Megan Smolenyak
@megansmolenyak.com
Lifelong genealogist & stubborn solver of history mysteries. Don't try to hide from me. I *will* find you.
megansmolenyak.com
#genealogy #history #democracy
megansmolenyak.com
#genealogy #history #democracy
This happens a fair bit with my Army cases as well - when you almost accidentally reunite family members along the way. #genealogy (gift link)
How an unsolved 1971 homicide led to a surprise DNA Connection
wapo.st/4bId60t
How an unsolved 1971 homicide led to a surprise DNA Connection
wapo.st/4bId60t
How an unsolved 1971 homicide led to a surprise DNA connection
A detective investigating a killing stumbled onto a “case within a case,” as he called it, involving long-lost siblings who hadn’t seen each other for 62 years.
wapo.st
February 10, 2026 at 6:59 PM
This happens a fair bit with my Army cases as well - when you almost accidentally reunite family members along the way. #genealogy (gift link)
How an unsolved 1971 homicide led to a surprise DNA Connection
wapo.st/4bId60t
How an unsolved 1971 homicide led to a surprise DNA Connection
wapo.st/4bId60t
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
This teenager saved his neighbor's dog from drowning in a freezing pond. This is Bernard. His family contacted emergency services right away, but high school senior Hugh Pinneo got to Bernard first. Hugh said he's "just glad I acted that day and saved the dog's life." We are too. 12/10 for all
February 10, 2026 at 6:08 PM
This teenager saved his neighbor's dog from drowning in a freezing pond. This is Bernard. His family contacted emergency services right away, but high school senior Hugh Pinneo got to Bernard first. Hugh said he's "just glad I acted that day and saved the dog's life." We are too. 12/10 for all
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Spent the best day with
super talented colleagues from various ethnic heritages, helping them achieve their potential despite the daily barriers they face
Here Leontia Flynn remembers a true hero, Frederick Douglass
Proud we have his statue in Belfast
#poetry
#poemoftheday
#blackhistorymonth
super talented colleagues from various ethnic heritages, helping them achieve their potential despite the daily barriers they face
Here Leontia Flynn remembers a true hero, Frederick Douglass
Proud we have his statue in Belfast
#poetry
#poemoftheday
#blackhistorymonth
February 10, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Spent the best day with
super talented colleagues from various ethnic heritages, helping them achieve their potential despite the daily barriers they face
Here Leontia Flynn remembers a true hero, Frederick Douglass
Proud we have his statue in Belfast
#poetry
#poemoftheday
#blackhistorymonth
super talented colleagues from various ethnic heritages, helping them achieve their potential despite the daily barriers they face
Here Leontia Flynn remembers a true hero, Frederick Douglass
Proud we have his statue in Belfast
#poetry
#poemoftheday
#blackhistorymonth
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
NEW: ICE has a plan to lease offices across the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign.
Today, @wired.com is publishing dozens of those locations. Many are near schools, medical offices, and places of worship.
Vital work from @leahfeiger.bsky.social that I'm proud to publish.
Today, @wired.com is publishing dozens of those locations. Many are near schools, medical offices, and places of worship.
Vital work from @leahfeiger.bsky.social that I'm proud to publish.
ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.
www.wired.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:13 PM
NEW: ICE has a plan to lease offices across the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign.
Today, @wired.com is publishing dozens of those locations. Many are near schools, medical offices, and places of worship.
Vital work from @leahfeiger.bsky.social that I'm proud to publish.
Today, @wired.com is publishing dozens of those locations. Many are near schools, medical offices, and places of worship.
Vital work from @leahfeiger.bsky.social that I'm proud to publish.
Got a kick out of this mailer I received from Green-Wood suggesting cemetery-based Valentine's gifts. Speaking my language!🪦❤😊 #genealogy
mailchi.mp/green-wood/m...
mailchi.mp/green-wood/m...
A Valentine’s Gift That Gives Back
mailchi.mp
February 10, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Got a kick out of this mailer I received from Green-Wood suggesting cemetery-based Valentine's gifts. Speaking my language!🪦❤😊 #genealogy
mailchi.mp/green-wood/m...
mailchi.mp/green-wood/m...
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Regina Jonas was the world’s first female rabbi. Born in Berlin in 1902, she fought to be ordained. Even when the Nazis came to power, she stayed in Germany. In 1944, the Nazis murdered Regina in Auschwitz. Her story wasn’t rediscovered until the 1990s. (1/2)
February 10, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Regina Jonas was the world’s first female rabbi. Born in Berlin in 1902, she fought to be ordained. Even when the Nazis came to power, she stayed in Germany. In 1944, the Nazis murdered Regina in Auschwitz. Her story wasn’t rediscovered until the 1990s. (1/2)
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Rest in Peace, one of Scotland's last D-Day veterans, Albert Lamond has died age 100. 👇
Thank you for your service.
BBC News - D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Thank you for your service.
BBC News - D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100
Lamond served during the Normandy landings and later helped rescue PoWs in the Pacific.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Rest in Peace, one of Scotland's last D-Day veterans, Albert Lamond has died age 100. 👇
Thank you for your service.
BBC News - D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Thank you for your service.
BBC News - D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It's just such a great topic for a book and Sunny's the perfect person to have written it!
February 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM
It's just such a great topic for a book and Sunny's the perfect person to have written it!
Yes! You'll find a number of examples of this in the book including one from yours truly!
February 9, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Yes! You'll find a number of examples of this in the book including one from yours truly!
Great topic, right?!
February 9, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Great topic, right?!
And if you want to learn more, there's a free webinar on Weds: familytreewebinars.com/webinar/sear...
