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Megan Smolenyak

@megansmolenyak.com
3.3K followers 1.5K following 2.5K posts

Lifelong genealogist & stubborn solver of history mysteries. Don't try to hide from me. I *will* find you.

 megansmolenyak.com #genealogy #history #democracy

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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 01/10/2026
morning walk
Narrow uphill alley in perched village
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 30/09/2026
In this week’s roundup, a thought-provoking look at how information disappears, jobs at the New Jersey State Archives, a DNA book to add to your reading list, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, September 30 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, a thought-provoking look at how information disappears, jobs at the New Jersey State Archives, a DNA book to add to your reading list, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 30/09/2026
This one is thought-provoking to say the least. It’s odd that he never mentions genealogists (in the company of historians, archaeologists, etc.) in spite of the fact that there’s a conspicuous genealogical element to the book, but it will still get you pondering! #genealogy
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 30/09/2026
morning walk
church and house rooftops in a perched village
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 29/09/2026
noon walk
painted sundial on side of home situated under foothills of mountains
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 28/09/2026
Strange threshold: As of today, I’ve officially outlived my mother.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 25/09/2026
In this week’s roundup, why white gloves can damage old documents, DNA capsules, a fascinating community history stitched into an 1888 quilt, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, September 23 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, why white gloves can damage old documents, DNA capsules, a fascinating community history stitched into an 1888 quilt, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 25/09/2026
Hey, @turiking.bsky.social, I found your book in a shop in France! Can’t wait to dive in! (Thanks for the shout-out. ☺️) #genealogy
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 24/09/2026
morning walk
orange wedge building opposite ivy(?)-covered building
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 21/09/2026
Calling my Irish #genealogy friends!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 19/09/2026
DNA capsules storing information! #genealogy
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 18/09/2026
afternoon walk
Cactus plants that almost appear to be shimmering due to the light
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 18/09/2026
The story of a community all wrapped up in a quilt. #genealogy www.benningtonbanner.com/local-news/t...
benningtonbanner.com
Threads of memory: Genealogy, grief, and grit on the 1888 Shaftsbury Quilt
SHAFTSBURY — In 1888, the community of the Center Shaftsbury Baptist Church faced a problem that might be familiar to any small-town congregation – the ministerial committee was short $12.93.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 17/09/2026
Can you spot the man in his office?
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 17/09/2026
In this week’s roundup, good news for New Jersey genealogists, a project to help users find reliable information about their Ukrainian ancestors, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, September 16 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, good news for New Jersey genealogists, a project to help users find reliable information about their Ukrainian ancestors, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 15/09/2026
morning walk
Blue umbrellas and chaise lounges by the sea
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 14/09/2026
morning walk
shiny purple flowers in the sunlight
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 11/09/2026
For those who also have Ukrainian roots. #genealogy dev.ua/en/news/ai-m...
dev.ua
Ukrainian IT worker created the "Bridge" project to research the genealogy and history of Ukrainian villages
Ukrainian developer Volodymyr has developed and launched the Mystok platform, which uses artificial intelligence to process archival documents, birth records, pre-revolutionary press, and digitized re...
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 10/09/2026
25 years ago today, I married this wonderful man! How’d I get so lucky? (In case you’re curious, our photographer had a thing for tussock and we just rolled with it.)
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 09/09/2026
In this week’s roundup, a genealogy-adjacent murder mystery, library treasures preserved in synthetic DNA, one very well-documented American family, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, September 9 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, a genealogy-adjacent murder mystery, library treasures preserved in synthetic DNA, one very well-documented American family, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 07/09/2026
Just finished Nathan Dylan Goodwin's 1st in his new series and love it! While it's not genealogy-centric, it's genealogy-adjacent, so you'll get your fill of city directories, vital records, etc. Great location, timing, characters, but above all, story. I want this to become a TV series! #genealogy
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 05/09/2026
Our worlds collide. #genealogy www.loc.gov/item/event-4...
loc.gov
Library Treasures Stored on Synthetic DNA
To mark America’s 250th anniversary, the Library of Congress has created a cutting-edge molecular data storage device featuring treasures from the Library’s collections, which is being placed in a tim...
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 03/09/2026
I'm happy for this family, but prefer being from an under-researched family rather than one with a fire-hose of information. So many sources and data! It takes effort to ferret out every detail in my family, but better than being overwhelmed. Your thoughts? #genealogy www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
cbsnews.com
Meet one of the most genealogically documented families in America
The Brooklyn family traces its roots to Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, who arrived in the New World 400 years ago. Today, descendants connect through reunions, Zoom calls and a massive genealogical database.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 03/09/2026
What a force. RIP.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 02/09/2026
In this week’s roundup, a book every genealogist will love, the surprising journey of a Civil War Bible, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, September 2 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, a book every genealogist will love, the surprising journey of a Civil War Bible, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 31/08/2026
I just know this book will appeal to my fellow genealogists. Treat yourself! #genealogy
