Announcement of Ancestry about Who Do You Think You Are

TLC ANNOUNCES CELEBRITY CONTRIBUTORS FOR SPRING SEASON OF WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

New season premieres Sunday, April 3 at 9/8c

The two-time Emmy nominated series WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? returns this spring to follow more of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities as they embark on personal journeys of self-discovery to trace their family trees. The series continues to deliver unbelievable stories from crucial moments in history, including a number of firsts for the series, such as a male witch hunt, and traveling to Portugal, Sweden and Ellis Island. Executive Produced by Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky, the new season premieres Sunday, April 3 at 9/8c.

The contributors featured in the upcoming season include:

• Scott Foley finds a relative who risked his life for one of America’s founding fathers, and an ancestor who suffered unspeakably during one of this nation’s darkest times.
• Lea Michele nails down where her mysterious paternal ancestors came from, and learns of the dire economic circumstances they endured while trying to emigrate to the U.S.
• Chris Noth learns his ancestors suffered during one of the greatest catastrophes in American history, and a relative who fought in one of the bloodiest battles of all time.
• Molly Ringwald explores family lore of Swedish royalty which uncovers her ancestors’ harrowing lives and a brave woman who forever changed her family’s fate.
• Katey Sagal is shocked to learn of her family’s Amish roots, and digs deeper as she realizes the level of dedication to their faith.
• Aisha Tyler tracks down her 2x great-grandfather, whose story had been lost over generations, and uncovers an astonishing tale of a prominent ancestor whose struggle to keep his illegitimate son a secret made headlines.

Ancestry, the leading family history company, is teaming up again with TLC as a sponsor of the upcoming season. As part of the show sponsorship, Ancestry provides exhaustive family history research on each of the featured celebrities to help make discoveries possible and build out the story of each episode.

The series is produced for TLC by Shed Media and Is or Isn’t Entertainment, and is based on an original format created by Wall to Wall Media and Alex Graham. More information can be found at TLC.com/WDYTYA. ‘Like’ Who Do You Think You Are? on Facebook.com/WDYTYA and follow @WDYTYA on Twitter.

Who Do You Think You Are? - The Book

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO TRACING

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

A COMPANION TO THE NBC SERIES

Megan Smolenyak

Chief Genealogical Consultant

The day before the TV Series, Who Do You Think You Are? was aired, this book released in a local bookstore. Having watched the media build up to the TV Series, hints about a book was showing up, at least on Facebook and Twitter. Having seen Megan at a genealogy conference and watching many of the Roots Television online videos, I had to get this book. So, I checked, online, to see if my local book store had the book in stock. It did, so I traveled over to pick a copy up. Not seeing it "out", I went to the "genealogy" section (a book shelf of books) and didn't find it there. So, I asked a very nice customer service representative to see if she knew where the book was. She went to the same place that I did, but then I mentioned that it had just been released that day. She said "be right back" and she was, with 5 copies in hand.

Taking the book home, but having a meeting to go to, I handed the book to my wife, also doing her family research, while I got ready to walk out the door. Laughter erupted in the living room within seconds of her opening the book. Oops, it will be a while before I get to see my book again. But, she is a quick reader, so I got it back the next day.

Going forward, on this Blog, I hope to share how I use the Family Tree Maker program as I read this book with this new source of knowledge. I am sure that the Book will help sharpen my research skills, documentation of the findings, and sharing of the results.

Stay tuned.

Who Do You Think You Are? - The Program

There have been a number of Genea-Bloggers commenting on the first viewing of new TV Series Who Do You Think You Are?


There are over 900 Genea-Bloggers as of this post. You can find them here: Genealogy Blog Roll

I read many of them every day to learn how they, the Genea-Bloggers do their Family Research. This blog was created to help share how the Family Tree Maker program (Version 2008 and newer) works and can be used to support our research. Over time, I hope to see and explore the Family Tree Maker program to help with the research and the sharing of the information that is found along the way.

I have read a number of the reviews by the Genea-Bloggers already and each of them is worth the time to read. Initially, I was not going to post a blog but started to post a comment on one of the reviews. After I started, I figured that I may have my own views of this TV program. So, I am adding my two cents.

I do not consider myself a genealogist, but am very interested in collecting / researching on who my ancestors were. What is my family history? I started to just ‘collect’ the names, and cite my sources, but realized by “hanging out” with Genea-Bloggers online, participating in some of the Blog themes, and having the honor of meeting some of them over the past year.

This group of awesome folk, have changed my mind as to what this “hobby” is really about. Its more about creating a Family History. Collecting, not names, but stories, and telling those stories.

