Dame Judi Dench, Ed Balls and Alex Scott are among the stars who will explore their family histories in a new series of Who Do You Think You Are?.

Singer Pixie Lott, comedians Joe Lycett and Josh Widdicombe, and YouTuber Joe Sugg will also take part in the Bafta-winning genealogy show when it returns to BBC One next month.

NOTE: This will be in the BBC version of Who Do You Think You Are? not the U.S. version.

You can learn more at https://bit.ly/2YTg272.

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

One of the vexing problems with old cemeteries and historical sites is the difficulty of finding the locations of unmarked graves. In many cases, the desire is to locate the graves so that they may be identified and left undisturbed by new construction. To be sure, the locations may have been marked at one time with wooden or even stone markers. However, the ravages of time, weather, animals, vandals, and acid rain over the years may have removed all traces of those markers. Locating unmarked graves is also vitally important in solving murder cases.

Historically, the only method of finding unmarked graves has been to start digging – not a very practical solution. However, modern technology now allows cemetery associations, historical societies, family societies, genealogists, archaeologists, police departments, and others to identify the locations of buried bodies and other objects with no digging required.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/11043469.

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077.

With the health of the local community in mind, the Piatt County Historical and Genealogical Society in Monticello, Illinois has announced it will open Mondays and by appointment only in September, October and November.

Monday hours are from 1 to 8 p.m. the first two Mondays of each month, and from 1 to 4 p.m. the other Mondays at the society library, located in the Piatt County Office Building on State Street.

Appointments should be made by email at piatthistory@gmail.com.

The status of hours for December and January, as well as the annual dinner on Dec. 4, will be decided at the society Nov. 30 board meeting.

Current mask mandates will be followed at the library.

Information is also available on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/piatthistory.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

With new parish records, newspapers and a fascinating midwife's register to explore, where will your past take you this week?

Warwickshire Parish Records

Findmypast have added hundreds of thousands of new baptism, marriage and burial records from St Martin in the Bull Ring, Birmingham. Specifically, the new releases cover:

• • • Over 138,000 baptism records
    • Over 155,000 marriage records
    • Over 101,000 burial records

Check Findmypast’s handy parish list to see all of the churches and years covered in their vast Warwickshire collection.

Warwickshire, Coventry Midwife's Birth Register 1845-1875

Coventry midwife Mary Eaves attended over 4,400 births during her long career. The registers she kept are now searchable online, only at Findmypast.

Mary was born around 1806 in Coventry. Her career as a midwife spanned from 1847 to 1875. In that time, she helped deliver 34 sets of twins. There were 21 deaths during the births she attended, five new-borns and 16 mothers.

In partnership with Coventry Family History Society, Findmypast is home to a host of unique resources from the area. Explore old pawnbroker tickets, air raid reports and more.

Newspapers

Findmypast continue to publish papers at a blistering pace. This week sees 44 new publications added to the archive, including:

