Roots Television | Og Blog

How many of us genies can trace at least one branch of our family tree back to Scotland? If you’re one of the millions who can, you might just want to watch the new program we’ve recently added entitled Electric Scotland. In this program, Alastair McIntyre tells us about a terrific reference website for anyone with Scottish roots. The site was originally designed around the history of Scotland, but has morphed to include a large, detailed section dealing with genealogy. After you’re done watching the show, in which he provides hints to make the most of your visit to his website, take a few minutes to look at it yourself at Electric Scotland.

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Og’s a serious pushover for a good bargain, and I think I may have found one. You can now own a small parcel of Irish land without the headache of having to house hunt! OK, so maybe it’s a very small parcel of land, and you won’t exactly be erecting the family’s homestead on it, but what more interesting present could you give to a relative who always wanted a piece of the old country? By watching our new show Buy a Piece of the Auld Sod you’ll find an interesting way to stay connected to your ancestors and roots by owning a small slice of Ireland. Take a few moments to watch Co-founders John Beckett and Thomas Linehan show you how you can own your little bit of your heritage for what it would cost for a dinner out. Enjoy, then visit Buy Ireland.

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Og is big and strong, and Og has seen many amazing things in his life – but Og was blown away by a baby in today’s new video, Know Your Presidents. To learn why we can all feel comfortable relying on future generations, have a quick watch.

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It’s charming. It’s heartwarming. It depicts one family’s road-less-traveled route to happiness. In just a few minutes you’ll feel like you know The Veltz Family – their victories, their losses, their strong sense of family – and where all that has taken them through the years. Their music makes a brilliant backdrop for this delightful family history video. If you find yourself wanting to hear more of their music, visit TheVeltzFamily.com.

Og from Roots Television

You can preserve your family’s history in a huge variety of ways -- research your ancestors, attend Family Reunions, collect historical papers, tend the Family Bible, care for cherished heirlooms – the list is endless. More and more, however, people are choosing to save their family’s history on video by combining several of these methods to compose one beautiful memory. I specifically use the word compose in reference to our new program, Family Album: Zuza Dalova, in which the filmmaker uses not only the singing voice of his grandmother in her native Hungarian, but also photos of her through the years, as well as historical photos including one depicting the exact ship, the Maria Theresia, she took to Ellis Island. It’s a deferential piece that should inspire us all to explore other methods of recording and preserving our own family’s history.

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Anyone who has ever done more than thirty seconds of family research will tell you the importance of using Census Records. Our newest program offering, Census Records, is a five-part series that reinforces the significance of this resource.

Enumerators originally compiled Census Records, which are population surveys that provide key information about our ancestors, in 1790. From that date, at ten-year intervals until 1840, only the head of household is listed by name, while other household members are listed by age group. Beginning in 1850, everyone in the household is listed by name. But wait, there’s more! Subsequent Census Records provided more information. Need to find out where some relative was born? Check the Census Records. Need to find out the birthplace of their parents? Check the Census Records. How about the year your ancestors arrived in the United States? Ditto.

In fact, there’s a plethora of information in these valuable resources – but there’s a caveat: these records can be prone to errors, and no one record should be used as an absolute source. The quality of the Census Record depended highly upon the enumerator, who occasionally may have misunderstood due to language difficulties, or may have missed one or two family members. Therefore, Census Records should be supplemented with other supporting information like city records.

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Some moments in history are so strong that they leave an everlasting impression on those who are witness to them. Other pieces of history leave an impression for generations to come. Such is the case of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which he symbolically delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. One hundred years after the signing of the Emancipation proclamation, King inspired the continued fight for freedom and justice, and created a moral imperative for change that led to Congress passing a new Civil Rights Bill just two months later. Og knows that everyone remembers the “I have a dream” element of this speech, but take a few minutes and listen to the entire speech – it is equally inspirational.

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In honor of Black History Month, Roots Television is proud to announce a special “African Roots” lineup of programming. As the highlight of our lineup, we will present lectures from the recent AAHGS Conference in Salt Lake City. You’ll also be able to watch Dr. Eugene Foster discuss his groundbreaking research into the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings story, and hear author Kate Clifford Larsen honor Harriet Tubman’s legacy. Og has gotten a sneak peek at these and other new shows that are on the horizon, and you won’t want to miss a single one!