This first episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was a great reminder of the journey that I am on with great hints on how to do some of this work.


What I liked about the first show, and hope it continues, is the Balance of information in it’s presentation.

I think those of us who do Family Research can say “been there, done that”. For example: The Genea-Blogger himself, Thomas MacEntee posted this thoughts on the Destination: Austin Family Blog. Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, posting his comments and there are many others.

The more experienced picked up some of the details of the hobby. Such as the lack of use of Gloves when handling some important documents and having to wait for something to be provided. However, is that a real issue or is there some controversy on the use of white gloves in handling of these documents?

Having watched the PBS program, Faces of America and the BYU program, The Generations Project, it was interesting how this program differed and how they were the same.


Here is some of what I learned / relearned from this first episode of Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA)

Sarah Jessica Parker started by talking to her mother and picked up some basic, starting information.


Lesson 1:

Start with the immediate family and collect information. Listen for names, dates, places, and the stories, really listen to the stories.

.
Lesson 2:

After collecting the information, don’t dismiss the information and don’t jump conclusions based on that information.

Follow up on the Stories and look for documentation that may help prove or disprove the stories. In this program, Sarah Jessica Program went to her home town in Ohio and looked at some census records. In this piece of the show, there was some conflicting information, a death date in one year and a census record of the same person in the following year.

But as TV shows go, we saw a very short clip of what went on in Ohio and can only guess as to how much work, time and people it took to give us that short clip.


Lession 3:

What do you do with Conflicting information? Simple, follow up. Document where we found our information, recognize the differences, then find where you might find the resolution to the conflict.

Going from Ohio to California helped clarify (resolve) the conflicting information.

The piece that hit home for me, was the “Gold Rush”. I have copies of letters from ancestors who were on the Oregon Trail to their relatives “back home”.

The next stop was New England to find a link, like to the trip to California, to see how the family tied into the history of our country.


Lesson 4:

Don’t be shocked about what you might find, but don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. Earlier in the show, Ms. Parker and her brother talked about how long they thought the family had been in the US. While in Ohio, there was an indication that one of the surnames had a connection to New England. Picking up on that “hint” we were taken to Boston, where the Salem Witch Trial was introduced. The reaction to this revelation was priceless.

Like the trip to California to clarify a conflict in information, knowing a little more history of the Trials a less shocking conclusion was reached.


Lesson 5:

Share your findings. The episode ended when Sarah Jessica Parker returned home to re-visit her mother, to share her findings, and the stories.


I learned a lot, confirmed what I thought, and encouraged me to continue to do research. I didn’t watch the program to be taught how to “do genealogy”, but to pick up some of the clues.

Perhaps the show was to draw of the non-genealogist into doing Family research. Several Twitter messages, following the show, indicated that some other family members were showing interest in genealogy. I am guessing that some genealogy websites had some increased internet traffic.

Besides the balance in presentation between folks that do family research and to the non-genealogist, it was the Reaction to the Findings that “can’t be made up”. Actress, yes, but think that her reactions on the screen were real.
Looking forward to next weeks episode.

Here is a link to the NBC Website with some Video’s of the programs:
http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/video/
 

Behind the Scenes of "Who Do You Think You Are?" - Sarah Jessica Parker

A message from Ancestry.com:

An hour doesn’t offer much time to delve into the research processes that genealogists used as they traced the family history of actress Sarah Jessica Parker for this week’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? We sat down with the research team who worked on Sarah Jessica’s family tree to talk about what it took to find her elusive gold miner ancestor. I’ve recapped that conversation here:

First Steps First

Similar to Sarah Jessica Parker’s own assumptions at the beginning of the show, research on the tree began with vague ideas that her family was comprised of recent immigrants. The team first developed a skeleton of Sarah Jessica’s family history. “We documented every connection and every life event for her ancestors,” says Natalie Cottrill of ProGenealogists, who appeared with Sarah Jessica in the episode, “finding information about Sarah Jessica’s family in court records, newspaper articles, books, and personal letters published in books.” And that’s how they found John S. Hodge.

The First Nugget

The first clue about John S. Hodge’s life came from his son’s obituary, which stated that John S. Hodge died in 1849 on his way to California from Ohio. Since the death date came from an obituary written decades after John S. Hodge died, the team looked for primary sources recorded during or around the anticipated lifespan for John S. Hodge. For starters, the team wanted to determine why the ancestral John S. Hodge was going to California, as the son’s obituary stated. Considering the time period – 1849 – it seemed probable that John S. Hodge could have been heading to the California gold fields.

The Right John?

