asked some great questions, and Lisa responded in kind (see below).
Other geneabloggers on the call were Thomas MacEntee, Lisa Louise Cooke, Angela Walton-Raji, Kathryn Lake Hogan and Diane Haddad, along with newspaper and entertainment industry magazine writers.
Here are some questions and Lisa’s responses.
Q: What advice do you have for people who become frustrated or stuck in their research?
Lisa: There doesn’t have to ever be an end. That's what makes it such a great hobby. I think there's always research you can do on different branches, different cousins and you go back. And then it's not just names and dates. Then you start looking at where they were living, what was happening there at that time, you start looking at historical documents. And you can maybe draw some conclusions or guesses about what was motivating some of their choices in life.
Continue reading "WDYTYA: An interview with Lisa Kudrow" »
RootsTech 2012: Day one highlights
MyHeritage’s experience at RootsTech has been a success, from setup to live hangouts and a very busy booth on the first day.
MyHeritage booth at RootsTech, before the conference began
The team began setting up Wednesday afternoon. Our booth is a real standout with double arches of balloons in the MyHeritage logo colors. Everyone knows where our booth is located as the colorful balloons fly high above the exhibit floor.
MyHeritage Super Search
Today, the opening day, our CEO/founder Gilad Japhet demonstrated the new MyHeritage Super Search technology. The new online research system greatly expands search functionality and takes into account user errors, common name variations, and other important details which, in the past, have not been included in most ancestral searches. There are many options to filter results by collections, via additional refining, advanced search and filtering capabilities as demonstrated in his presentation. This exciting new research system is still under development.
Continue reading "RootsTech 2012: Day one highlights" »
Black History Month: An important observance
The history of the African diaspora in a number of countries is celebrated during Black History Month.
In the US and Canada, it has been observed during February since 1976. In the UK, it is observed during October. It is also known as African-American History Month.
Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week so that African American history would be considered more significant within American history. According to historian John Hope Franklin, Woodson expressed hope that Negro History Week would outlive its usefulness.
The observance is meant to promote awareness of African American history. It is widely observed through local activities, at museums, at libraries and with television documentaries.
Continue reading "Black History Month: An important observance" »
Valentine’s Day: Share your love stories
Valentine's Day is 14 days away and millions of couples around the world prepare for the most romantic day in the year.
People also recall how it was celebrated generations ago. They may remember incredible and moving love stories of their own or of their ancestors.
We have all heard the love stories of our grandparents, great-grandparents or other ancestors. These may include a love that was separated or difficult due to distance, historical events, family disagreements or other reasons.
Even though times were much harder, somehow those impossible loves won out, the couple married and their love story lasted until contemporary times.
When I was younger, it was quite an opportunity to listen to some cringe-worthy love stories from my parents. The experience was more of a learning opportunity (as in a whistle-stop tour of how not to let a lady know about your affections).
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Poll: Have you discovered an ancestral home?
Census records are a fantastic tool.
However, the details in the records leave much to the imagination. That is - of course - until you investigate the address listed on the census entry.
It's the part of the puzzle that brings context to the lives of our ancestors. The type of house, the bedroom-to-inhabitant ratio, the local area and surrounding industry - these are all fascinating elements that help us visualise our ancestors' lives.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a not-too-distant home that was shared among a few generations on my maternal side. Lavish, it wasn't; however, the insight into their lifestyle was a humbling experience.
Let us know in the poll below if you've visited any ancestral homes. Alternatively, please leave a comment below.
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The Artist: The magic of cinema of the past
The new silent film, “The Artist,” recently received nominations in all main awards categories for the 2012 Oscars.
A tribute to American silent films, it’s also a nod to early French films such as “The Prince” and the work of the Lumière brothers in the late 1800s.
The Artist - CREDIT: http://www.TheArtistMovie.net
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The success of a black-and-white film - and a silent one, at that – is of great delight to lovers of genealogy and history.
Continue reading "The Artist: The magic of cinema of the past" »
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