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WuTangIsForTheChildren @wutangforchildren.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Holy smokes an unreal rendition of "I Will Always Love You" by Cynthia Erivo in Vancouver last night to honor Dolly Parton….incredible
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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
There has never been a commercial airport in the United States named solely for a woman. Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville will be the first.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 28/08/2026
I donated a bible to the American Civil War Museum & am delighted that it was featured in a cover article for their magazine, Ironclad. You can read pgs 3-11 (lots of photos!) to discover its surprising journey. Am so happy to have found an ideal home for it! #Genealogy issuu.com/acwmuseum/do...
issuu.com
Ironclad: Vol 3/ Issue 3/ Spring 2025
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 26/08/2026
In this week’s roundup, a dolphin DNA story from Ireland, 23andMe trait predictions, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, August 26 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, a dolphin DNA story from Ireland, 23andMe trait predictions, and more!
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
From the Royal Family: “Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many - including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always ❤️ you.”
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Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
From the Empire State Building Observation Deck: Tonight, the Empire State Building tower lights will turn to a pink sparkle at 9:25 to honor the late Dolly Parton.
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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Library is devastated to learn of the passing of Dolly Parton, a music legend and titan of children's literacy. Her Imagination Library program has earned multiple Library Literacy Awards and, in 2018, she visited us to donate its 100 millionth book to our collection and host a story time. 🦋❤️
Dolly Parton reads to children in the Library’s Great Hall in 2018. Photo by Shawn Miller.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 25/08/2026
No! NOOOOOO!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 25/08/2026
Always feels like an unexpected gift! 🎁 📖
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Lonetester @lonetester.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Genealogy quote of the day courtesy of @megansmolenyak.bsky.social #genealogy #quoteoftheday
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 24/08/2026
Nope, 23andMe, you've got this one wrong! I was terrified of public speaking, and those who know me well think it's hilarious that I've done so much of it. But it sure helps when the topic is #genealogy!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 22/08/2026
when the speed detector is so accurate that it clocks your walking pace 😆
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 20/08/2026
It's dolphin #DNA, but still interesting to read! #genealogy Fungie DNA reveals Ireland's best-known dolphin's mixed ancestry www.rte.ie/news/munster...
rte.ie
Fungie DNA reveals dolphin's mixed ancestry
A study has found that Fungie, once Ireland's best-known dolphin, had ties to both the Shannon Estuary bottlenose dolphins and a much larger offshore population.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 20/08/2026
So the DC Grand Prix is going to wrap around the National Archives? 👀
Map of road course of DC Indy Car series
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 19/08/2026
In this week’s roundup, an amazing genetic reunion story, Mark Cuban's heritage, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, August 19 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, an amazing genetic reunion story, Mark Cuban's heritage, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 18/08/2026
Thinking back to the time Mark Cuban followed me because I had traced his Cuban line back to the immigrants. Name used to be Chabinsky (and variations). #genealogy
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
OK. Folks are asking for my research seminar AI statement in my syllabus. Here it is. I just wrote it. Might still tweak it.
I want to emphasize this. I see our time together in this seminar as a kind of pact. I do my best to give you a love of the topic under debate and to make you better writers; you, in turn, give me your best in class and in writing without Al assistance. Our mutual meeting place --student to teacher -- matters to me tremendously; I teach because I want to give you something of value. Use of AI erodes our pact, devaluing my teaching and your efforts.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 17/08/2026
Another genetic reunion! Childhood friends find ‘missing piece’ when DNA test reveals they’re sisters - The two girls, who grew up in different adoptive families in the Netherlands 100 miles apart, discovered they were sisters through a DNA test #genealogy #DNA www.nbcnews.com/world/europe...
nbcnews.com
Childhood friends find ‘missing piece’ when DNA test reveals they’re sisters
The two girls, who grew up in different adoptive families in the Netherlands 100 miles apart, discovered they were sisters through a DNA test.
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 17/08/2026
morning walk
play no Vinoy hotel reflected in water in early morning
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 14/08/2026
I just happened to write an article about getting an answer to a letter 28 years after I sent it, and then I tripped across this charming tale. ☺️
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 14/08/2026
morning walk (local history museum)
Local history museum and plot trees reflected in still waters at sunrise
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 13/08/2026
morning walk
vivid orange-almost red sunrise over the edge of a pier
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 12/08/2026
In this week’s roundup, some truly unforgettable baby names, the debate over selling lost family photos, the dangers of AI-generated fake history, and more! megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...
megansmolenyak.com
Genealogy Roundup, August 12 - Megan Smolenyak
In this week’s roundup, some truly unforgettable baby names, the debate over selling lost family photos, the dangers of AI-generated fake history, and more!
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Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak.com · 12/08/2026
We genealogists have seen some, um, interesting names over the years, and there are some real doozies in this article! #genealogy www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/real-li...
cheshire-live.co.uk
'I've seen 1,000s of baby names as genealogist – one left me utterly stunned'
A genealogist who has spent years trawling through birth records has revealed some of the most unusual names he has ever encountered
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