Roots Television | Og Blog

No foolin', it's New Roots Tuesday!

Og is an in-tune kind of guy, and he couldn't help but notice that Prom season is fast approaching. And there's no better way to take a break from the frantic preparations than to sit back and let storyteller Waddie Mitchell tug at your heartstrings with his Belle of the Ball. Also meet Drew Smith of the Genealogy Guys Podcast, and hear from Hank Jones, author of The Palatines to America.

And coming this week, Og is excited to introduce Roots Central (more on this later).

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Every day it seems, Og gets messages from viewers excited to share news about their upcoming events, speaking schedules, new projects, and their most frustrating brick walls. Finally, it occurred to Og, why should he keep all this good information to himself?

So we've created Roots Central, a place for you, our viewers, to share your news with the world. Looking for a place to announce your society's upcoming event? Are you an up-and-coming speaker looking to publicize your schedule? Hit a brick wall and ready to ask for help? Roots Central is for you. Just submit your information and any accompanying graphics to us in an email to rootscentral@rootstelevision.com. We update Roots Central every Tuesday, so submissions are due each Friday before noon Pacific Time.

And Og's not stopping at just sharing a little information. You can even embed the Roots Central video on your own website, and help spread the genealogical word to your own audience. Contact us at rootscentral@rootstelevision.com with any questions.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Og hates to say he told you so, but well.... Over a year ago, Og's good friend Megan Smolenyak met David Wilson during an interview in New York and learned of his film project, Meeting David Wilson. Og knew from the get go that this would be a compelling story, and we've been showing the film's trailer on our African Roots Channel ever since. So Og can't say he's surprised to see that David's film is scheduled to run on MSNBC next Friday, April 11th. If you haven't already, check out the trailer here!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

This Tuesday, check out the latest installment in our original Down Under series, Down Under Florida: The Flying Zacchini's. You can also catch up on the previous Down Under episode about the Ashley Family monument. And if you're ready to dig into some cemetery research of your own, you'll want to make sure you listen well to Ancestors: Cemetery Records.

Don't forget to stop by Roots Central for news of upcoming genealogy events. We've just posted announcements from the likes of KCGS, WSGS, JGSWS, CCNGS, WSGS, CGS, SVGS, BCGS, JGSCV, ATHS and many more!

You, too, can be included in our alphabet soup! Just send your information to rootscentral@rootstelevision.com. All we need (in 75 words or less) is your event's title, date and location, brief description, contact info or URL, and an optional JPG of your society logo. Roots Central is updated every Tuesday, and since Og likes his weekends off, be sure to submit your information by Friday at noon!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

At Roots Television, we're big fans of the internet and its ability to connect people and places that might never have the chance to meet in real life. And that's why this week we're also big fans of Footnote's latest project with the National Archives - making the Vietnam Memorial Wall online and interactive. Take a look at this incredible project, how it works, and the people behind it.

Also this week, we're pleased to share a pair of videos submitted to RootsTube by ThinkGenealogy.com - Are You Smarter than a Grade School Genealogist and 10 Things Genealogy Software Should Do. Og is delighted every time he sees a new addition to his RootsTube collection, and he's longing for more of you genealogy stars-in-waiting to jump on the bandwagon. So this week, we're featuring a some of our favorite viewer submissions, and Og hopes to inspire a few more of you to take your talents worldwide.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

New this week on Roots TV:

Rick Kittles of African-Ancestry
Rick Kittles, Co-founder of the DNA testing compacy African Ancestry, talks with Megan Smolenyak at the Mid-Atlantic African-American Genealogy Conference (MAAAGC).

Reginald Washington, National Archives
Reginald Washington, African American genealogy subject expert and archivist for the National Archives, speaks about the Freedmen's Bureau records and the Southern Claims Commission at MAAAGC, the Mid-Atlantic African American Genealogy Conference.

Ahmad Corbitt at MAAAGC
Ahmad Corbitt, President of the Cherry Hill Stake and Public Affairs Director (NYC) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks with Megan Smolenyak about the Mid-Atlantic African-American Genealogy Conference.

Shamele Jordon at MAAAGC
Shamele Jordon, professional genealogist and podcaster, speaks with Megan Smolenyak at the Mid-Atlantic African American Genealogy Conference. The discussion includes her initiative to record 150 Civil War soldiers buried in the historic community of Lawnside, NJ.

Casey Zahn at MAAAGC
Casey Zahn, professional genealogist and author, speaks with Megan Smolenyak about how to get kids interested in genealogy, the MAAAGC conference and this year's FGS conference.

Ron Higgins, President of CAAGS
An interview with Ron Higgins, President of the California African American Genealogical Society, a the 2007 Southern California Jamboree.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Og is taking a bit of a breather because he's gearing up for this weekend's Who Do You Think You Are Live! show in London, but you'll still see a few new videos on RootsTelevision.com this week. You'll want to be sure to check them out -- especially if you're interested in genetic genealogy or googling. Cheers!