Allegations against Dr. Paul Brennan Jones surfaced in 2019, when the now-grown children of his former patients found each other through DNA tests.

A jury has awarded $8.75 million to families who alleged a former Grand Junction, Colorado doctor lied to his patients and used his own sperm to impregnate more than a dozen women using artificial insemination decades ago.

In the lawsuit, filed in 2019, Maia Emmons-Boring, her sister Tahnee Scott and their mother Cheryl Emmons alleged Dr. Paul Brennan Jones of Grand Junction lied to Emmons when, in the early 1980s, he told her he would use anonymous sperm donations during separate rounds of artificial insemination.

The jury found Jones and his former practice, now called Women's Health Care of Western Colorado, liable for negligence and fraud, among other claims.

You can read more about this story at https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/grand-junction-fertility-fraud-case/73-b5069abd-eeff-472a-a059-43e6d05a397b

The original story (published more than 2 years ago) may be found at: https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/did-a-fertility-doctor-use-his-own-sperm-to-impregnate-multiple-women/73-e4f506d0-5dd5-4cf8-8e9f-67729248cd9c

The following announcement was written by the Society of Genealogists:

Count Down to CONFERENCE

The Future of Genealogy

Young Genealogists at the Helm

Saturday 7 May 2022 8am - 8:15pm (BST)

The Society of Genealogists, in collaboration with The Family History Federation, is looking forward to hosting this exciting online Zoom event on the 7th of May.

The conference provides a platform for genealogists under 35 to come together, exchange ideas and support each other. This is an international event to connect young people from around the world and help shape the future of the genealogy community. Youth-led, sessions will include a facilitated safe space to discuss what young people want from the community and family history societies, with a range of presentations, panels and discussions.

This event will be led by our young genealogists but is open to all to attend. If you are a genealogy society officer or programme secretary or educator looking to engage young family historians then this is the conference to learn about their expectations and interests.

The conference programme includes ten diverse sessions from young genealogist influencers and historians who will look at sources, resources and the world of genealogy from their perspective. Talks will include (amongst others) - The Effects of DNA Testing Results on Biological and Family Identities; Building a Bridge between Generations; Using Family History to Comprehend the Roots of Climate Crisis: Reflections on Personal Experience.

Representatives from commercial organisations including Ancestry, Findmypast and My Heritage as well the Society of Genealogists and Family History Federation will take form an industry panel from leading genealogy organisations and young family historians to discuss the issues, answer questions and hear the insights and concerns of young family historians.

A PDF copy of the programme is attached and online line here Layout 1 (prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com)

Cost is £1.50 which covers your registration fee. Everyone is welcome, come for all or part of the day

Bookings can be made Conference: The Future of Genealogy – Young Genealogists at the Helm - Society of Genealogists (arlo.co)

Door prizes and prize draw donations for attendees include:

• TWO free annual memberships from Society for One-Place Studies

• One £20 voucher to be spent with Devon FHS (either on membership, attending an event or publications)

• TWO FREE COURSES (for any course, without assessment) from Pharos Tutors

Other offers and discounts available to attendees include:

• 20% off your first year of Society of Genealogists’ membership

• 60% discount from MyHeritage for first-time users

For six young citizens of the Cherokee Nation, June will mark a tough journey.

It’ll be a grueling bike ride across seven states, but it’ll also be a journey of reflection into the past and what their Cherokee ancestors endured along the infamous Trail of Tears.

The six cyclists: Kortney Dry, 24, and Kayce O’Field, 24, both of Tahlequah; Emily Christie, 24, of Stilwell; Jeanetta Leach, 23, of Rocky Mountain; Madison Whitekiller, 23, of Verdigris; and Desiree Matthews, 18, of Watts, were selected recently to participate in the 2022 “Remember the Removal” bike ride. Their trek will retrace a roughly 950-mile-long path followed by Cherokee people who were forcibly removed from their native lands in Georgia to Oklahoma in the late 1830s.

This marks the first year for the team to be composed entirely of Cherokee women.

You can read more in an article in The JournalRecord web site at: https://journalrecord.com/2022/04/27/young-women-to-follow-trail-of-tears-path-of-their-ancestors/.

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage:

In this week’s update of the 1950 U.S. Census indexed records (and their corresponding images), MyHeritage has added records from Hawaii and the Indian Reservation Schedules. An additional 702,984 records were added for a total of 4,215,157 historical records in the collection. All of the records are available to search, view, and add to your family tree on MyHeritage for free!

Search the 1950 United States Census Index collection

Hawaii

Hawaii was annexed as a territory to the U.S. in 1898. In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, then a strategic U.S. military base in Hawaii. Many consider this the defining moment that led to the U.S. involvement in World War II. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state to be added to the U.S.

Indian Reservation Schedules

The Indian Reservation Schedules were an appendix to the 1950 U.S. Census that were asked to Native Americans who were living on Native American reservations.

* State

* County

* Reservation name

* Enumeration District (ED) number

* Dwelling unit

* Agriculturally-related

* Type of house construction 

* Type of floor construction 

The questions included:

* Is he [she] known by any other name?


* To what tribe does he [she] belong?

* To what clan does he [she] belong?

* Degree of Indian blood (check one):  full, 1/2, 1/4, or less than 1/4 degree

* Does he [she] read, write or speak English? (yes/no)

* Does he [she] read, write or speak any other language? (yes/no)

* In 1949, did he [she] attend or participate in any native Indian ceremonies?

Summary

We are delighted to release the latest installment of the MyHeritage 1950 U.S. Census collection covering Hawaii and the Indian Reservation Schedules. This index and its associated images will serve as a significant resource for family historians, genealogists, social scientists, and other researchers for decades to come.

