Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing

by Megan Smolenyak

Hit shows like "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "History Detectives" demonstrate that people are fascinated by family origins. Here, America's top genealogist reveals how she's made headlines solving genealogical puzzles with entertaining, revealing, and controversial candor.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ebooks, American History, Memoir, Historical, Research

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

from back of the book:
Megan Smolenyak is an incurable genealogist who loves solving mysteries, making unexpected discoveries, and pushing the boundaries of conventional genealogy. A popular writer, speaker, and TV guest, she does all she can to get the g-word out there and inspire others in their quest for roots.

She lives in Florida with her husband.

Reviews

[Christopher Newton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing - a very long commercial for the author's wonderfulness.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does Megan Smolenyak offer many tips for amateur genealogists (spell it with an "a"), she amazes and amuses readers with tales of her own searches. A fan of long-time fan of Henry Louis Gates' PBS shows, I also began watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" and discovered Megan. I smiled my way through her book which shares the hit TV show's title.

In the meantime, I recently spent two weeks of vacation on "me" time and dove into Ancestry.com. My 83-year-old father's mother died in California when he was a pre-teen. His abusive, alcoholic father never bothered to travel across the country to share her gravesite with Dad and didn't keep in touch with her family. Deciding to end the decades-old mystery, I started my hunt and was able to hand my father her death certificate last month. It felt wonderful giving him closure.

I'm now a Megan fan and read Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing: today. More educational and entertaining than Who Do You Think You Are?, it reaffirms my decision to add more of "Yak Yak" to my personal library.

[Julie Ivens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read that shows you some of the crazy and fascinating stories the author has uncovered using genealogy tricks. The author covers a very wide range of subject matter, and almost every chapter was interesting to me, though I preferred the stories involving previously unknown people as opposed to the super well knowns (the presidential chapters). This book may appeal to genealogy nerds as well as people who normally would not be so into genealogy-she makes it interesting to all, I think. To me, one of the most impressive things is how deep Megan goes into every story she is involved in, and how creative she gets-she'll use any method she can to get to the information she needs. Also it is amazing how something that starts off as just a name and a date can become a more and more real person as the story is revealed-I think that's a big draw for family historians-it's possible to find out this type of information! Interesting read, I'd recommend it. :)

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The book is dated now as much of the technology around DNA and genealogy has become more mainstream and seemingly everything is digitized, but I loved Smolenyak’s history mysteries. There’s the light hearted things, and then the poignant: from the purchase of “half a negro boy” and Identifying the ties between Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond’s ancestors. It’s so heartbreaking to more fully understand the steps needed for African American genealogy. Appreciated too the personal insight when DNA turned up some unsettling news within her own family. Excellent read .

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing" - written by Megan Smolenyak and published in 2012 by Citadel Press Books, Kensington Publishing. While this book might not appeal to those who don't have a strong interest in genealogy or family history, Smolenyak chooses topics with a wide appeal to showcase. Do you want to look into Barack Obama's Irish heritage? Or follow along while one of the two skeletons found in the raised USS Monitor is identified? Or appreciate the dedication of those who find next of kin for unclaimed persons? It was all familiar language and methods to me and will likely prompt me to jump back in to investigate some brick walls. Smolenyak has been infected with the genealogy bug without complaining — "I appreciate it when our forebears make me apply some elbow grease to smoke out their secrets." A fun book whose short chapters can stand alone for intermittent reading.

[Colette · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like getting cornered by that elderly genealogist who talks your ear off about all their cases, you'll love this book. Oh yeah, and the genealogist is trying to drum up more business. In parts this sounded a little like a cover letter for a resume. Some of the methodology was interesting, but I couldn't get past the Smolenyak's style, as well as her use of cliches.

[Notetaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced real life stories of this renown Genealogist's work. Ms. Smolenyak's was kind enough to share interesting examples of her work experience with such chapter titles as Grandma Stepped Out (her own Family), the Paralyzed Prostitute to the Al Sharpton & Strom Thurmond Family connections. It is not a how-to book on Genealogy, however, with that said it gives the reader several examples why Genealogists are much more than just Family Tree makers.

