Megan Smolenyak

Megan Smolenyak, born October 9th, is a genealogist, author, and speaker. Formerly Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com, she founded Unclaimed Persons. Since 1999, she has also been a consultant with the U.S. Army's repatriation efforts and has located relatives of soldiers still unaccounted for from past conflicts.^[1] As a genealogist, she is best known for tracing Michelle Obama's roots,^[2] uncovering the story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island,^[3] tracing Barack Obama's roots to Moneygall, County Offaly, Ireland,^[4] discovering that Al Sharpton’s great-grandfather had been owned by relatives of Strom Thurmond,^[5] and championing the use of DNA testing to learn about one’s roots.^[6]

Smolenyak holds a BSFS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, an MBA in International Business from George Washington University and an MAS in Information Technology from Johns Hopkins University.

Author

Smolenyak has authored six books. She was the winner of a 2009 gold Folio Eddie award, as well as five writing awards from the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. She has written articles for Ancestry, Family Chronicle, Family Tree Magazine, Genealogical Computing, Heritage Quest, NGS NewsMagazine, Everton's Family History Magazine, and APG Quarterly. Smolenyak is also a Huffington Post contributor.

Recent activities

Smolenyak conducted research and wrote the companion book for the U.S. version of Who Do You Think You Are?. Smolenyak has also consulted for and appeared on CBS's "The Early Show, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Top Chef (Bravo), CNN, BBC Breakfast, African American Lives, PBS's Ancestors, TimeWatch, They Came to America, Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC), Faces of America, NPR,^[7] BBC Radio, and local television and radio shows, and has spoken at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Who Do You Think You Are Live?, Australasian Federation of Family History Organizations, and other historical, military, ethnic and literary events.

Awards

Smolenyak was awarded the 2010 NGS Award of Merit for her work in advancing responsible genealogy to a broad popular audience. She is the recipient of four Telly awards, a former board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and a recipient of the Bo Peep Award, given by the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists to those who have "contributed significantly to the betterment of the community of historical and genealogical researchers."

Works

• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan. In Search of Our Ancestors: 101 Inspiring Stories of Serendipity and Connection in Rediscovering Our Family History. Cincinnati, OH: Adams Media Corporation, 2000. ISBN 978-1-58062-317-9
• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan. Honoring Our Ancestors: Inspiring Stories of the Quest for Our Roots. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2002. ISBN 978-1-931279-00-0
• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan. They Came to America: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors. San Francisco, CA: Santa Fe Ventures, Inc., 2003. ISBN 978-0-9641403-4-9
• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan and Ann Turner. Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree. New York, NY: Rodale, 2004. ISBN 978-1-59486-006-5
• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan. Who Do You Think You Are? The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History. Viking, 2010. ISBN 0-670-02163-6
• Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan. Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing. Kensington, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8065-3446-6

Notes

External links

• Honoring Our Ancestors
• Megan Smolenyak on Facebook
• Unclaimed Persons
• MeganSmolenyak.com