Searching the 1950 U.S. Census on MyHeritage and viewing records is free. 

If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from the collection match your relatives. You’ll then be able to review the record and decide if you’d like to add the new information to your tree. Record Matches to the 1950 Census collection are free.

Enjoy the 1950 U.S. Census Index!

One of Scotland’s largest and most ancient clans is preparing to reunite for the inauguration of the first Buchanan clan chief for more than 340 years.

In October, John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan is set to be officially made the first clan chief since the last inauguration ceremony took place in the 17th century.

And, before the ceremony, Clan Buchanan is calling on clansfolk, affiliated families and supporters to gather for the historic occasion at its modern clan seat, the Cambusmore Estate in Perthshire.

You can read more in an article published in the Central Fife Times at: https://www.centralfifetimes.com/news/20082104.clan-buchanan-prepares-first-inauguration-340-years/

There is a fascinating story about a genealogist (and an employee of MyHeritage). The MyHeritage staff was able to orchestrate the recent safe passage of a MyHeritage employee (who was employed at MyHeritage's Kyiv office) and his family out of Ukraine.

You can read the full story in the MyHeritage Blog at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2022/04/myheritage-employee-escapes-ukraine-thanks-to-his-grandfathers-heroic-rescue-of-jewish-refugees-during-wwii/.

In a boost for open justice, court and tribunal judgments are now freely available from The National Archives.

• The preservation, storage and publication of court and tribunal judgments is now managed by The National Archives
• Judgments can be found via the free caselaw service on The National Archives website
• Users can now search and browse records making it easier to find specific judgments

As the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, The National Archives has long-standing experience in storing and publishing information securely. Under the Archive’s expertise, they will be preserved, managed and made widely accessible for years to come.

New court and tribunal decisions from the superior courts of record – The Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Upper Tribunals – will now be available on The National Archives Find Case Law site.

This free online service will be easy for anyone to use, from lawyers to members of the public. Records will be secure and easily searchable, even on mobile phones.

Justice Minister, James Cartlidge, said:

"As we continue to build a justice system that works for all, the National Archive’s new service is a vital step towards better transparency. It will ensure court judgments are easily accessible to anyone who needs them.

"Our first official Government record of judgments is a modern one-stop-shop that will benefit everyone, from lawyers and judges to academics, journalists and members of the public."

Dr Natalie Byrom, Director of Research at The Legal Education Foundation, said:

"The launch of the new judgments service at The National Archives is a hugely significant step for open justice. For the first time, the retention and preservation of judgments from courts and tribunals in England and Wales is guaranteed under primary legislation, as is the right for the public to obtain access to these documents.

"The investment in modernising the processes whereby judgments from courts and tribunals reach publication puts in place the infrastructure needed to build towards a complete record- something which is vital for research and policy.

"We are excited and encouraged by the progress made to date and look forward to seeing how the service develops over coming weeks and months."

Judgments provide invaluable information for anyone who requires them for case preparation or research purposes.

Over the coming months and years, The National Archives will work with the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to expand coverage of what is published and made accessible to the public, including judgments from the lower courts and tribunals.

The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

The Foundlings

By Nathan Dylan Goodwin. Published by the author. 2021. 252 pages.

Outside a small set of shops in Haywards Heath in West Sussex, a lone woman steps into a telephone box, sets down a large cloth shoulder bag, and within a few moments, walks away. She leaves the bag and an infant.

Nearly forty years later, Morton Farrier is drawn into the case of three children, foundlings, all similarly abandoned as babies, and the mysterious circumstances of who their mother might be. And as much as Farrier loves a good genealogical mystery, now the secrets are going to hit close to home as he determines that his own half-aunt Margaret may be connected to the unsettling events of long ago.

The revelations jump back and forth between chapters set in the past and those set in the present, but the back-and-forth style of writing doesn’t lose us, and the threads of the past and the present weave together as the tale proceeds.

Mr. Goodwin’s books never fail to please the reader who likes mystery fiction along with a healthy dose of genealogy tossed in. This is the ninth saga in The Forensic Genealogist series, and each is as pleasurable to read as the others.

The author has not lost his magic touch. The Foundlings is an easy read, an engaging read, and nice way to pass the time.

The Foundlings is available from the author at https://www.nathandylangoodwin.com/ as well as from Amazon.

Researchers, historians and genealogists now have an additional 1.6 million pages of The Salt Lake Tribune, at their fingertips. The recent digitizing process added issues dating from 1920 to 2004, to the existing online collection of issues between 1871 and 1919. All 133 years are now keyword searchable and available to the public thanks to a partnership between the U’s J. Willard Marriott Library, Newspapers.com, a division of Ancestry and The Salt Lake Tribune.

The issues can be accessed through Utah Digital Newspapers, a collaborative project based at the J. Willard Marriott Library since 2001. The site now has over 6.7 million pages and another 2 million will come online in the next two to three years. Users can enter a name, place or event and retrieve individual newspaper pages on which that term appears. Powerful searching options allow users to find terms in combinations or terms that appear in proximity to one another.

Twitter has accepted Elon Musk’s offer to purchase the company for $44 billion, the company announced in a press release today. Musk purchased the company at $54.20 a share, the same price named in his initial offer on April 14th.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk in a statement included with the release. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.”

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal also applauded the deal in the release. “Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world,” Agrawal said in an accompanying statement. “Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.”

Musk laid out his plan for funding the deal in an SEC filing on Thursday, which includes $25.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in personal equity. Analysts believe the loans could cost Twitter as much as $1 billion a year in servicing fees, or roughly 20 percent of the company’s annual revenue.