Looking for Lincoln

Genealogists have conflicting opinions about the maternal ancestry of Abraham Lincoln, a subject the sixteenth president himself admitted he knew little about. But who was Abraham Lincoln? “Today, he is more myth than man,” says Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. “Can we ever really know him?” Gates, the host and producer of the outstanding African American Lives, returns to PBS with Looking for Lincoln, a two-hour special. Among those joining Gates are Lincoln scholar Doris Kearns Goodwin, author Adam Copnik, and historian James Horton. Gates’s documentary is impressive, and it insightfully explores the man behind the myth. Looking for Lincoln premieres nationally on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 9 p.m. (Eastern) on PBS.

Ancestry of the Acting Astins

John Astin, well-known for his role of "Gomez Addams" in the The Addams Family, is the father of actors Sean Astin and Mackenzie Astin. Surnames found in the pedigree of this acting family include Varley, McDuff, Scott, Baker, Glackin, and Mackenzie. See our article about John Astin's British-American roots.

African American Lives Returns

The PBS television series African American Lives 2 premieres Wednesday, February 6, and after screening the four episodes, we’re happy to report this second series is as fascinating as the first.

Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., returning as host and producer, presents the family histories of several celebrities. Featured in African American Lives 2 are poet Maya Angelou, author Bliss Broyard, actors Don Cheadle and Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, publisher Linda Rice Johnson, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, radio host Tom Joyner, comedian Chris Rock, and the legendary singer Tina Turner.

Response to the first African American Lives brought requests from viewers asking for their stories to be told and genealogies traced. College administrator Kathleen Henderson, who was selected from more than 2,000 applicants, is featured in the new broadcast.

African American Lives 2 is outstanding. Once again, Henry Louis Gates brings compelling histories, surprising research discoveries, and dazzling results from DNA analysis. As stories in the series unfold, Chris Rock finds his great-great-grandfather, a black Civil War veteran, served in the South Carolina State Legislature, while Don Cheadle learns that his ancestors were enslaved by Native Americans—even after slavery’s abolishment. Reverend Peter Gomes is presented with DNA evidence suggesting a direct paternal ancestor was a Portuguese Jew. And Dr. Gates’s own personal research journey led to filming for this broadcast in an unexpected ancestral homeland—Ireland.

During my interview with Gates in 2006, we learned that our ancestral paths had crossed. Dr. Gates’s Bruce ancestors were owned—and later freed—by my ancestor’s cousin, Abraham Van Meter of Virginia. In African American Lives 2, Gates reveals to participant Kathleen Henderson that her ancestor was owned by an Abraham Van Meter of Kentucky, a cousin to the Virginian with the same name.

“Through even greater depth of research and more powerful storytelling, all of the stories in African American Lives 2 share a common threat—they show the value of knowing who you are and where you come from,” says Gates.

African American Lives 2 airs February 6 and 13 at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

Frakturs

Fraktur is a form of calligraphy and painted decoration. "These illustrated manuscripts, which are drawn with pen and ink and embellished with vivid colors, are not just nice to look at—they can provide a wealth of genealogical information to researchers," writes Myra Vanderpool Gormley. "Important historical details often documented in frakturs include family names, relationships, dates, and locations." (more)

"I'm My Own Grandpa" – Song Started as Urban Legend

Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe’s novelty song, "I’m My Own Grandpa," tells the tale of a man, who through a series of complicated marriages, became his own step-grandfather. Long before it became a famous song, "I’m My Own Grandpa" had popularity as an oft-repeated story. For at least seventy-five years, newspapers across the US published stories about men who claimed to be their own grandfather. Though different names, locales and years are given, all have the same sequence of events: A young man marries a woman with a daughter, who then marries the man’s father, and the two men have sons by their new wives. This tale began by at least 1848. (more)