Want to find where people having your last name are found?

“Discover the Origin of Your Last Name” is a web site offering that promises to help you find distribution of names across countries and regions. The site mainly focuses on surnames, because more people with the same surname in a place, means something: either those people are in the region since long ago and the name originates from there or nearby, or members of the same family for some reason relocated there. Want to find where people having your last name are found?

Data from many countries is available, including: Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and more.

The statistics are very reliable for some countries but not so good for others, primarily because of the quality of public records varies from one country to another. The information about surnames is derived from electoral rolls, birth records, census, and similar publicly-available information. There is good data about: the USA, Canada, and many European countries. However, there is poor to no data about: China, Iran, India and most of the African countries.

The searches are quick and easy. A search for my own surname in the U.S. displays the following results:

2,227 

I had no idea the names was so popular in the United States!

Want to find where people having your last name are found? The "Discover the Origin of Your Last Name" website is mainly used for finding origins of names, curiosity, entertainment and genealogy research. 

You can find this and more at the “Discover the Origin of Your Last Name” web site at: https://lastnames.myheritage.com/.

The key to solving Lela Johnston's murder sat in evidence for nearly 50 years before police had the means to identify her killer.

But DNA alone wasn't enough to find out who assaulted and murdered Johnston, a 68-year-old woman who lived alone on north Robinson Avenue in May 1976. Detectives with the OKCPD Cold Case Unit announced this week that for the first time, they used genealogy research to solve a murder case. Putting a face to the DNA profile finally gave Johnston's family the closure they deserve.

"I thought it would never be finished," Johnston's granddaughter Leslie Sullenger recently told police. "It had been so long."

Finding a killer through genealogy

The technology to analyze and compare DNA didn't exist in 1976. During the police investigation, however, detectives collected enough evidence that a sample could be analyzed decades later.

They couldn't find a match in the national database, said OKCPD Det. Chris Miller.

"It kind of went cold again for several years," he said in a video about the investigation produced by the police department.

In recent years, however, with the popularity of at-home DNA tests to learn more about your ancestry, police have been able to compare a suspect's genetic profile to millions of those voluntarily given to genealogy companies. One of the most high-profile cases solved using genealogy was the Golden State Killer serial murder case.

This allows police and researchers to comb through family trees and identify anyone who might be a suspect. Sometimes it produces a lead, sometimes a dead end.

"We thought we were getting close sometimes, and then find out we're down the wrong path," Miller said.

With the help of DNA Labs International and genealogist Allison Martin-Krensky, police eventually discovered their suspect: Charles O. Droke.

Droke was 28 years old when he forced his way into Johnston's home, raped her and brutally killed her. By now, though, Droke was already dead.

Charles O. Droke

Victim's family feels 'at peace'

Sullenger, the granddaughter of Droke's victim, told police that her grandmother was a loving, caring person.

"She sewed fantastic, she made all my school clothes. She cared for her yard, her home," Sullenger said. "I felt that she was an integral part of my life."

The horrific murder was devastating to the family.

"We were extremely upset and confused because they didn't take anything from the house. They just took her life," Sullenger said.

Droke met his own violent end, however. About 13 years after he murdered Lela Johnston, he was shot and killed by his own brother, Edwin. According to news reports at the time, Edwin Droke shot his brother in the head after a confrontation.

Edwin was eventually given the death penalty but killed himself two days later, all but closing out a violent chapter in Oklahoma City's history.

"I just couldn't believe it. After all these years, to finally have an answer. Are they ever going to pay for doing this? And he has," Sullenger said. "It is very important that this is solved. I feel an inner peace now."

Use this once and you will delete everything made by Google from your hard drive:

Software engineer Vishnu Mohandas decided he would quit Google in more ways than one when he learned that the tech giant had briefly helped the US military develop AI to study drone footage. In 2020 he left his job working on Google Assistant and also stopped backing up all of his images to Google Photos. He feared that his content could be used to train AI systems, even if they weren’t specifically ones tied to the Pentagon project. “I don't control any of the future outcomes that this will enable,” Mohandas thought. “So now, shouldn't I be more responsible?”

Mohandas, who taught himself programming and is based in Bengaluru, India, decided he wanted to develop an alternative service for storing and sharing photos that is open source and end-to-end encrypted. Something “more private, wholesome, and trustworthy,” he says. The paid service he designed, Ente, is profitable and says it has more than 100,000 users, many of whom are already part of the privacy-obsessed crowd. But Mohandas struggled to articulate to wider audiences why they should reconsider relying on Google Photos, despite all the conveniences it offers.