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting; honestly, it took me a while to get into it. I have been interested in genealogy for a long time. I've gifted several family members with DNA tests, and comparing the results is fascinating to me. I have also heard of genealogists using DNA and family links to solve crimes. This book is not that. While the author does use DNA frequently, this book had more to do with tracking down the relatives of celebrities and finding the closest surviving kin to military remains, some as far back as WWII. There is also a case of finding surviving relations to a man killed on the Monitor during the Civil War. The author's main job for a long time was working for the military to reunite the remains of soldiers from WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam with surviving relatives. The author has also done extensive work for media in which she has traced the story of celebrities' families. She has also worked for the FBI and NCIS dealing with cold cases. The stories that I found most poignant were the ones dealing with African-American ancestry and the slavery that it was always linked to. For instance, it is shocking to find out that an ancestor of Rev. Al Sharpton was once owned by an ancestor of Strom Thurmond. It was heartbreaking to realize that a small boy had belonged to 2 different masters by the time he was 4. Even more disturbing was the receipt for "half a colored boy" when a joint owner bought a share of ownership from another. The story of the man who was responsible for the freedom statue on top of the capital and how his final resting place was relocated so many times farther and farther away from the capital building was also poignant. Another story that I particularly like was that of a tombstone that was found alongside the street in Manhattan and how it was eventually returned to the grave that it belonged to. In the process of that research, a Yiddish cookbook, the first of its kind published in America, received the attention it deserved along with its author. This book was interesting once I accepted it for what it is, a series of examples of the author using some very impressive genealogical and research skills to uncover history and to connect people.

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

92%

Super interesting read! I think even non-genealogists would enjoy it for its conversational tone, general topical broadness, and insight on the subject - overall, it's easy to engage with, without being pretentious or confusing.

I find it odd that some reviewers are criticizing her for talking up her own work; it is after all, a metric shit-ton of work that she is performing. Would you criticize a baboon researcher for talking about how they go about studying baboons and the obstacles they encounter? Comments like that reflect on the common prejudiced thought that just because a genealogist can often do their work on the computer using public records, the job must therefore be an easy one, and therefore nothing to brag about.

Sure, 1+1=2, but is .1+.2+.5-.4+.6=1? Had to think about that one, didn't you? Did you know there are currently over 50,000 people in the United States named John Smith? How do you know you're following the paper trail of the right one? If there are two people of the same name living in the same city, you can't just add records to a person willy-nilly, because you could be mixing those two up. You have to decipher the records (can you read speedily written cursive? or old timey English?), compare the results, and analyze the probability of correctness for your connections. If you're just glancing at the record and adding it to your tree, you are undoubtedly making mistakes, and ultimately doing genealogy incorrectly.

So yeah, if she wants to brag about her work, we should damn well let her. She deserves it.

[Stacey Lunsford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compendium of stories about the many uses of genealogy that Smolenyak has used in her career. She regularly assists the armed forces in finding next-of-kin for the remains of soldiers that have been unidentified. She has assisted coroners and medical examiners to find next-of-kin for unclaimed persons. She has done lightning-fast family history investigation for numerous celebrities for various television shows and news spots. She has assisted adoptees in finding their birth families. She found the hometown of President Obama's Irish ancestors. When a friend found a tombstone sitting on a sidewalk in New York City, she helped to track down the location of the grave that the stone belonged on and found it belonged to the woman who wrote and published the first Yiddish-language cookbook in America. I've heard Smolenyak speak at the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society conference on the use of DNA in genealogical research. Her book reads just like she speaks: friendly, conversational, and fascinating.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough. I like reading about history, and genealogy, and solving puzzles. But this was all about the end results and the stories of the people that she helped, and not enough of how she did it. I wasn't expecting a genealogy tutorial, but a little bit more about the procedures she took would have been nice.

Book description: Part forensic scientist, part master sleuth, Megan Smolenyak has solved some of America's oldest and most fascinating genealogical mysteries. You've read the headlines; now get the inside story as the "Indiana Jones of genealogy" reveals how she cracked her news-making cases, became the face of this increasingly popular field--and redefined history along the way.
Whether she's scouring websites to uncover the surprising connections between famous figures or using cutting-edge DNA tests to locate family members of fallen soldiers dating back to the Civil War, Smolenyak's historical sleuthing is as provocative, richly layered, and exciting as America itself.

