Tim McGraw and Rosie O'Donnell Next Up on WDYTYA

I hope many of you got to watch the first new episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Vanessa Williams. Her quest was a heartwarming story. If you missed it last Friday night, you can view it online.


The next two episodes will feature country music star Tim McGraw and television personality Rosie O'Donnell. These shows will air on Friday nights February 11th and February 18th respectively. A preview of the show in which Tim finds what name was really on his birth certificate is now available as a teaser. Who really was his daddy?


A preview should be available soon of Rosie's journey of discovery of information about her mother who  died of cancer in 1973 at the age of 39 when Rosie was still a child. 

Vanessa Williams Stars in the First Episode of WDYTYA?

Who Do You Think You Are? kicks of its second season on February 4th with an episode which features Vanessa Williams' search for her roots. The show will air on NBC at 8:00 PM (7:00 Central).

In the First Week of February

The first week of February 2011 will bring a trio of treats for genealogists on the California Central Coast. Mark your calendars now. In reverse chronological order these events are:


1. Family History Day Saturday, February 5, 9 AM to 4 PM, sponsored by the SLOCGS 
IOOF Hall, 520 Dana Street, San Luis Obispo, CA"Update your genealogical research skills with four great lectures from George Ott, a Salt Lake City-based professional genealogist who has been doing research at the Family History Library for clients for over thirty-five years."
10:00 AM: Immigration: before you dive in, learn how to 'think' about researching your ancestors' immigrant origins.
11:00 AM: Courthouse Records: the overlooked genealogical gems in civil and equity records.
2:00 PM: No smoking gun? Extending the family tree of your "brick wall ancestor" when no direct evidence exists.
3:00 PM: Enlisting military records in your research strategy: new ways to think about U.S. military records.
If you have never heard George, I can assure you that you will be in for a treat. 


2. Who Do You Think You Are?, Season 2 begins Friday February 4, 8 PM, KSBY Channel 6, (NBC). [See my post of December 16th for more information.]
[Season 1 episodes can be viewed online until January 10, 2011.]


3. European Genealogy Research: the first session of 6 Tuesday mornings will begin February 1, 10 AM in Computer Lab 4740 on the San Luis Obispo Campus of Cuesta College. The computer lab will be open for students from 9 AM to 12:50 PM each Tuesday. Parking is easier to find if you come early. Consultation and Internet research can be carried out before the formal class begins at 10 AM. George Ott's Immigration lecture should be a good supplement to this course. [See my post of December 18th for more information.]

Who Do You Think You Are Stars Announced For 2011

NBC has announced that Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Rosie O'Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Tim McGraw and Vanessa Williams will be featured in the 2011 season of Who Do You Think You Are (WDYTYA). In case you missed the 2010 inaugural season, each week a celebrity is featured. The person goes on a journey back in time as his or her family history is discovered. More information can be found at NBC News.


The second season will begin airing on Friday, February 4th at 8:00 PM (7:00 PM Central). To review the shows from season one go to the show's website. Much of the research for the stories of the stars is provided by principal corporate sponsor Ancestry.com. As many of you know, family histories are not uncovered as easily as it may seem on TV. Ancestry has estimated that that each episode in the 2010 season required from 400 to 700 hours of researcher time. 

A Crash Course in Genealogy

I signed a contract today to write A Crash Course in Genealogy for Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-Clio of Santa Barbara. My previous books have been published by Libraries Unlimited when it was owned by other corporate partners. This will be a book in the "Crash Course" series which is designed for library workers who need a quick immersion into a new, job related, area of library service. There are already at least 16 books in this series.

I have been discussing this book with the series editor for quite some time and have had time to start working on it this year. The manuscript is due to the editor by the end of 2010 and should be published in late Spring, 2011. The purpose of the book is to prepare library workers to feel confident helping genealogical researches who seek assistance from them in the libraries in which they work. The timing of this book should be good as it will be coming out about the time that Who Do You Think You Are?(WDYTYA?) will be completing its second season on NBC with Ancestry.com as the major sponsor. The first season in early 2010 was credited with significantly increasing the number of individuals entering libraries to start or continue research into their family histories. Faces of America on PBS and The Generations Project, sponsored by RootsMagic on BYUTV also contributed to this trend.

