It’s a genealogy homecoming! It has just been announced that the hit TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” is returning to its original home network NBC after 7 years. Read on to learn more about this exciting transition and what’s in store for the new season.
After 7 years of airing on TLC, the celebrity family history TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” is transitioning back to NBC, where it originally aired from 2010-2012. The producers are excited about this homecoming and you should be, too!
“Who Do You Think You Are?” Returns to NBC
From the NBC Press Release, Universal City, Calif. May 6, 2019:
The Emmy Award-winning documentary series “Who Do You Think You Are?” returns to celebrate all new journeys of self-discovery, connection and diversity on NBC with 13 episodes. A new group of celebrities will celebrate culture and set sail on their mission to connect with their personal history.
From executive producers Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, and Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, the series returns to NBC at a time when ancestral and genealogical exploration is enjoying unprecedented popularity. Cutting-edge research tools and billions of digitized records from Ancestry will provide remarkable insights into the star’s background and illustrate the cultural mosaic that connects us all together.
“Dan and I could not possibly be happier to be back at NBC where we get to work with Paul Telegdy, George Cheeks and Meredith Ahr. It honestly feels like we’re back home,” said executive producer Lisa Kudrow.
“Now, more than ever, people are looking to connect with their ancestry to uncover a deeper understanding of who they are,” said Meredith Ahr, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. “We’re excited to once again travel around the world with some of our favorite celebrities as they get answers and surprises about family members who came before them.”
Each week a different celebrity will go on a poignant search to trace their family tree with the help of historians and experts, unlocking past mysteries and unbelievable real-life stories across the world and through time.
“Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky, along with our team at Shed Media, have made ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ not only a great television show but a genre-defining brand. We are thrilled to come back home to NBC. It couldn’t be a more perfect fit,” said Mike Darnell, President, Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television.
“Who Do You Think You Are” will be produced by Shed Media and Is or Isn’t Entertainment. Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Pam Healey and Stephanie Schwam will executive produce.”
Lisa’s Exclusive Interview with Lisa Kudrow!
Check out this exclusive interview from season 5 of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, episode #81 where Lisa Louise Cooke interviews Lisa Kudrow, executive producer of Who Do You Think You Are? and star of the hit tv show Friends. Click the YouTube video player to listen to the interview in its entirety.
From coast to coast, U.S. records from the ‘genealogy giants’ are new and updated this week. Findmypast has a new collection of mine accident records for Pennsylvania (and we’ll also highlight a similar collection for England). Ancestry.com has updated a large number of genealogy collections for U.S. marriage, census, and military records that you’ll want to check out. And lastly, FamilySearch has made updates to a small set of U.S. county, tax, and enumeration records.
Pennsylvania, Register Of Mine Accidents
Mining was an integral part of United States history. Immigrants were able to find work in the mines but sometimes at great risk and peril. Findmypast has a new collection that may shed light on the miners in your family tree.
The Pennsylvania Register of Mine Accidents is a collection containing records from the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries. These records document mine accidents for the anthracite districts and the bituminous districts between 1899 and 1972. They are held by the Pennsylvania State Archives and links to the PDF versions of the accident registers are available on the transcripts.
The records explain where the accident happened, the cause, whether the accident was or was not fatal, and who was at fault. A few examples of the accidents include caught in a conveyor belt, runaway trip wrecked into an empty trip, crushed with a possible fracture of the leg, fallen roof, and falling coal.
With each record, you will find a transcript of the vital information about the individual involved in the mining accident, including nationality, name, age, marital status, and other details. Over time the amount of information recorded at the time of the accident changed as the volume of accidents diminished.
More Mining Records at Findmypast
If your mining ancestors were immigrants, they may have also been miners in their home countries. Findmypast has another fascinating collection of records of England Mining Disaster Victims. Included in these records are the 26 children who lost their lives in the Huskar Pit disaster of 1838 as well as 88 of the men who died in the Cadeby Main pit disaster in 1912. The initial explosion at Cadeby Main killed a total of 38 men; however, when a rescue party was sent in, another explosion occurred, killing 53 of the rescue workers.
From these transcripts, you can discover the following information: name, birth year, age, event date, colliery, and incident details. Four counties are represented in the records: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. This collection has been obtained from the Alan Beales Database of Fatalities in the Coal Fields. Additional information about the records can we found on the source’s website.
Updated U.S. Records at Ancestry.com
Over at Ancestry.com you’ll find big updates to numerous records collections for the U.S.
Lastly, we head over to the all-free genealogy giant website FamilySearch. This week they’ve made updates to the following US genealogy records collections:
Most of these updates are pretty small, under 2,000 records. But you never know where your ancestor’s name might be lurking! The Ohio Tax Records collection has over 1.5 million new records, so if you have Ohio ancestors you’ll definitely want to check it out.
More U.S. Research Resources on the Free Genealogy Gems Podcast
If you’re filling in the gaps of your family tree with your U.S. ancestors, you’ll love episode #193 of the free Genealogy Gems Podcast! In this episode, we’ll talk about tips for using the U.S. Public Records Index. We’ll also dig deep into using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for genealogy research, including what kind of records you can access, how to request them, and more. Take listen to this episode right now in the YouTube media player below, or find it on the go on the Genealogy Gems App!
About the Author: Lisa Louise Cooke is the producer and host of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, an online genealogy audio show and app. She is the author of the books The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, Mobile Genealogy, How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers, and the Google Earth for Genealogy video series. She is an international keynote speaker and the Vice President of the Genealogical Speakers Guild.
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