Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, that's her real name) is a genealogical adventurer who loves solving mysteries, making unexpected discoveries and pushing the boundaries of conventional genealogy.
A popular writer, speaker and TV guest, Megan has appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Early Show, CNN, NPR and BBC. In addition to consulting on shows ranging from Who Do You Think You Are? to Top Chef, she is the author of six books, a Huffington Post contributor, a cold case researcher for the Army, NCIS and the FBI, and former Chief Family Historian and spokesperson for Ancestry.com.
Her most recent books are Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing and Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, companion guide to the TV series.
Megan's "greatest hits" include the following:
* Discovering Michelle Obama's roots, as featured on the front page of The New York Times
* Celebrity roots as featured on assorted TV shows (e.g., Martha Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Brooke Shields, Cory Booker, Susan Sarandon, Emmitt Smith, Richard Blais, etc.) and in her writings (e.g., Betty White, Katy Perry, Joe Biden, Beyonce, Julia Roberts, Jon Hamm, Josh Groban, Pink, Prince, Jon Stewart, Bruno Mars, etc.)
* Tracing Barack Obama's roots to Moneygall, Co. Offaly, Ireland
* Providing 14 years of forensic consulting to the U.S. Army to locate thousands of family members of soldiers still unaccounted for from WWI, WWII, Korea and Southeast Asia
* Correcting history by revealing the true story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island, as featured on the front page of The New York Times
* Using her sleuthing skills to help coroners and medical examiners locate the next of kin for unclaimed persons
* Supporting more than 150 genealogical initiatives through her Seton Shields Genealogy Grants Program
Kind words about Megan's work:
"Megan Smolenyak is a master storyteller who brings personal history to life." — Cheryl Richardson, New York Times best-selling author of The Art of Extreme Self-Care, Take Time for Your Life and more
"Megan Smolenyak ... is the guru ... - the beginning, the middle, and the end of genealogy. And like all good gurus, she inspires the rest of us to find our own roots, to keep digging until we know our own story." — Pam Grout, New York Times best-selling author of E-Squared, E-Cubed and more
"Megan is a gifted roots detective who uncovers the past through meticulous research." — Patricia Harty, Editor/Co-Founder, Irish America Magazine
"The stories in In Search of Our Ancestors are touching and personal. Each one reveals the three S's that are at the heart of researching our family roots: surprise, serendipity, and secrets." — Lisa See, New York Times best-selling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love and more
“Megan . . . is, hands down, America’s greatest genealogist.” — Andrew Carroll, editor of the New York Times bestsellers War Letters and Behind the Lines
“The Indiana Jones of genealogy…Megan Smolenyak is a national treasure.” — Buzzy Jackson, author of Shaking the Family Tree
“Megan Smolenyak is the genealogist’s genealogist – the go-to person for building your family tree and solving stubborn historical mysteries.” — Dr. Spencer Wells, Director of the Genographic Project, National Geographic
"Megan can find the living as well as the dead - and she has the skills to do it quickly." — Leland & Patty Meitzler, genealogyblog.com
"Thank you for taking the time to lay out our family map… You’re practically family. You certainly know more about us than we do.” — Stephen Colbert
“Megan is a genealogist’s dream, a forensic investigator who can also tell a great story.” — Sam Roberts, The New York Times
“Megan is a blessing to cold-case detectives and a master genealogist.” — Julie M. Haney, special agent, NCIS Cold Case Homicide Unit
You can find Megan online at the following sites:
* MeganSmolenyak.com (http://www.megansmolenyak.com)
* Honoring Our Ancestors (http://honoringourancestors.com)
* Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak)
* Twitter (http://twitter.com/megansmolenyak)
* Facebook (http://facebook.com/smolenyak)
* LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/megansmolenyak)
Read more
Read less