Then one weekend in May, an intern at Ente came up with an idea: Give people a sense of what some of Google’s AI models can learn from studying images. Last month, Ente launched  https://Theyseeyourphotos.com,  a website and marketing stunt designed to turn Google’s technology against itself. People can upload any photo to the website, which is then sent to a Google Cloud computer vision program that writes a startlingly thorough three-paragraph description of it. (Ente prompts the AI model to document small details in the uploaded images.)

The full article is rather long. You can find the full thing at:  https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/12/new-website-shows-you-how-much-google-ai-can-learn-from-your-photos/. 

The Adai Caddo Indian Nation is pleased to announce it has been recognized by the Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society (LGHS) as one of the state’s indigenous tribes. As part of this recognition, the Adai Caddo Indian Nation was recorded in the official state registry of indigenous tribes in Baton Rouge. 

“I am so thankful for this long-awaited accomplishment and recognition,” said Chief John Mark Davis of the Adai Caddo Indian Nation. “I am very proud of the culmination of work and research started by my father and beloved past Chief Rufus Davis and for his determination to promote the existence of our tribe. He fought the political, social, and legal battles to ensure the tribe’s recognition by the government. It is our responsibility to continue his work. On behalf of the tribe, thank you to the Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society for this wonderful recognition.”

The Adai Caddo Indian Nation became a state-recognized tribe over 30 years ago with the passing of Louisiana Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 16. The Louisiana Senate asked the US Congress to federally recognize the tribe, but like many other tribes, their federal status continues to be tied up in the multi-year process at the US Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

Prior to European contact, the Adai Caddo inhabited portions of central Louisiana and east Texas. The first European explorer of Louisiana was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. He met the Adai Caddo in 1529, and wrote of them in his famous memoirs, La relación y comentarios. Cabeza’s accounts inspired other explorers such as Hernando de Soto. 

The area remained uncolonized for nearly two centuries. The arrival of French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville (the “Father of Louisiana”), Louis Juchereau de St. Denis (founder of Natchitoches) and Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe (founder of Fort Saint Louis de los Cadodaquious) began the colonization era for present-day Louisiana. These explorers documented their meetings, trade relations, and adventures with their new allies, the Adai Caddo.

The tribe’s involvement with the European colonial powers was so extensive, that the British, French, and Spanish originally named the Sabine River after the tribe (Rio de los Adiais), which is documented in the official records of the Treaty of Paris of 1763. Government records show the Adai Caddo remained allies of the colony, in particular with the strategic outpost of Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches, throughout the colonial period which ended with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The fort became Natchitoches, the oldest town in Louisiana. The Adai Caddo are the founders of the first capital of Texas (present-day Robeline, LA) and the oldest town in Texas (Nacogdoches). 

In the early years of the 18th century, European maps show the Adai Caddo’s territory going from the Red River by Natchitoches to the Trinity River in east Texas. The northern boundary was near Caddo Lake (home of the Petit Caddo) and to the south where the forest uplands meet the alluvial plains and costal marshes (home of the Atakapa). Within 100 years, their territory was reduced to small portions of present-day Natchitoches and Sabine Parish. 

“We are pleased to certify and record the Adai Caddo Indian Nation as an indigenous tribe of Louisiana,” said Robert Brevelle, Chairman of the LGHS. “They are the first peoples of this land. They fed, sheltered, healed, and fought to protect the first European settlers ensuring the future of Louisiana. Their mestizo children are among the first colonial newborns and the first Creoles. The Adai Caddo are woven throughout the fabric of Louisiana history and genealogy. ”

The LGHS was founded in 1953 to collect, preserve, and publish genealogical and historical materials for the state of Louisiana and its people. The Society works closely with genealogy and ancestry libraries, historical societies, state agencies, research facilities and universities. LGHS is headquartered in Baton Rouge and sponsors a spring and fall seminar each year at the Louisiana State Archives building. The Society maintains three official state registries: First Families of Louisiana (families who settled within the present boundaries of the state prior to the Louisiana Purchase), Indigenous Tribes of Louisiana (Native American tribes residing in present-day Louisiana at the time of European contact), and Creoles of Louisiana (Creoles born in Louisiana during the colonial period and their descendants). For over 70 years, the Society has published The Louisiana Genealogical Register - an eclectic collection of Louisiana records as well as historical and genealogical articles. Over 100 libraries subscribe to this journal. Other publications include historical books such as Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812, Federal Census of 1810 for Territory of Orleans, A guide to Printed Sources for Genealogical and Historical Research in the Louisiana Parishes, Be it Known and Remembered: Bible Records (Volumes 1-5), and Early Louisiana Families.

The Adai Caddo Indian Nation of Louisiana is a state-recognized Native American tribe, member of the Native American Commission of the Louisiana Office of Indian Affairs, and oversees a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing educational, emergency disaster and relief services, and other charitable programs to the historic Robeline and La Laguna de los Adaes (Spanish Lake) communities of Natchitoches Parish. This area represents the heart of the U.S. Census Bureau's Adai Caddo State Designated Tribal Statistical Area. The tribe operates a cultural center and museum which also serves as the regional emergency center.  The 80-acre complex includes ceremonial grounds where the tribe hosts an annual powwow and other events.  Visit us at www.adaination.com.