For today, however, you’ll definitely want to watch Colette Montcrief DeVerge and Tony Burroughs tell their stories and give expert advice in “African American Records,” from the popular PBS series Ancestors. Both genealogists were inspired to begin researching their family’s histories by famed author Alex Hailey. While African American genealogy can be frustrating at times, this new program offers encouragement and a sound basis of where and how to look. The best advice? Have a good sense of history and be prepared to look at records in a different way.

Also to honor Black History Month, Og is holding a contest that will run through the end of February. To enter to win, all you have to do is subscribe to the Og Blog. Just look in the right-hand column for where it says, “Subscribe to Og Blog”, type your email address into the space provided, and you’re automatically entered in the contest. It’ so simple even Og could enter -- and the reward is great! I’ll be giving away four signed copies of Tony Burroughs’ book, “Black Roots”, so be sure to sign up for your chance to be a February winner! Encourage your friends to sign up, too!

Remember, we will continue to post new programs daily throughout the month of February, so check back often!

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OK, so Og really, really likes attention (maybe I’m even narcissistic – ack, Og hates spelling big words) – BUT – I have to take a few minutes of your time to point out that we have recently added some fantastic new genealogical blogs to our lineup. While these new blogs don’t reside on Roots Television, we thought that you’d find them very interesting, and certainly worth your time! Have a look under the Blog section in the “Best of the Rest” category for some remarkable content. (Og trusts that you won’t desert him after looking at these other blogs!)

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Og certainly feels it – today there’s something special in the air,
And so with all my genie friends, I’ve a new video to share.
So sit back, settle in, and enjoy the story of Andy and Vi,
And learn why 50 years together brings joy that money just can’t buy!
And while we’re on the subject of watching true love shine,
Og wants to ask you sincerely, “Will you be my Valentine?”

Og from Roots Television

Og just loves today’s new programming, Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero”, presented by historian and author Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D. at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Most of us have some elementary understanding of who Harriet Tubman was and why she is famous – almost everyone will immediately pipe up with, “Underground Railroad!” -- but this lecture provides much more about her personal history. This background information, combined with details of her life culled from libraries, archives and diaries, helps us understand the events that coalesced to make her who she was – an independent, strong, dynamic hero.

Og from Roots Television

You need to take a few minutes to watch our new short program, Meeting David Wilson, that chronicles the actual meeting of David Wilson -- a 26 year old, high achieving New Yorker who grew up in urban poverty as the descendent of slaves -- and David Wilson -- the 62 year old North Carolina plantation owner and direct descendent of former slave owners to the first David Wilson’s ancestors. The upcoming documentary follows the journey of the younger David Wilson as he travels back in time from the home of his youth, to the plantation in North Carolina where his ancestors were enslaved, to the shores of Africa, where it all started. This documentary, which you can learn more about at MeetingDavidWilson.com, asks some tough, uncomfortable, and possibly unanswerable questions – and promises to be incredibly thought-provoking.

Og from Roots Television

The Great new shows just keep coming -- Og hopes you’re enjoying them as much as I am!

In My Dad the Healer, Rex Ellis weaves a touching tale about his father showing him how to be a man. Dr. Ellis, teacher, historian, storyteller extraordinaire, and vice president of the Historic Area at Colonial Williamsburg, shares a few moments in his life where he learned from his strong, hard-working father that you don’t have to be rich or famous to be a hero to your family and others.

Fountain Hughes, 101 year-old grandson of a slave owned by Thomas Jefferson, has a few words of wisdom to share with everyone in Voices From the Time of Slavery. In this short clip from the American Memory Project, Mr. Hughes cautions us to be satisfied with what we have, and never get into debt. Og doesn’t know about you, but when a 101 year-old passes along advice, I usually take it! You can get more information on the American Memory Project at memory.loc.gov.