• • • Age covering 1853
    • Agricultural Advertiser and Tenant-Farmers’ Advocate covering 1846
    • Bell’s Family Newspaper covering 1858
    • Bright’s Intelligencer and Arrival List covering 1860
    • British Banner covering 1848-1849, 1853 and 1855
    • Charles Knight’s Town & Country Newspaper covering 1855-1856
    • Colonist and Commercial Weekly Advertiser covering 1824-1825
    • Common Sense covering 1824-1826
    • Crown covering 1838-1839
    • Croydon Times covering 1861-1870, 1875-1878, 1880-1884, 1891-1899, 1901-1909, 1912-1918, 1920-1923, 1925 and 1927-1933
    • Daily Director and Entr’acte covering 1859
    • Duckett’s Dispatch covering 1818
    • Francis’s Metropolitan News covering 1859
    • Golden Times covering 1852
    • Illustrated London Life covering 1843
    • Illustrated Weekly Times covering 1843
    • Liverpool Telegraph covering 1836 and 1838
    • London Chronicle and Country Record covering 1853-1854
    • London Daily Guide and Stranger’s Companion covering 1859-1860
    • London Journal and General Advertiser for Town and Country covering 1836-1837
    • London Railway Newspaper covering 1845
    • Metropolitan covering 1856
    • Morning Gazette covering 1837
    • National Protector covering 1847
    • New Globe covering 1823
    • Newark Advertiser covering 1910, 1912, and 1987-1988
    • North London Record covering 1858-1869
    • Pen and Pencil covering 1855
    • Picture Times covering 1855-1856
    • Political Observer covering 1819-1820
    • Railway Bell and London Advertiser covering 1844-1846
    • Sunday Evening Globe covering 1836-1837
    • Sunday Morning Herald covering 1824
    • Sunday News covering 1823
    • The British Banner covering 1856 and 1858
    • The Palladium covering 1829
    • Tower Hamlets Mail covering 1857-1858
    • True Briton covering 1801-1804
    • Union covering 1857-1862
    • Vindicator (London) covering 1859
    • Watchman covering 1827-1828
    • Weekly Globe covering 1824-1825
    • West End News covering 1859-1860
    • World and Fashionable Sunday Chronicle covering 1818

California may soon have a law requiring direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to provide information about the collection, use, and disclosure of people’s genetic data.

Senate Bill 41, the Genetic Information Privacy Act, passed the California Senate on concurrence 38-0 on Thursday and will now be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) desk. The bill passed the state Assembly unanimously on Wednesday.

The bill, was introduced by state Sen. Tom Umberg (D) and co-authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D).

The bill specifies, "the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, provides various protections to a consumer with respect to a business that collects the consumer’s personal information, including biometric information such as the consumer’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The act requires a business that collects a consumer’s personal information to, at or before the point of collection, inform the consumer as to the categories of personal information to be collected and the purposes for which the information will be used, and grants to a consumer the right to opt-out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information by the business to a third party."

The text of the bill may be found at: https://aboutblaw.com/Zy5.

“Melungeon” is a term applied to many people of the Southeastern United States, mainly in the Cumberland Gap area of central Appalachia: East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and East Kentucky. The most common adjective used to describe the Melungeons is “mysterious;” no one seems to know where the Melungeons originated. The Melungeons often did not fit into any of the racial categories that define an individual or group within American society; their neighbors considered them neither white, black, nor Indian.

The Melungeons appear to be of mixed ancestry, and contradictory claims about the origins of these people have existed for centuries. Most modern-day descendants of Melungeon families are generally Caucasian in appearance, often, although not always, with dark hair and eyes, and a swarthy or olive complexion. Descriptions of Melungeons vary widely from observer to observer, from "Middle Eastern" to "Native American" to "light-skinned African American."

A common belief about the Melungeons of east Tennessee was that they were an indigenous people of Appalachia, existing there before the arrival of the first white settlers. Many Melungeons believed that their ancestors have lived in the hills since the 1500s or early 1600s. Some claimed to be both Native American and Portuguese. One early Melungeon was called "Spanish" ("Spanish Peggy" Gibson, wife of Vardy Collins). Such claims were questionable, however. Because of the social problems associated with race, many Southern families with multiracial ancestry claimed Portuguese and/or American Indian (specifically Cherokee) ancestry as a strategy for denying African ancestry.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, speculation on Melungeon origins produced tales of shipwrecked sailors, lost colonists of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin, hoards of silver, and ancient peoples such as the Carthaginians, Turkish, and even Sephardic (Iberian) Jews.

In the past twenty years or so, genealogists have documented through tax, court, census and other colonial, late 18th and early 19th century records that the ancestors of today's Melungeons migrated into the region from Virginia and Kentucky. This evidence seems to refute earlier claims that the Melungeons were a "lost tribe" from Portugal or some other European nation that had arrived in the 1500s or 1600s.

