Recently, I’ve been focused on writing about my Acadian ancestors, and I’ve come across new, never-before-published information. When writing my ancestor articles, it’s always easiest to work my way up the tree, from child to parents. This article includes a summary of each Acadian line, with informational links. My mother’s grandfather was half-Acadian, so I have a LOT of Acadian ancestors. That’s also why I’m one of the volunteer administrators for the Acadian AmerIndian DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA. Many Acadian families have intermixed European and Mi’kmaq lineages. Our project celebrates ..read more

I’m excited to share the paper, “Unearthing Who and Y at Harewood Cemetery and inference of George Washington’s Y-chromosomal haplotype” by Cavagnino et al. 2024, and published in iScience, on which I’m a co-author. When Goran Runfeldt, Head of R&D at FamilyTreeDNA called me last year and asked if I wanted to work on something fun, I had no idea of the significance of the journey I was about to undertake. I was privileged to join the team working on the Washington family story, as told through DNA via excavated family burials. I’ll tell you upfront that this project is very close to my hea ..read more

There’s more that we don’t know about Françoise than we do. We can infer some information from the facts we have. Françoise Mius was born between 1684 and 1687, probably closer to 1684, in a Native village. Probably in or near Pobomcoup, Acadia, now Pubnico, Nova Scotia where her (presumed) father, Philippe Mius II, was raised. Philippe was the son of the most prominent Frenchman in Acadia by the same name, and her mother was a Native woman reported to have been from a Mi’kmaq village, Ministiguesche, near present-day Barrington. By the way, according to the Nova Scotia Archives, the correct ..read more

RootsTech isn’t entirely over yet. Many vendor videos remain available FamilyTreeDNA show pricing specials are still in effect until March 29th. Don’t miss out. Relatives at RootsTech is still available through March 29th Recorded RootsTech speaker videos are available and will remain available indefinitely. Gilad Japhet is the founder and CEO of MyHeritage, and his wonderful keynote has only become available in the last day or so. I always attend his keynote, but unfortunately, I was presenting a session at exactly the same time, so I couldn’t this year. Gilad revealed an incredible discover ..read more

Marie Charlotte Bonnevie was born about 1703 to Jacques Bonnevie and Françoise dit d’Azy Mius, probably in Port Royal, Acadia. However, the Port Royal parish records begin in 1702 and she’s not there, so it’s possible that Marie Charlotte was born elsewhere, probably Pobomcoup, an outpost, where her mother’s parents lived. Marie Charlotte Bonnevie should not be confused with her slightly younger sister, Marie Bonnevie, who was born on May 12, 1706, in Port Royal, Acadia, to the same parents. Yes, I know, it’s quite confusing. In this article, I’ll either call Marie Charlotte by that name or Ch ..read more

I didn’t want to open the curtains Saturday morning, given the blizzard warnings that were worsening all day Friday. I finally screwed up my courage and peeked out. Indeed, those skies look dark, grey, and foreboding. Decision Time I had a decision to make. I originally planned to stay in Salt Lake City until Sunday, but I had already changed my flight to late Saturday afternoon following my session. I also changed my hotel reservation accordingly. However, if I packed and checked out, got to the airport, and my flight was canceled, I was likely going to be stranded, potentially at the airpo ..read more

On the first day of RootsTech, we celebrated the milestone anniversary of 25 years of genetic genealogy. Right now, we are at the intersection of two incredibly powerful tools: genetics and AI. Both technologies are revolutionary and have changed and are changing the genealogical world overnight. What an amazing time to be alive! Day 1 is Just Beginning Day 1 is just the beginning, although pre-show activities have been occurring for a day or two. Everyone is excited. The energy on the show floor and as attendees talk is palpable – a form of human electricity. I’m going to share some of RootsT ..read more

My friend, Suzanne Lesage, successfully located the land of Honoré Lore mentioned in his estate in 1818. In essence, she has achieved what I believed to be impossible and, in doing so, has brought Honoré back to life through his land. Thank you, thank you, Suzanne!! I had emailed Suzanne about something else when I received this reply. Your personal e-mail gives me the opportunity to give you information regarding where the Lord [family] lived. One link is the list of concessions of la Baronnie de Longueuil – Honoré Laure at the bottom of the page – no lot number of course, but we know it is t ..read more

Monday, February 26th, dawned in Salt Lake City with beautiful blue skies. I was excited to walk the couple blocks to the FamilySearch Library. Come along with me! I was planning to chase a few ancestors and had created a research list. The iconic “salt shaker” of the Salt Palace with its “Point of View” unity signs, which is a permanent art exhibit, greeted me as I exited the hotel. Fittingly, the Art Museum is next door in an attached building. It was chilly and windy, but we’ll term it “refreshing,” especially since it became much colder later in the week. Five minutes or so later, I was ..read more

I’ve got to tell you, MyHeritage has outdone themselves. I had a hard time just keeping track of their announcements, which totaled 13 – a baker’s dozen. You can watch the MyHeritage RootsTech keynote by Aaron Godfrey, here. However, there are a few things not in the video, so let’s take a look at a quick summary of what’s new. DNA Uploads with Free Advanced Tools Forever Extended Until March 10th MyHeritage just extended their DNA upload that includes ALL ADVANCED TOOLS FOR FREE, forever, to March 10th so click here now to upload every kit you manage. This is a great deal. Hint – new ethnicit ..read more