John Avery
Adai Caddo Indian Nation
email us here

Karen Cydrus and Deborah Deal, 2026 OGS Conference Co-Chairs, are happy to announce that they are now accepting speaker proposals for the 2026 OGS Conference which will be held April 29 through May 02, 2026 at Sharonville Convention Center in Sharonville, Ohio. Proposal deadline for the 2026 OGS Conference is May 31, 2025 via email at ogsconference@ogs.org.

By popular demand, the Cyber Monday sale on MyHeritage DNA has been extended for just a few more days — giving everyone one final chance to enjoy this record-breaking price! This is truly the last opportunity to get DNA kits at our lowest price ever. With MyHeritage DNA, users can explore their roots with detailed ethnicity results from 2,114 regions worldwide, connect with relatives globally through advanced DNA matching, and leverage the most comprehensive set of genetic genealogy tools available. Please don’t let your family, friends, and followers miss out on this amazing offer! You can use the graphic above to share the news of this final extension with your audience.  Go to https://www.myheritage.com/dna.

On Aug. 28, 1988, Pierce County Deputies (Washington) responded to a call of a body found in the Puyallup River near Sumner, Washington. A fisherman had located the body of a woman, identified two months later as Tracy Whitney.

Detectives were called out to the scene and an autopsy was performed. The autopsy revealed Whitney's cause of death to be asphyxia by strangulation and probable smothering. She had several blunt force injuries and was believed to have been sexually assaulted. Her death was ruled a homicide and DNA swabs taken from the body.

Detectives interviewed everyone who knew or had dated Whitney to try and find the killer. Unfortunately, the case went cold for years.

In 2005, DNA collected at the crime scene was sent into CODIS; however, no matches could be found. With a grant offered by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in 2022, the cold case detective sergeant submitted the DNA to a third-party lab for genetic genealogy—and they found a match.

The suspect, John Guillot Jr., died a few weeks prior. Detectives matched the suspect DNA to Guillot’s biological son to confirm Guillot Jr. was the suspect. There were no connections between Tracy and Guillot Jr., and detectives believe this was a stranger abduction, rape and murder.

From: https://www.digitalnc.org/blog/franklin-county-library-system-brings-a-new-partnership-and-new-family-records/

Thanks to our new partners at Franklin County Library System, we are excited to announce that nearly a thousand new funeral programs and obituaries are now available on DigitalNC. The funeral programs and obituaries are divided by name and date and can be found in three records on our site:

• Franklin County Funeral Programs, Alston to Kingsberry
• Franklin County Funeral Programs, Lee to Young
• Franklin County Funeral Programs, 2015 to 2022

These funeral programs and obituaries, dating from 1944 to 2022, represent generations of history for many African American families from or associated with Franklin County. The majority of these programs can be found divided among Franklin County Funeral Programs, Alston to Kingsberry, and Franklin County Funeral Programs, Alston to Kingsberry – both of which include indexes at the beginning that list the individuals included in the record. 

To easily search for names within each record, users can locate the search bar titled “Search within this record:” at the bottom of the record viewer and type in the last name of the individual(s) they are looking for. Although many last names are found in several programs and obituaries, this search feature is still a great place to start narrowing down a search. The location of the search bar is indicated by a yellow arrow in the screengrab to the right!

More information about our partner, Franklin County Library System, can be found on their website here. 

Visitors can find all collections contributed by the Franklin County Library System on their partner page here.

Want to convert data from one format to another? Bookmark this web site: https://www.calculatorsoup.com/

Today is the first day of the month. That is a good time to back up your genealogy files. Then test your backups!

Your backups aren't worth much unless you make a quick test by restoring a small file or two after the backup is completed.

Actually, you can make backups at any time. However, it is easier and safer if you have a specific schedule. The first day of the month is easy to remember, so I would suggest you back up your genealogy files at least on the first day of every month, if not more often. (My computers automatically make off-site backups of all new files every few minutes.)

Given the events of the past few months with genealogy websites laying off employees and cutting back on services, you now need backup copies of everything more than ever. What happens if the company that holds your online data either goes off line or simply deletes the service where your data is held? If you have copies of everything stored either in your own computer, what happens if you have a hard drive crash or other disaster? If you have one or more recent backup copies, such a loss would be inconvenient but not a disaster.

Of course, you might want to back up more than your genealogy files. Family photographs, your checkbook register, all sorts of word processing documents, email messages, and much more need to be backed up regularly. Why not do that on the first day of each month? or even more often?