News — video

A customer wrote in with a great question: What should be done with old photos with no names, and the people who might know the faces have already passed away? I have a name for unknown folks on faded black-and-white photos or old tintypes: unidentified genealogy people (UGP). Here's one from our collection: Some UGPs may be direct ancestors, others may be people from side branches. There may be some UGPs who married into the family, or friends of the family. You may not know who they are ... but it's so hard to throw them away. What if that old photo...

Before the pandemic, my town held an annual Memorial Day parade featuring veterans and other community groups. I hope the parade will return next year, but today we can still remember those who served. When I was a kid, I participated in the parade as a scout and remember talking to one of the U.S. Army Air Force vets from World War II in the march. He told me he served on a bomber crew over Europe, and remembered missions where fighter cover was provided by the Tuskegee Airmen - the all-black squadron who escorted bombers over Nazi-held territory.  Their...

One of our favorite programs on TV is Finding Your Roots, the long-running PBS history/genealogy series hosted by Professor Henry Louis Gates. It would be a fascinating program if it were just about genealogy. In our opinion, what really makes it shine are the wonderful interviews with well-known people who go into the interview not knowing what's going to come out about their families' pasts. It may be touching, troubling, funny, or revealing, but are usually a combination of all of these elements. Moreover, the personal stories of long-forgotten ancestors not only connect modern-day interviewees with their family history, but...

Wondering what it's like to be at RootsTech? EasyGenie did a two-minute walkthrough of RootsTech Salt Lake City last month. Check it out!