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David Reich Produces a Classic

I'm a little behind the curve on this because Prof. Reich's new book came out months ago, but I did want to draw attention to it.  Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past is simply the best summation…
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Ancestry Discovery: Photographs of Sogndal Ancestors

To me, discovering photos or images of an ancestor is as important as determining their vital statistics.  It puts a face to a name and reveals character and personality.  Even cooler, sometimes you can see a physical resemblance to yourself…

Hiatus II

We're on our way!  Leaving this week for England, Scotland, Netherlands, and Norway.  I thought I would have had time to put out another blog post or two before the big adventure, but not to be ... just too much going on.  I should have much…

DNA Health Report

Of all the major DNA testing companies, 23andMe is the only one that specializes in health reports.  Their Health+Ancestry Service costs $199.  (Their basic autosomal test is $99.)  The results provide customers a view into genetic predispositions…
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Discovery: 1885 Bonn Census Record

Talk about solving a mystery fast! Last week, I outlined some of the new information revealed by the homestead file of my 2nd great-uncle Christ O. Bonn (1858-1943).((Christ O. Bonn, (Marshall County) homestead file, final certificate no.…

Bonn Properties in Red River Valley

I didn't think it would take this long to get back to my Road Trip to Red River Valley series of blog posts.  (Access chapter 1 here and chapter 2 here.)  But here we are.  Finally! As described previously, my 2nd great-grandparents Ole…

How to Order a Federal Land Entry File

Historic land records in the U.S. are amazingly well-preserved and access is surprisingly less difficult than one would think.  This is especially true for federal land records in the 30 states considered part of the public domain.((The 20…

New Timelines for Inhabitants of Denisova Cave

Denisova Cave in central Asia is becoming quite the celebrity residence - at least in the fields of archaeology and hominin research.  It must have been an extremely attractive home for Homo sapiens and other hominin species because it is…
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SLIG 2020 Courses Revealed

The 2020 schedule of courses for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) were revealed at the Friday night banquet on January 18.  I encourage anyone interested in genealogy to attend.  These are top-flight courses taught by the world's…

The Mystery of Population Y

This fabulous portrait by celebrated photographer Carlos Monforte shows an Aborigine elder in Darwin, Australia in 2017.  Monforte specializes in images of indigenous cultures and people as well as scenery, especially in Asia and Oceania. …