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WDYTYA Cancelled: A Sad Farewell

With only four million viewers for this season’s premier and steadily tumbling ratings, NBC has cancelled the genealogy program “Who Do You Think You Are” in its third season…and it is a sad farewell for many fans.

Over its three-year span, the show produced by Lisa Kudrow has helped an A-list of big names such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen to trace their family trees all over the globe. The show should also be credited for the part it has played in inspiring a great many viewers to search out their own ancestral roots.

No one will miss the show more than sponsors Ancestry.com as the backlash hit them hard when stocks dropped 13.7% after NBC announced the cancellation.

In April of last year, Ancestry.com’s stocks were at a peak with a worth of $45.79 and 1.7 million subscribers. At the opening of trading on Monday May 14, 2012, the genealogy giant’s shares were sitting at $26.16. By the close of the day, stocks had devalued to $22.57 losing $3.59 through the day.

In a press release earlier this week Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com said, “We want to thank NBC for their support of this terrific series, which over the last three years has inspired many viewers to follow their passion to learn more about who they are and where they come from,” adding, “We have a great partnership with the show’s producers, Is or Isn’t Entertainment and Shed Media, and we look forward to exploring other avenues of distribution.”

The programs last episode will air tonight with celebrity guest Paula Deen.

Adoption and Genealogy: A Primer for Adoptees

Growing up in a family with a very healthy and robust “Scotts” pride brought the significance of family history home to me at a young age. From my family I gained an awareness of ancestry. Additionally, I experienced the sense of connection that only comes from knowing your ancestral roots…from the unique perspective of an adopted child.

As an adopted child, no matter how wonderful my family was at involving me in every aspect of their proud heritage, I was always aware that it did not really belong to me. I was equally aware that one day I wanted to trace my own lineage.

Through countless conversations with other adoptees, I know that this is a common theme.  As a result, I have come to believe that there is an intrinsic yearning in all of us to seek out and understand our ancestral and cultural origins.

Adoption is a Unique Genealogy Challenge

Genealogy for adoptees presents unique challenges on both emotional and practical levels. Among them are restrictive laws, ethical considerations, rights to privacy and even a sense of taboo associated with an adoptee attempting to trace their family tree.

Not least, among these concerns is the need to be sensitive to the feelings of an adoptive family, who may or may not support the wish to uncover a separate family history. Having said this, it also bears mentioning that an adoptees wish to uncover their genetic origins does not presume a desire to know their birth parents.

Still, out of a sense of loyalty and sometimes a guilty feeling of betrayal, sadly many adoptees wait until their adoptive parents have passed on before beginning any research. Clearly, genealogy for adoptees is a complicated matter that requires a good deal of careful consideration, patience, understanding and support.

If you are an adoptee, who wants to research your genetic family tree here are a few suggestions you may want to revue before beginning.

 

Seek Support

Before you begin your genealogical journey, join an adoption support group. Meeting other adoptees with similar interests in family tree research can be a great source of support and advice.

 

First Steps

Before you can begin your research, you are going to need a little basic information; you can start by asking yourself the following questions:

Do you know your place of birth? (Hospital, town/city, state, country)

Do you know if an attorney or agency handled your adoption?

Have you been told anything about your birthparents or the circumstances of your adoption?

Do you have a copy of your birth certificate or adoption decree?

 

Prepare Yourself

Before you find a birth parent, you should fully understand the need for discretion. Their lives may have changed significantly from the time they gave you up. It is possible that not all members of the family are aware of the adoption. Even if they are, they may not be supportive of any new contact. Respect their right to privacy.

 

Once you have accomplished all of the above steps, you will have gained some understanding of what you are taking on. You will also be far more prepared to begin your research in earnest.

Genealogy Beginner supports the efforts of all adoptees in their quest to discover their roots. Join us on the Ask a Genealogist forum where your questions about genealogy and adoption are encouraged by our resident genealogist, who is also an adoptee.

 

Image Credit: Nath_013 via Photobucket

 

 

 

November 2011: Discovery Kingsley Plantation Slave Cemetery

The rare discovery of a 19^th century slave cemetery was made in the summer of 2010 by University of Florida anthropologist James Davidson.  The site containing the skeletal remains of six individuals was found on the Kingsley Plantation, Fort George Island, Jacksonville Florida; home to the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.  Working with the University of Florida’s archeological field school, Davidson, who led the expedition says,

 

“We didn’t stumble over this by accident like so many of these discoveries, we had reason to believe this was here for a long time.”

The clues that led to discovery

Study of the Kingsley plantation began as early as 1968 by former University of Florida professor Dr. Charles Fairbanks, who conducted an excavation of a slave cabin on the site.  Continuing this work, Davidson, following century old leads that depicted the site as being in close proximity to an old oak tree, found the site located slightly off the main road leading to the plantation house.  Nearby were the remains of the old slave quarters. Several clues including square cut nails and a number of buttons helped establish a date for the burials. Osteological measurements (measurements of bones) indicated that the remains were of African descent, validating the authenticity of the site.

The remains

Of the remains discovered, there were three children, a woman of approximately 60 years old, a man of approximately 40 years old and a sixth body whose age and gender could not be determined.  Out of respect for the dead all artifacts will remain at the site and will not be removed to another location.

Why this is important

Often buried without ceremony, with no grave markers left to characterize the lives of slaves or denote their passing. Archeological finds of this magnitude may give slaves and their descendants some resolution, in addition to well deserved acknowledgement. Although announcements of the discovery were suspended to permit further research and allow for the possibility of finding descendants; in this instance there is no way to identify the remains. No documentation has been found that could lead to the identification of living relatives.

Conclusion

Dr. Johnetta Cole, a descendant of the Kingsley family and director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, speaking in a press conference about the discovery states,

“My ancestral roots are so deeply planted in this place, you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. This discovery of an African burial ground, a burial ground of enslaved people, helps us to understand where all of us have been and now where and how we can go forward.”