Don’t forget to enter our latest contest – it’s easy – all you have to do is subscribe to Og Blog

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Og loves playing the game Twenty Questions, and I’ve just got to tell you that at least that many questions were answered by one of our new programs produced by the University of Virginia, DNA and the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings Story. Who was involved? How did the idea evolve? Did someone need to be exhumed? Who needed DNA testing? How were they found? Are the results valid? Is it bigger than a bread box? (Og just ALWAYS has to ask that last one!) Dr. Eugene Foster, former Professor of Pathology, initially seems to be the unlikely candidate leading the research of the paternity of Sally Hemings’ children, but in the end we realize why he was the perfect choice for this controversy involving the intersection of science and history.

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Prominent genealogist Megan Smolenyak-Smolenyak apparently didn’t know what she’d gotten into when she accepted her nephew’s innocent request to help him out with a small school project. Flat Stanley (renamed Flat Austin in her nephew’s honor) arrived innocuously enough – a large brown envelope with instructions to just take him with her and see what happens. Hmmm … sounded kinda boring. But once Megan realized she could put a family history spin on it, the game was on!

Flat Austin’s family tree seemed easy enough to Megan – she headed to the National Archives with him in tow. There she found that Flat Austin’s parents were Stacy Squished and Tom Flat, descended from the Squashed and Squeezed families. But where did that lead the enterprising Aunt and her little paper friend? Colonial Williamsburg, of course – where Flat Austin was unfortunately slapped in to the stockades after an encounter with a grouchy judge. Once it was discovered that one of Flat Austin’s ancestors had gone west to look for gold, Flat Austin was packed back into his envelope and got on the road again – this time to San Francisco, where he rode the cable cars, visited friends at Alcatraz, and got a sugar high at Ghiradelli’s.

Now, a lot of us have been asked to help with school children’s Flat Stanley projects, and some Stanleys have even shown up on tv shows, in front of the Eiffel Tower, or on vacation to Hawaii – but how many Flat Stanleys have been fortunate enough to have their family tree researched by a famous genealogist? Flat Austin was one lucky doll!

Watch our new show, Flat Stanley’s Family Tree, narrated by Brock Jackson, to see the adventures they encountered together.

Og from Roots Television

Og suggests that you enjoy a new lecture that we’ve added, The Civil War as Our Ancestors Lived It, from the UVA NewsMakers that takes a new look at the reasons behind the Civil War. History Professor and Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Edward L. Ayers, Ph.D., decided to re-examine the real reasons behind the Civil War after determining that commonly held beliefs regarding the conflict between the northern industrial society and southern agrarian society just weren’t as valid as originally thought. So whether you’re a history buff, a war buff, or are just interested in looking at this war in a different light, you’re sure to enjoy this new programming.

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OK, so you’ve finally decided to make the leap and begin researching your family history, and your first question might well be, “Where do I begin?” Much to your great fortune, that’s exactly what is covered in our new programming, a lecture series entitled Where Should I Start – Beginning Research on Ancestry.com. Led by Adele Marcum, a BYU Family History graduate, professional genealogist, teacher and lecturer, this series was recorded at the 28th AAHGS Conference in October 2006.

Ancestry.com is the starting place for so many of us genies, and certainly a font of information, but for newbies it can be a little intimidating. Adele methodically leads us through the various tabs, links, shortcuts and back door methods of obtaining the information we are looking for. She shows us how to search for information in a way that gets us just what we want -- not too much, but not too little.

I encourage you to watch this series and then apply her hints to help you successfully identify your ancestors and connect with your family.

And after you’re done – or even before (Og isn’t picky!) don’t forget to subscribe to Og Blog for your chance to win a prize in this month’s contest! It’s simple – just click on the box at the top of the Home Page, or look in the right-hand column for where it says, “Subscribe to Og Blog”, type your email address into the space provided, and you’re automatically entered in the contest. It’ so simple even Og could enter -- and the reward is great! I’ll be giving away four signed copies of Tony Burroughs’ book, “Black Roots”, so be sure to sign up for your chance to be a February winner! Encourage your friends to sign up, too!

Og from Roots Television