Visit Fort Wayne is excited to welcome the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) to Fort Wayne for their 2025 Annual Conference. Most recently held in Philadelphia in 2024 and London, England in 2023, the group comes to Fort Wayne with an expected 1,000 attendees. 

Registration opens today, Tuesday, April 1 for the August 10 – 14 conference held at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. IAJGS invites those interested in Jewish genealogy to sign up for the educational conference “to learn, to research, and most importantly, to share.”

The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library is world-renowned for its physical collection of genealogical items as well as its professional Genealogists on staff, led by Curt Witcher, Director of Special Collections and former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society.

This asset in the Fort Wayne Community was the linchpin to hosting this highly acclaimed conference here in our city. “IAJGS is no stranger to the Genealogy Center at ACPL with its global status and reputation, so presenting the complete package with the award-winning hosting capabilities at the Grand Wayne Convention Center made a strong case for bringing their 2025 event to Fort Wayne,” said Josie O’Donnell, Senior Sales Manager at Visit Fort Wayne, who started talks with the organization in 2021 to secure this year’s conference. 

Special thanks to the local Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogist Society (NEIJGS) Chapter with representative Irv Adler, who was instrumental in bringing this event to Fort Wayne. Adler says, "Embark on a transformative journey at the 45th IAJGS International Jewish Genealogy Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the past comes alive. Delve into the rich tapestry of your ancestry, gain exclusive insights from world-renowned experts, and connect with a dynamic community dedicated to preserving the legacy of Jewish heritage. This is your chance to turn curiosity into discovery and stories into treasured memories." 

The 2025 keynote speaker will be CeCe Moore, a prominent American genetic genealogist, most recently known for her work on Finding Your Roots. Moore is also recognized for assisting law enforcement agencies in over 300 cold cases of high-profile human identification cases using DNA and genetic genealogy.

Learn more and sign up for the conference at IAJGS2025.org.

• Findmypast is encouraging family historians to trace their ancestors’ stories from the eve of war to victory in the run up to VE Day 80^th anniversary 

• From 1 April until 9 May, you’ll be able to access the 1939 Register free on the site 

• Discover where they were living and their wartime contributions through unique details like Civilian Occupations, exclusive to Findmypast 

• From here, delve deeper into their experiences through over 90m newspaper pages, millions of military records, and historical photographs

• Plus, help tell the nation’s wartime stories by contributing to specially created new Collections showcasing VE Day celebrations across the country

In the run up to the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, Findmypast is inviting the public to delve into their family’s wartime experiences from the eve of war to victory. From 1 April to 9 May, Findmypast will provide free access to the 1939 Register, enabling users to uncover where their ancestors were living during the early stages of World War II and discover their unique contributions to the war effort.

The 1939 Register, often referred to as the 'wartime census’, is a valuable resource that provides a snapshot of life on the eve of the Second World War. In particular, members can explore their ancestors' wartime roles through detailed civilian occupation data exclusive to Findmypast and learn more about their lives on the home front.

Once they have uncovered their family in the 1939 Register, members can delve deeper and trace their family in over 90 million newspaper pages, an extensive collection of military records, and poignant historical photographs. These records enable everyone the opportunity to understand their ancestors’ experiences of war, whether they were ARP first responders battling the Blitz, land girls keeping the country fed, or soldiers facing the enemy in battle.

Findmypast is also inviting members to participate in preserving the memories of VE Day by contributing to newly created Collections showcasing wartime celebrations across the UK. Launching at the end of April, these special Collections will highlight the personal accounts, photographs, and memories of VE Day as experienced by families across the country.

How to Access the Free 1939 Register:

• Free access to the 1939 Register is available from 1 April until 9 May on Findmypast’s website.

• Simply visit Findmypast.com and sign up for an account to begin exploring your family’s wartime history.

Sarah Bush, Managing Director of Findmypast said: “VE Day marked a momentous victory, but it was also a testament to the resilience, sacrifices, and spirit of families across the UK. Start your journey of discovery by searching in the 1939 Register for free to find your ancestors on the eve of war. Then delve deeper into your ancestors’ wartime experiences within Findmypast’s vast archive of newspapers, military records, and photographs, and gain a deeper understanding of how this turbulent period shaped their lives.”

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi as the new Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church. The announcement, made on March 28, follows the retirement of Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, who recently turned 75 after three years in the role.

This appointment entrusts Archbishop Pagazzi with the stewardship of the Vatican Apostolic Archive and the Vatican Library—two of the most prestigious institutions preserving centuries of Church history, theological scholarship, and cultural heritage. His academic background and deep engagement in theological studies signal a continued commitment to the intellectual and educational mission of the Church.