Also in early 2011 The BYUTV Channel will run the second season of The Generations Project. The Generations Project is a less glitzy version of WDYTYA? which seems to offer more content because there are fewer ads to dilute the content offered during the one hour time slot. The show focuses on everyday people rather than on the celebrities featured on WDYTYA?

This increased interest in family history creates a need for more genealogically savvy library workers. It is hoped the proposed Crash Course in Genealogy will help meet this need. Currently I have completed a rough draft of about three-fourths of the book.

WDYTYA? Reruns to Begin Friday August 13th

The reruns of the successful Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA?) will begin to air on Friday, August 13th, on NBC at 8 PM (7 PM Central). If that time is inconvenient or you can't wait, you can view all 7 original episodes online now. A new season of episodes will begin to air early in 2011.

Ancestry.com, principal sponsor of the program, has announced, "Subscribers totaled 1,311,000 as of June 30, 2010, a 32% increase over the end of Q2 2009 and an 8% increase over the end of Q1 2010." Much of this growth has been attributed to the success of the first season of WDYTYA? Librarians are also reporting more family history researchers are showing up--particularly researchers new to family history.

Season Finale of WDYTYA?

Tonight at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City I attended a Finale Party for the first season of Who Do You Think You Are? hosted by principal sponsor Ancestry.com. If you saw it you know it featured Spike Lee. So, until next fall there will be no new episodes.

Representatives of Ancestry.com told us that they have received reports from many parts of the country that family history researcher traffic is up from both seasoned genealogists and neophytes.

In order to get ready for this season's seven episodes their research team spent over 6,000 hours. They originally explored 20 lives. The ones they abandoned were not because they were not interesting but because of scheduling conflicts with the stars. An average of 460 hours of researcher time were spent on each of the 7 episodes that made it on the air. Tonight's final episode required more than that average.

Wow, what could we have done in class on "Who Do You Think You Are Deb Festa?" if we could have invested 460 hours on researching her life? As Sarah Jessica Parker would say, "Unbelievable!"

[Note to those who were not in my class this Spring: I did a take off on WDYTYA? in the last class session when we were studying Italy and France. I traced the grandfather of Deb Festa, one of the students, from Italy to PA to CA and then the grandmother from England to PA to CA where they were married. Then I traced the grandmother's trip back to England to take Deb's father and aunt back to England to visit the Grandmother's prior home in Cornwell to meet her English family when the children were about 8 or 9. This was a few days after Sarah Jessica's episode had first aired and so Deb's role in class was to exclaim, "Unbelievable! after each new revelation. We had great fun with this format.]

WDYTYR? Returns With Two New Episodes

Who Do You Think You Are? returns this Friday evening on NBC. This week and next will be the last two new original episodes for this season. Featured this week will be Susan Sarandon. I have it from a librarian colleague who makes a cameo appearance that Susan will start her quest by visiting the New York Public Library as she sets out to learn more about her grandmother Anita, who led a life shrouded with mystery and who disappeared out of Susan’s mother’s life when her mother was just a child. And then where will she go? For a clue check out the small print below: or click here


This season's last new original episode will air on April 30th featuring Spike Lee; and for that unveiling Dr D will be in Salt Lake City at a viewing party hosted by principal sponsor Ancestry.com as he attends the National Genealogical Society Annual Conference.

WDYTYA? Renewed for a Second Season

Megan Smolenyak has announced that NBC will be renewing Who Do You Think You Are? for next year. This is good news and builds on anecdotal reports that activity has been picking up in libraries as increased interest in family history appears to be building.