[Kathy KS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and informative book for anyone interested in genealogy (family history), history, or research. Each chapter relates case studies related to the various ways the author has used genealogy in her career. She helps find living family for military remains being repatriated, works on cold cases, does historical background for various TV shows and documentaries, and others. Sometimes she seems to research just because it is something that interests her. The variety of topics makes this a book you can put up and down, but sometimes I found myself reading longer because it was so interesting.

I originally saw this title and thought it was another how-to for genealogical research. Yes, I read a lot of those over the years both professionally and personally. I learn new things from all of them. But this one surprised me because I believe the audience is potentially much larger; if you like mysteries of any type you'll probably enjoy this one!

[Cathiecooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've dabbled in genealogy since in the 1970s when I had to visit microfilm centers and send away to repositories for paper documents. Needless to say, I hopped on Ancestry as soon as it opened up and have done just about every genetic ancestry test offered to the public. Much of her trials and tribulations are familiar from my own family investigations but, of course, she takes it much farther. It's also interesting how she has been involved in identifying next of kin for military remains and, more recently, for unclaimed bodies. The idea of "orphan heirloom rescues" was fascinating. Good to read.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book!

This book takes the reader through many avenues of genealogical research through the experiences of the author, Megan Smolenyak. Ms. Smolenyak expounds on her experiences doing genealogical research on both famous and not so famous people. Being an avid genealogist myself, I can relate to the excitement of finding information on a family for whom you have been looking for a while. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in genealogy and to anyone interested in history as well.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has an impressive resume, and that's partly what made this a tedious read for me. It seemed like every chapter was about how every TV network and conference wanted her for a speaker, and who she knew that helped her at a moment's notice to pull the rabbit out of the hat by deadline. After speed reading through that, it was difficult to tell if there were any tips there for the amateur genealogist. This one is just for her fans. (less)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A behind the scenes look at the stories uncovered by a professional genealogist. Megan Smolenyak has worked for Ancestry.com and consulted on television programs like Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots, but the most impactful stories are those which are not related to famous faces. Like stories of immigrants, helping with forensic and other police work, and her efforts to discover who unknown soldiers are so they can be repatriated.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Count me among the disappointed. The author is quite full of herself and all that she has accomplished (with the help of researchers), but the interesting techniques are glossed over and the types of tests are mislabelled half the time.

I've read several other similar books and was looking forward to enjoying this one. But no, just no. It was not my cup of tea. Couldn't finish it - even with tea in hand. There are too many other interesting, accurate and well-written books waiting!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting and informative

A good start for anyone interested in genealogy and finding their roots. Shows, through stories of how the author went about it, just how you can go about building your own family tree or solve those pesky little mysteries about people in it. Great resource for beginners or anyone.

[Cecellia Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful compendium of stories about the author's experiences and case work in genealogy. Each chapter stands on its own, so it's easy to pick it up, read a chapter or two, and come back to again when there's time to savor each story. Very accessible.

[Mardee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and fun

Really enjoyed both the interesting tales about hunting down ancestors and descendants and the author's delightful way of telling them. I also learned some things that will help my research!

[Wagrobanite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Megan for a couple of years, so I knew I had to read her books. This book is well written and funny. I even learned several new things like Italian women keep their maiden name after getting married!

Highly recommended for all genealogy fans!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my shelf for years but I finally got the chance to read it. I was fascinated! The author, a genealogist, uses the book to explore various applications of genealogical research and how she had been able to uncover historical mysteries using these skills.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning so much about how to go about finding your ancestors. Megan is an engaging writer with a flair for the dramatic.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So as another reviewer said, she is totally rooting her own horn, but I personally found the song she was playing fascinating.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light read for anyone interested in genealogy.

[Melissa Zaday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Lee Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read for an amateur genealogist like me.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. This is a great book for genealogy sleuths. For instance, did you know Al Sharpton's great-grandfather had been owned by relatives of Strom Thurmond?

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and interesting.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for anyone interested in family history research.