News about Genealogy, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Chronology of Coverage
Aug. 17, 2014
Raquel Cepeda travel article on trip to Aruba to trace her father's history. MORE
Jun. 11, 2014
Mary O'Connor Ward-Donegan, sister of Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor, reveals that their mother was Jewish; there is no indication that the cardinal, who died in 2000, knew about his lineage; O'Connor was the Catholic Church's top official in New York for 16 years, and was a staunch friend and defender of the Jewish people. MORE
Apr. 6, 2014
Doreen Carvajal travel article describes trip to Segovia, Spain, to explore the roots of her family tree; says that when she learned the fate of the Arias Davilia family, accused by the Inquisition of heresy for hiding a life as Jews, she felt her own identity shatter and shift, changing who she is. MORE
Feb. 13, 2014
Kit Eaton App Smart column notes mobile apps that can help trace ancestry with genealogy research, using an assortment of databases. MORE
Feb. 2, 2014
Op-Ed article by author and editor A J Jacobs notes that the once staid world of genealogy is undergoing a controversial revolution as a handful of Web sites use a collaborative, Wikipedia-like approach to mapping genealogies; observes that many traditional genealogists have reservations about this crowdsourcing trend, and critics point out that such shared family trees are often poorly sourced and packed with errors. MORE
Dec. 15, 2013
Prof Steven Fine and group of students at Yeshiva University in Upper Manhattan are working to decipher 1,600-year-old tombstone that they believe originated in ancient city of Zoar, on Dead Sea, and to identify woman to whom inscription refers. MORE
Nov. 28, 2013
Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of New York, genealogical organization, has rigorous rules for applicants to be recognized as a descendant of one of the 102 settlers who made the voyage in 1620 to Plymouth, Mass; gaining entry to the society is a demanding journey that, for many, ends in disappointment if they cannot prove lineage. MORE
Nov. 17, 2013
Caren Osten Gerszberg travel article on vacation planners and genealogical websites that can help families research their ancestors. MORE
Aug. 18, 2013
Russel Shorto travel article on trip to Sicily, Italy, to trace his family origins. MORE
Oct. 20, 2012
Op-Ed article by writer Judy Bolton-Fasman defends Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's claim that she is part Native American; contends many American families perpetuate unverifiable stories about their lineage and lore; argues whether Warren's family history is true or not is unimportant, because that self-identity has led her to work on behalf of the marginalized. MORE
Jul. 30, 2012
Ancestry.com team of genealogists say they have evidence strongly suggesting that Pres Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, had at least one African forebear, and that the president is most likely descended from one of the first documented African slaves in the United States, on his mother's side; it had been previously understood that Pres Obama's only black ancestry was on his father's side. MORE
Jun. 17, 2012
DNA research into Michelle Obama's family history has uncovered several distant white relatives, some of whose ancestors owned slaves including the first lady's great-great-great-grandmother; connection underscores the sometimes uncomfortable history of racial intermingling that binds countless American families decades after the Civil War. MORE
Mar. 20, 2012
Actress Wanda Sykes, featured on PBS program Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr, discovers ancestors from the 1680s, a rare discovery for African-Americans once enslaved. MORE
Jan. 24, 2012
Growing number of adoptees are turning to DNA testing companies in seeking clues to their ancestry and connections to blood relatives when access to adoption records is blocked; most are hungry for information that will lead to their birth parents, but some simply want to be able to embrace a far-flung constellation of bloodline relatives. MORE
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ARTICLES ABOUT GENEALOGY
Genealogy can reveal secrets about all of us, at once: the emergence of our species, the political history of the world, and the origins of the social structures that dictate modern life.
December 2, 2014, Tuesday
Mr. Trevelyan’s books included a biography of Walter Raleigh and a look at the experiences of his many relatives in British India.
November 23, 2014, Sunday
A bulldozer will break ground in Queens next year on the site of what was once a cemetery, owned by a family that settled there 350 years ago.
November 4, 2014, Tuesday
At the low-key premiere for Season 2 of “Finding Your Roots” on PBS, there were some big reveals for guests.
September 18, 2014, Thursday
Seeking to patch holes in her family history, the author travels to Aruba, her father’s childhood home.
August 17, 2014, Sunday
The sister of Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor, the Catholic Church’s top official in New York for 16 years, made a surprising discovery: Their mother had converted from Judaism to Catholicism.
June 11, 2014, Wednesday
A search for roots in Spain reveals the habits of daily life, struggles with the Inquisition and a secret religious life.
April 6, 2014, Sunday
Readers discuss a writer’s claim that social status is strongly “determined by your lineage.”
March 2, 2014, Sunday
Several apps can help you unearth your relatives, using an assortment of databases.