Brooke Shields Takes Who Do You Think You Are to Royalty

This Week’s Episode – Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields’ episode is the most royal of the series, taking viewers to New Jersey, Rome, and Paris. In the episode, Brooke seeks to learn more about her father’s aristocratic roots and to learn the origins of the “Torlonia” family name. Watch for Brooke’s visit to the New Jersey State Archives in Newark and the New York Historical Society.

Check out the teaser featuring Brooke Shields, and tune into NBC for the full episode on Friday at 8/7c.

Change in Episode Schedule
NBC has altered a few of the Who Do You Think You Are? episode dates. The updated schedule is as follows:
- April 2nd – Brooke Shields
- April 9th – Sarah Jessica Parker (Repeat)
- April 16th – No episode
- April 23rd – Susan Sarandon
- April 30th – Spike Lee

Matthew Broderick Featured on Who Do You Think You Are Friday Night

Matthew Broderick will be featured tomorrow night at 8 Pacific on WDYTYA? on NBC. His quest will take him back to the Civil War and Gettysburg and beyond.

How are you enjoying this series? Please post your mini-reviews!

Lisa Kudrow is Focus of WDYTYA Friday Night

Lisa Kudrow is the focus of tomorrow's episode of WDYTYA. Lisa, of Friends fame, rides an emotional roller coaster as she explores the impact of the Holocaust on her family. Is there a happy ending?

There is at least one instance of anecdotal evidence that WDYTYA is appealing to a younger audience. John Roose, posted the following to the listserv of the International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOGG):

"WDYTYA has proven very powerful in recruiting future genealogists! I have three grown children and only the youngest has shown even a mild interest in genealogy. However, WDYTYA has become a favorite TV program of her children - girls aged 9 and 6. The girls will not be home this Friday and insist it be taped; a must not miss program.

The older one has been taken with the ties to history of the first two programs - she "knew" the people and was amazed at the history that unfolded. The younger one was spellbound by Emmitt (for her, from both football and Dancing with the Stars) and his journey back to his roots in Africa. After going to bed, she came back crying. She wanted to know more about the selling of children, and why someone would do that. Mom said that provided an excellent opportunity for a very positive discussion. Both girls have talked about the programs with their classmates.

The net impact - totally positive - has been to interest a new generation in learning about their anccestors and where they might fit with history. WDYTYA is a powerful recruiting tool for now and the future."


For a tongue-in-cheek view of WDYTYA from the land of its birth, click on this link: http://scottishancestry.blogspot.com/2010/03/wdytya-usa-to-be-shown-on-watch.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium

Happy viewing!

WDYTYA---The Book

As some of you may know there is a companion book to go along with the WDYTYA television series:

ISBN: 0670021636
Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
by Megan Smolenyak
About this title: ," this comprehensive how-to guide for conducting genealogical research includes where to find census information, how to track down immigration documents, and more."

Also included in this 200+ page book. as a glossy centerfold section, is an unnumbered 24 page supplement summarizing the stories of what each of the seven celebrity biographees discover during their on-camera adventure.

The book is available from most bookstores, both storefront and online including Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.

Many of you saw the author when Megan presented several sessions last month at the San Luis Obispo County Genealogy Society Seminar. She also appeared briefly on camera in last Friday night's episode when Emmitt was getting ready to follow up on his DNA results.

Happy reading!

Generations Project

For those of you who can get the BYU Channel on your cable or satellite TV (this is Channel 374 on our DirecTV), you may enjoy the Generations Project. It is sort of a WDYTYA featuring ordinary people. Of the several episodes we have watched, most have been very interesting. A couple have been less interesting and in one case there seemed to be about 30 minutes of content poured into a 60 minute slot. However, in fairness, there are no ads except at the beginning and/or end. As a result, there is more content to fill than on regular network TV. The new show each week seems to air at 7:00 PM Pacific time Monday nights and then repeat on Saturday at 12 PM, Sunday 10 AM, Monday 11 AM and finally at 5 PM--just a couple of hours before the next episode debuts.