Dr. Kevin Jones carried out a DNA study on Melungeons in 2000, using 130 hair and cheek cell samples. The results were vague: Jones concluded that the Melungeons are mostly Eurasian, a catchall category spanning people from Scandinavia to the Middle East. He also found these people to be a little bit black and a little bit American Indian.

More recently, Jack Goins started a Melungeon DNA Project, with the goal of studying the ancestry of hypothesized Melungeon lines. So far, Y chromosomal DNA testing of male subjects with the Melungeon surnames Collins, Gibson, Gill, Goins, Bunch, Bolin, Goodman, Stowers, Williams, Minor, and Moore has revealed evidence of European and sub-Saharan African ancestry. Such findings appear to verify the early designation of Melungeon ancestors as "mulattos," that is, descendants of white Europeans and Africans. Many of the Melungeons, but not all, have DNA haplogroups that show roots in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. These people likely are descendants of enslaved or servant people in the Chesapeake Bay colony with European fathers connected to the African slave trade run by Spain and Portugal.

You can find much more information about the Melungeons at The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People available on Amazon at 0865545162, as well as online at: http://melungeon-studies.blogspot.com, and at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon. Information about the Melungeon DNA Project can be found at https://www.familytreedna.com/public/coremelungeon.

Cologne opens new city archive, 12 years after fatal collapse. “The western German city of Cologne on Friday inaugurated its new historical archive, 12 years after a subway construction mishap collapsed the former building. In March 2009, the Cologne archive building collapsed into an excavation pit of a nearby subway construction project. Two people were killed and irreplaceable historical documents of the 2,000-year-old city were buried in the rubble.”

You can read more at https://www.dw.com/en/cologne-opens-new-city-archive-12-years-after-fatal-collapse/a-59080639.

Issues of The Roanoke Beacon Newspaper, from 1930-1956, Added to DigitalNC. “Additional issues of The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News, published out of Plymouth, NC, are now online thanks to funding from the North Caroliniana Society. This newspaper was recommended for digitization by the Washington County Library which is part of Pettigrew Regional Library. With these additions, you can now search the newspaper from 1899 to 1956.”

A Florida doctor says she will stop treating patients in person if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19, citing the risk of exposing immunocompromised patients and staffer to the virus that has killed over 46,000 people in the state and more than 648,000 nationwide.

“I understand that people are free to choose, but to me, it’s a problem when it affects other people,” Dr. Linda Marraccini said.

With the Delta variant fueling the latest COVID-19 surge, the Marraccini said she had to make a tough decision for her practice.

“When it comes to the safety of others, when it comes to the fact that it’s a global health problem and community health problem, at this point, I really say that this is where it draws the line in the sand for me,” Marraccini said.

You can read more and watch a video at https://bit.ly/3yVAJva.

The following is from FamilySearch:

SALT LAKE CITY, UT–FamilySearch expanded its free online collections this week with more Catholic Church records from Mexico (Jalisco 1590–1979, Puebla 1545–1977, San Luis Potosí 1586–1977, and Tlaxcala 1576–1994), civil registrations from Guatemala (Alta Verapaz 1877–1994, Baja Verapaz 1877–1994, Chimaltenango 1877–1994, El Progreso 1877–1994, Escuintla 1877–1994, Huehuetenango 1877–1994, Izabal 1877–1994, Jalapa 1877–1994, Jalapa 1877–1994, Retalhuleu 1877–1994, and Sololá 1877-1994), and tax assessment rolls from Canada (Ontario 1834–1899).

US collections added voter registrations from Louisiana (Orleans and St. Tammany Parish 1867–1905), tax records for Massachusetts (Boston 1822–1918), and marriage records for Oregon (1906–1968).

Search these new records and images by clicking on the collection links below, or go to FamilySearch to search over 11 billion free names and record images.