Born in Crema, Italy, on June 8, 1965, Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi was ordained a priest on June 23, 1990. His early ministry included serving as a parish vicar in Lodi before pursuing advanced theological studies. He earned his licentiate and doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, establishing himself as a distinguished scholar.

Over the years, Archbishop Pagazzi has held teaching positions at various academic institutions and played a pivotal role at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences «Sant’Agostino,» serving dioceses including Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Pavia, and Vigevano. His expertise in ecclesiology and family studies led to his appointment as a full professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and Family in Rome, where he also coordinated research initiatives.

His leadership and theological acumen caught the attention of Pope Francis, who appointed him Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on September 26, 2022. In recognition of his contributions, the Pope elevated him to the rank of archbishop in November 2023, assigning him the titular see of Belcastro. Archbishop Pagazzi received episcopal ordination on February 10, 2024, from Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Now, as the Vatican’s chief custodian of its vast archives and library, Archbishop Pagazzi steps into a role that bridges the Church’s past and future. His task will be to safeguard invaluable historical documents while ensuring they remain accessible to scholars and researchers worldwide.

The Vatican Library and Archives hold some of the most precious manuscripts and records in the world, spanning centuries of Church history, diplomacy, and theological thought. The role of the Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church is not merely custodial but deeply intertwined with the Church’s mission to preserve and disseminate knowledge.

Given his background in theology, education, and family studies, Archbishop Pagazzi’s appointment suggests a continuity of Pope Francis’ vision—one that emphasizes intellectual depth, cultural engagement, and a commitment to making the Church’s historical and theological treasures more widely available.

Non-paying Gemini users can now play around with Google’s newest model, the experimental version of Gemini 2.5 Pro. The company announced this weekend that it’s making Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) free for everyone to use, albeit with tighter rate limits for non-subscribers. Google introduced Gemini 2.5 Pro just last week, touting it as its “most intelligent AI model” yet, and rolled it out to Gemini Advanced users first. It’s available now in Google AI Studio and the Gemini app.

While free users can now try it out too, Google added that “Gemini Advanced users have expanded access and a significantly larger context window.” Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is the first of Google’s Gemini 2.5 “thinking” models, which are said to deliver more accurate results through reasoning. In a blog post, the company explained that this “refers to its ability to analyze information, draw logical conclusions, incorporate context and nuance, and make informed decisions.”

The Knox County (Tennessee) Regional Forensic Center said remains found in North Knoxville in 2022 have been identified.

Officials said the remains were found on Aug. 16, 2022 in a wooded area of North Knoxville near Fourth and Gill.

After an examination, it was determined the remains belonged to a white woman estimated to be 4′10″ to 5′5″ tall and between 30 and 50 years old.

The forensic center then partnered with Othram, a company that specializes in cold cases through DNA analysis and traditional genealogy, in March 2023 to help identify the remains through Forensic Genetic Genealogy.

After a thorough investigation, the remains were identified to be Erin C. Callahan, from Knoxville.

“The Knox County Regional Forensic Center is grateful for its hardworking team that doesn’t quit working for the unidentified,” said Chris Thomas, the center’s chief administrative officer. “We want the families to have closure.

The Harrison County Genealogical Society, along with the Clarksburg History Museum, is offering county high school seniors the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship towards their future education.

In order to be awarded the scholarship, students who plan on attending college, technical school or trade school must fill out an application and write a 500 word essay on their family genealogy. However, if a student includes a pedigree chart (or family tree) a 400 word essay will be accepted.

The deadline to submit the application and essay is April 30, and the winner will be announced in May with a presentation at the Clarksburg History Museum.

Applications can be found at your local Harrison County high school. For more information, you can call Marsha Viglianco at 304-844-4397, or Roger House at 304-203-3316.

23andMe, a standard-bearer for the at-home health movement, announced on March 23 that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to facilitate a sale, prompting many of its 15 million customers to wonder: What happens to my genetic data now?

Privacy advocates and two state attorneys general have urged Americans to delete their data on the service, even as 23andMe said the bankr uptcy won’t change how it handles user data.

It’s unclear what’s next for 23andMe, but experts say there’s a big incentive for corporations and researchers alike to get their hands on the company’s trove of genetic data.

Genetics can reveal a lot about a person, from their health predispositions to their food preferences, offering a rare glimpse into details about a person and their family for generations to come. Despite possible privacy issues, genetic data offers huge potential for everything from medical research to advertising.