Searching for Sisters? Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States - Legacy Family Tree Webinars
Catholic nuns and sisters ran some of the U.S.’s earliest schools, orphanages, and hospitals; nursed on Civil War battlefields and during disease outbreaks;...
familytreewebinars.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:08 PM
And if you want to learn more, there's a free webinar on Weds: familytreewebinars.com/webinar/sear...
Anyone conducting Catholic research is going to want to snag this new book! Use code SFS15 for 15% off. #genealogy
genealogical.com/store/search...
genealogical.com/store/search...
Searching for Sisters: A Guide to Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States
Who were the Catholic nuns on your family tree or in your community? Most families know precious little about the women on their family trees who joined religious life. Historians, too, have largely o...
genealogical.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Anyone conducting Catholic research is going to want to snag this new book! Use code SFS15 for 15% off. #genealogy
genealogical.com/store/search...
genealogical.com/store/search...
I show here and "diverse international community builders."
February 9, 2026 at 4:05 PM
I show here and "diverse international community builders."
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Ossoff’s strategy of popping up every few weeks with an absolute banger of a speech is very smart: “This is the Epstein class ruling our country.”
Must watch 👇
Must watch 👇
February 8, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Ossoff’s strategy of popping up every few weeks with an absolute banger of a speech is very smart: “This is the Epstein class ruling our country.”
Must watch 👇
Must watch 👇
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Looks like Irishgenealogy.ie is getting its annual update tomorrow! This is in the Sunday Indo.
February 8, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Looks like Irishgenealogy.ie is getting its annual update tomorrow! This is in the Sunday Indo.
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Francesca Lollobrigida, who has just won Italy’s 1st 🥇at Olympics is the great-niece of Gina Lollobrigida, the legendary Italian actress
February 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Francesca Lollobrigida, who has just won Italy’s 1st 🥇at Olympics is the great-niece of Gina Lollobrigida, the legendary Italian actress
That’s my breakfast sorted. 🍨
Your attention, please: You are allowed to eat ice cream for breakfast!
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day began in 1960s Rochester, New York, when a mother cheered up her kids during a snowstorm. Today it's celebrated worldwide.
Scoop up more knowledge ➡️ w.wiki/HRYg
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day began in 1960s Rochester, New York, when a mother cheered up her kids during a snowstorm. Today it's celebrated worldwide.
Scoop up more knowledge ➡️ w.wiki/HRYg
February 7, 2026 at 1:13 PM
That’s my breakfast sorted. 🍨
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Mongolia and Haiti correctly identified that the Winter Olympics are primarily a chance to design baller cold weather uniforms
February 5, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Mongolia and Haiti correctly identified that the Winter Olympics are primarily a chance to design baller cold weather uniforms
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Grace. Respect. Love.
February 7, 2026 at 4:18 AM
Grace. Respect. Love.
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
I've seen several refs to Jory Heckman's 2/4 story re: Rubio/NARA as a "scoop."
I even used the term, as a courtesy, when I published my piece soon after.
But Heckman confirmed what I noted days earlier👇—which stemmed from @davidsewell.bsky.social 's initial catch.
Confirmation? Yes. Scoop? 🤔
1/2
I even used the term, as a courtesy, when I published my piece soon after.
But Heckman confirmed what I noted days earlier👇—which stemmed from @davidsewell.bsky.social 's initial catch.
Confirmation? Yes. Scoop? 🤔
1/2
BREAKING (maybe?): Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, acting National Security Advisor, and, I don't know... Potentate of Venezuela? 🤷🏼♂️ may no longer be acting Archivist of the US; his name, photo, and title have recently been removed from NARA's leadership page. www.archives.gov/about/organi...
February 6, 2026 at 7:14 PM
I've seen several refs to Jory Heckman's 2/4 story re: Rubio/NARA as a "scoop."
I even used the term, as a courtesy, when I published my piece soon after.
But Heckman confirmed what I noted days earlier👇—which stemmed from @davidsewell.bsky.social 's initial catch.
Confirmation? Yes. Scoop? 🤔
1/2
I even used the term, as a courtesy, when I published my piece soon after.
But Heckman confirmed what I noted days earlier👇—which stemmed from @davidsewell.bsky.social 's initial catch.
Confirmation? Yes. Scoop? 🤔
1/2
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Pierogi alert!
IMPORTANT OLYMPIC NEWS:
THE POLISH FIGURE SKATING TEAM HAS A PLUSH PIEROGI
THE POLISH FIGURE SKATING TEAM HAS A PLUSH PIEROGI
February 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Pierogi alert!
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
Lindsey Vonn tore her ACL last week. It's a debilitating injury that can take anywhere from six to nine months--hold up
February 6, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Lindsey Vonn tore her ACL last week. It's a debilitating injury that can take anywhere from six to nine months--hold up
This, the death knell of the WaPo, and no more Minute Maid frozen orange juice concentrate. My childhood is going up in flames this week. RIP, Sonny.
Sonny Jurgensen, a golden-armed Hall of Fame quarterback in Washington who became a longtime radio and television broadcaster for his former team after retiring in 1974, has died at 91.
Sonny Jurgensen, one of Washington’s greatest football players, dies at 91
In a Hall of Fame career, the Redskins quarterback was known as one the NFL’s best pure passers. He later spent years as a broadcaster.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:37 PM
This, the death knell of the WaPo, and no more Minute Maid frozen orange juice concentrate. My childhood is going up in flames this week. RIP, Sonny.
Reposted by Megan Smolenyak
This! 👇
truly forgot how much I love mooching around a museum, dipping into labels, examining a little pot, imagining the life of people 4000 years ago
February 6, 2026 at 2:43 PM
This! 👇