The search led to a John Hodge, who was the right age to be Sarah Jessica’s ancestor, listed as a miner in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census for El Dorado County, California. This record shifted research to determining whether the California John Hodge was the ancestral John S. Hodge, and the researchers turned to records associated with the 49ers. “We found a letter written by someone in Ohio to John S. Hodge, which had been published in a book,” says Natalie. “One of my colleagues tracked down the original set of letters, which provided more details, including information about John S. Hodge’s 1950 death.” Estate and other documents further confirmed that the ancestral John S. Hodge and the California miner John Hodge was the same individual.

If you missed the Sarah Jessica Parker episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, you can watch full episodes online at NBC.com. And you won't want to miss former NFL football player Emmitt Smith set out to discover his slavery roots this Friday, March 12, at 8/7c on NBC. Lisa Kudrow said his episode is the most compelling of the seven (and, personally, I have to agree). Check out the teaser to the episode featuring Emmitt.

Who Do You Think You Are? Almost Here

Can you believe the Who Do You Think You Are? premiere is almost here?! The show kicks off this Friday with an episode featuring “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker.

Who Do You Think You Are? in the News

In the coming weeks, Who Do You Think You Are? is going to be spotlighted in several major media outlets. Among them, Oprah will designate an entire hour to family history next Tuesday!

Here’s a list of a few shows to watch for (all dates/times are subject to change):

·        Wednesday, March 3 (today!)

o       Today Show (NBC)

o       The View (ABC – check your local TV listings)

o       The Joy Behar Show (HLN – Headline News) – 9 pm ET

·        Friday, March 5

o       Today Show (NBC) – 10-11 am

·        Monday, March 8

o       Martha Stewart (check your local TV listings)

·        Tuesday, March 9

o       Oprah (check your local TV listings)

o       Craig Ferguson (CBS late night)

·        Friday, March 19

o       Bonnie Hunt (check your local TV listings)

Episode Schedule

In case you’re curious about the celebrity line up and dates for the episodes, here is the current schedule:

• March 5 – Sarah Jessica Parker
• March 12 – Emmitt Smith
• March 19 – Lisa Kudrow
• March 26 – Matthew Broderick
• April 2 – Brooke Shields
• April 9 – Susan Sarandon
• April 23 – Spike Lee

And don’t forget to tune in on NBC this Friday, March 5 at 8/7c to see if Sarah Jessica Parker traces her roots back to ancestors who participated in Salem Witch Trials.

Who Do You Think You Are?

An Announcement from Ancestry.com:

I thought you might be interested in a Who Do You Think You Are? web page that Ancestry.com launched today: www.ancestry.com/spreadtheword. This web page includes simple ideas and tools that everyone can use to help get the word out about this new television show: downloadable flyers, an email to easily forward to friends, even wallpaper for your computer.

Excitement for Who Do You Think You Are? is already mounting. Here’s what people are saying about the show:

• “This is the opportunity of a lifetime for genealogical organizations to advertise themselves and build their membership. This will do for genealogy what Roots did for it in the late 1970s.”    — Pat Oxley, President, The Federation of Genealogical Societies

• "Many people are interested in knowing more about their heritage, but have no idea how to begin. I hope Who Do You Think You Are? will encourage people to move from interest to action and take advantage of the many resources available.” —Janet A. Alpert, President, National Genealogical Society

• "Everyone has a story to tell—everyone has a history to discover!  Now, Who Do You Think You Are? brings real family stories to life, enticing and encouraging all of us to do the same. " —Curt B Witcher, Senior Manager of Special Collections, Allen County Public Library 

Who Do You Think You Are? is a golden opportunity to introduce your family and friends to family history and to show people how to successfully research their heritage. Ancestry.com partnered with NBC on this show for the same reasons - because Who Do You Think You Are? inspires people to begin searching for their own roots and presents new opportunities for the entire genealogy community.

Here are some quick ideas to let your friends and family know about the show – which premieres Friday, March 5 at 8/7c:

·        Share the Who Do You Think You Are? trailer. Consider posting a link to one of the Who Do You Think You Are? trailers on your Facebook page, Twitter account, or personal website. Email the trailer to your friends, family and co-workers – in fact the pass-along email mentioned above includes a video with the trailer and Lisa Kudrow talking about what prompted her to produce the series.

·        Host a Who Do You Think You Are? premiere party on Friday, March 5^th, 2010. Invite family, friends, members of your genealogy society, and anyone else to enjoy the show at your home or even the headquarters of your local genealogy society. Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers provided some great tips on hosting a viewing party. You can view those tips here: http://www.geneabloggers.com/plan-wdytya-viewing-party