“Genetic data is permanent and unique,” said Katie Hasson, associate director for the Center for Genetics and Society. “It could reveal information about people who don’t exist until many years from now.”

23andMe says on its website that any buyer must comply with laws around handling customer data. The company plans to continue selling kits and offering subscriptions.

Gideon Nave, an associate professor of marketing for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, told CNN that any company looking to personalize their products or advertising would find such data highly useful.

For example, genetics can be linked to certain taste preferences in food. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Human Technopole, Milan found that hundreds of genetic variants were tied to likings of specific foods.

Nave, who co-authored a paper on the potential uses of genetic data in marketing, said genetic data can be more telling than what’s in your grocery cart since the purchased items could be for someone else.

“In some cases, genetic data is more informative than even what people say that they eat,” he said.

The most obvious use for genetic data is discovering one’s health predispositions; 23andMe offers a subscription that shows whether a person’s DNA is associated with a likelihood for certain diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes or celiac disease. That’s why this type of data could also be helpful for healthcare research and developing personalized medicine, Nave said.

There’s also promise in combining genetic information with clinical data to make more accurate diagnoses, according to Vasant Dhar, a professor of business and data science at New York University’s Stern School of Business. That’s why he believes 23andMe’s bidders will most likely be interested in using the data for health and medical research.

“Doctors (are) guessing. They’re following rules. They’re doing tests and they’re trying to figure out what’s wrong with you,” Dhar said. “But you know, a lot of the diseases have very similar symptoms.”

That also raises the question of whether genetic data could be used elsewhere in the healthcare industry. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prevents genetic information from being used for discrimination in health insurance coverage or employment.

But there aren’t many rules or restrictions in place to prevent genetic discrimination in other scenarios, such as disability insurance, according to Hasson. The use of online genetic databases by law enforcement has also raised concerns about personal privacy rights.

A 23andMe sale wouldn’t be the first time a genetic testing firm has sold itself in recent years; private equity firm Blackstone acquired Ancestry.com in 2020.

But since genetic data doesn’t have an expiration date, companies could use it well into the future, even if it’s not being used now, Hasson said. If genetic data were to ever be used in advertising, Nave worries it could potentially be used to target consumers based on certain health traits — possibly ones they’re not even aware of.

“One of the dark sides of this space is that with genetics, people know a hell of a lot about you,” said Dhar. “And, yeah, they could exploit that.”

A fragile 13th century manuscript fragment, hidden in plain sight as the binding of a 16th-century archival register, has been discovered in Cambridge and revealed to contain rare medieval stories of Merlin and King Arthur.

The manuscript, first discovered at Cambridge University Libraryin 2019, has now been identified as part of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, a French-language sequel to the legend of King Arthur. The story was part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle, a medieval best seller but few now remain.

There are less than 40 surviving manuscripts of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, with each one unique since they were individually handwritten by medieval scribes. This latest discovery has been identified as having been written between 1275 and 1315.

The manuscript had survived the centuries after being recycled and repurposed in the 1500s as the cover for a property record from Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham. 

It meant the remarkable discovery was folded, torn, and even stitched into the binding of the book - making it almost impossible for Cambridge experts to access it, read it, or confirm its origins.

What followed the discovery has been a ground-breaking collaborative project, showcasing the work of the University Library’s Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory (CHIL) and combining historical scholarship with cutting-edge digital techniques, to unlock the manuscript's long-held secrets - without damaging the unique document. 

Dr Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, French Specialist in Collections and Academic Liaison at Cambridge University Library, was among those who first recognized the importance of the find. 

"It was first thought to be a 14th century story about Sir Gawain but further examination revealed it to be part of the Old French Vulgate Merlin sequel, a different and extremely significant Arthurian text."

As every manuscript of the period was copied by hand, it means each one is distinctive and reflects the variations introduced by medieval scribes. 

This one is believed to belong to the short version of the Vulgate Merlin, and small errors—such as the mistaken use of the name "Dorilas" instead of "Dodalis"— will help Dr Fabry-Tehranchi and her colleague Nathalie Koble (ENS Paris), to trace its lineage among surviving manuscripts. 

The text is written in Old French, the language of the court and aristocracy in medieval England following the Norman Conquest and this particular fragment belongs to the genre of Arthurian romances which were intended for a noble audience, including women. 

The second passage presents a more courtly scene, set on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with Merlin appearing at Arthur’s court disguised as a harpist—a moment that highlights his magical abilities and his importance as an advisor to the king.