Country Collection Indexed Records Digital Images Comments

Argentina Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981 15,590 0 Expanded collection

Argentina Argentina, Cemetery Records, 1882-2019 38,624 0 Expanded collection

Argentina Argentina, Corrientes, Catholic Church Records, 1734-1977 1,835 0 Expanded collection

Australia Australia, Victoria, Wills, Probate and Administration Files, 1841-1926 4,950 0 Expanded collection

Bolivia Bolivia Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996 917 0 Expanded collection

Brazil Brazil, Cemetery Records, 1850-2021 73,202 0 Expanded collection

Brazil Brazil, Paraná, Civil Registration, 1852-1996 15,198 0 Expanded collection

Canada Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899 151,824 0 Expanded collection

Costa Rica Costa Rica, Catholic Church Records, 1595-1992 2,306 0 Expanded collection

Croatia Croatia, Delnice Deanery Catholic Church Books, 1571-1926 2,753 0 Expanded collection

Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Miscellaneous Records, 1921-1980 21,004 0 Expanded collection

Dominican Republic Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1955 5,877 0 Expanded collection

Ecuador Ecuador, Catholic Church Records, 1565-2011 3,661 0 Expanded collection

France France, Haute-Vienne, Census, 1836 16,573 0 Expanded collection

France France, Saône-et-Loire, Parish and Civil Registration, 1530-1892 87 0 Expanded collection

French Polynesia French Polynesia, Civil Registration, 1780-1999 824 0 Expanded collection

Germany Germany, Saxony, Church Book Indexes, 1500-1900 3,399 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 132,096 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Baja Verapaz, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 30,341 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Chimaltenango, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 72,160 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, El Progreso, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 18,241 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Escuintla, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 51,977 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 87,661 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Izabal, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 41,067 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Jalapa, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 16,356 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Retalhuleu, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 24,682 0 Expanded collection

Guatemala Guatemala, Sololá, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 29,991 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Chiapas, Catholic Church Records, 1557-1978 992 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Durango, Catholic Church Records, 1604-1985 12,120 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Hidalgo, Catholic Church Records, 1546-1971 1,579 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Jalisco, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1979 1,441,955 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Oaxaca, Catholic Church Records, 1559-1988 3,015 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Puebla, Catholic Church Records, 1545-1977 26,460 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Catholic Church Records, 1586-1977 592,193 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Sinaloa, Catholic Church Records, 1671-1968 1,119 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Tlaxcala, Catholic Church Records, 1576-1994 26,466 0 Expanded collection

Mexico Mexico, Veracruz, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1978 684,289 0 Expanded collection

Norway Norway, Probate Index Cards, 1640-1903 7,953 0 Expanded collection

Paraguay Paraguay, Catholic Church Records, 1754-2015 61,312 0 Expanded collection

Peru Peru, Diocese of Huaraz, Catholic Church Records, 1641-2016 6,206 0 Expanded collection

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, Civil Births and Deaths, 1802-2016 3,530 0 Expanded collection

South Africa South Africa, Netherdutch Reformed Church Registers (Pretoria Archive), 1838-1991 14 0 Expanded collection

Spain Spain, Catholic Church Records, 1307-1985 41,818 0 Expanded collection

Spain Spain, Diocese of Albacete, Catholic Church Records, 1504-1979 2,960 0 Expanded collection

Spain Spain, Diocese of Cartagena, Catholic Church Records, 1503-1969 17,246 0 Expanded collection

Sweden Sweden, Örebro Church Records, 1613-1918; index 1635-1860 5,351 0 Expanded collection

Switzerland Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1850 4,851 0 Expanded collection

Switzerland Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1880 4,604 0 Expanded collection

United States Louisiana, Orleans and St. Tammany Parish, Voter Registration Records, 1867-1905 244,858 0 Expanded collection

United States Massachusetts, Boston Tax Records, 1822-1918 257,907 0 Expanded collection

United States New Jersey, County Naturalization Records, 1749-1986 3 0 Expanded collection

United States Oregon, Oregon State Archives, Marriage Records, 1906-1968 290,801 0 Expanded collection

United States The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church Census Records (Worldwide), 1914-1960 1 0 Expanded collection

United States United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955 31,518 0 Expanded collection

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.