Who Do You Think You Are Friday Night

Don't miss the second episode of WDYTYA Friday night on NBC at 8 Eastern and Pacific. That's KSBY on the California Central Coast. This episode features Emmitt Smith whose football career kept him from family reunions until 2005. Now he is trying to make up for lost time and says "You need to understand where you were to appreciate where you are." After a journey back through slavery to Africa, Emmitt concludes "History is not his story anymore. History is really my story now."

Audience for first Who DoYou Think You Are (WDYTYR)

Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 15:20:44 -0700

Subject: First Who Do You Think You Are? Episode a Success

Hello,

The tune-in numbers for the first episode of Who Do You Think You Are? are in, and they look promising! More than 6.85 million viewers tuned in to watch the show (including many of you!), making it the No. 2-rated show that hour.

This Friday – Emmitt Smith

This week’s episode is one you don’t want to miss. Tune into NBC this Friday at 8/7c as former NFL football player Emmitt Smith sets out to discover his slavery roots. In this episode, look for the Monroe County Courthouse in Monroe County, Alabama, and the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Lisa Kudrow calls Emmitt’s episode “unbelievable” and the most compelling of the seven.

Check out the teaser to the episode featuring Emmitt.

Last Week’s Episode

For those who missed it – last week’s episode featured Sarah Jessica Parker, who learns that her 4^th great-grandfather John S. Hodge was among the hundreds of thousands who tried to strike it rich by heading West during the 1849 California Gold Rush. Unfortunately, Sarah discovers John S. died soon after settling in El Dorado County, California. Sarah also pays a visit to Massachusetts and meets with researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and Massachusetts Historical Society, who reveal that one of her ancestors was accused of witchcraft in 1692 during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Luckily, Sarah finds out that the court surrounding the trials was dissolved just before her ancestor was accused, so she was never tried.

If you missed the episode, watch it here.

More about the Sarah Jessica Parker Episode

Interested in learning more about how the team of genealogists involved in the first episode located Sarah’s 4^th Great-Grandfather John S. Hodge? Would you like to offer members of your organization or interested newbies a better understanding of the research process? Take a look:

Go-to resources: Census records, obituaries, published histories, more primary records

How they helped: Sarah Jessica Parker’s family tree presented a unique challenge – Sarah herself was certain her family was comprised solely of recent immigrants. Researchers, however, determined this was incorrect, tracing the family of her great-grandmother, Lillian Hodge, back to its early American roots.

Resource #1: census records

Researchers turned to census records to follow the Hodge family back through time. In the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, great-great-great-grandfather, John Eber Hodge, is a young boy living at home with his widowed mother.

Resource #2: obituary

Who was John Eber Hodge’s father? Researchers located an obituary for John Eber, dated 1908. His father, John S. Hodge, is mentioned in the obituary along with the note that John S. died on his way to California in 1849. Returning to census records, a John Hodge, who matches the description of John Eber’s father, is found in 1850 in El Dorado County, California. Occupation: miner.

Resource #3: published histories

But which is correct? Did John S. Hodge die in 1849 or did he abandon the family to strike it rich out West? Researchers focus on records about 49ers to learn more about the California Gold Rush. And then they strike family history gold: “We found a letter written by someone in Ohio to John S. Hodge, which had been published in a book,” says Natalie Cottrill of ProGenealogists, who appeared with Sarah Jessica in the episode. “One of my colleagues tracked down the original set of letters, which provided more details, including information about John S. Hodge’s 1850 death.”

Resource #4: more primary records

Estate and other documents further confirmed that the ancestral John S. Hodge and the California miner John Hodge was the same individual.

Why the discrepancy?

The 1849 death date is from a published obituary, not a primary source. Obituaries are compiled from information offered at the time of a person’s death, second-hand or even later. It’s likely that details in John Eber Hodge’s obituary were relayed by a friend or relative of John Eber, not John Eber himself. The person who reported the obituary facts may have relied on stories he or she had heard from John Eber Hodge, who himself had never met his father. Slight discrepancies in dates and other information are quite likely in secondary sources, which is why locating original records is so important.

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