Genealogy News - April 2009
Below is genealogy news from April 2009. Click on the links for the full articles.
Native Americans Have a Common Ancestry - New genetic data suggests that Native Americans from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska across to Greenland and down to the southern tip of Chile all share a common ancestry...[More]
Cache of Benjamin Franklin Letters Discovered - Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States and a noted politician, political theorist, author, scientist and diplomat. His writings are valued for their clear, concise style. Recently, a very large and previously unknown cache of his letters (47 in all) was discovered in the British Museum...[More]
Evolution of UK Families - The UK Office for National Statistics released a fascinating study that examines social trends in the UK. The focus of the study was the evolution of the UK family. Some of these trends will have a direct impact on genealogy...[More]
Inbreeding of Spanish Royalty - A new genealogy study has just been released examining the inbreeding of Spanish royalty during the Hapsburg dynasty. The Hapsburgs ruled Spain for 184 years until the death of King Charles II in 1700. Charles II was a physically and mentally impaired imbecile who was the product of generations of inbreeding...[More]
Tracing Abraham Lincoln’s Health - Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal figure in US history. As America’s 16th President, he led the country through the Civil War and was responsible for ending slavery. He was also the first president to be assassinated. Abraham Lincoln was also something of an enigma in regards to his health...[More]
Dead Man Elected Mayor - For a genealogist, one of the most difficult things to do is letting go of the legacy of our ancestors. Apparently, this problem extends beyond genealogy as a town in Missouri voted in for mayor a man who had been dead for a couple of weeks...[More]
Roots Author Alex Haley Had Scottish Ancestry - The late Alex Haley, author of the popular novel Roots, really did have Scottish ancestry. His nephew Chris Haley took a DNA test in 2007 and results showed that Alex Haley had a Scottish ancestor who likely lived in the 1600’s or 1700’s. Alex Haley is perhaps best known for inspiring a whole generation of African Americans to trace their genealogical roots...[More]
Why Are Newspapers Dying? - One of the unfortunate aspects of the global economic downturn is that newspapers are folding at an increasing rate. Advertising revenue is down significantly and newspapers are being forced to take significant steps to align their costs with the new economic reality. Is this a concern given the traditional role that newspapers have served as a chronicler of the life and times of our ancestors?...[More]
