Chi è mio padre

Mio padre è nato nel 1941 nel nostro paese natale, Dörsdorf, il più giovane di 11 figli. Non ha mai conosciuto suo padre, morto nel maggio del 1941, pochi mesi prima della sua nascita, avvenuta in ottobre. Forse è anche per questo che la domanda sulle proprie origini lo ha accompagnato così profondamente per tutta la vita.

La sua è stata una vita dedicata agli altri. Inizialmente si è formato come falegname, poi ha cambiato percorso professionale — prima diventando massaggiatore e assistente di piscina, e successivamente fisioterapista sportivo. Ha lavorato come libero professionista per 26 anni ed è stato allenatore della squadra Rot-Weiß Hasborn per quasi 40 anni. “Il Rot-Weiß è la mia anima”, dice, e si capisce subito che non sta esagerando. Ancora oggi — a quasi 85 anni — conduce il gruppo di ginnastica per anziani di Dörsdorf, che lui stesso fondò nel 1987.

E poi c’è la Croce Rossa. Ne fa parte dal 1956 — quest’anno sono 70 anni. Ha iniziato a 14 anni occupandosi delle raccolte fondi, poi è diventato tesoriere, ha fondato nel 1960 il gruppo locale della Croce Rossa Giovanile e ne è stato il primo responsabile — all’epoca con sei ragazze; nel 1972 i giovani erano diventati 33. In seguito è stato responsabile operativo e delle emergenze e, per 24 anni, anche presidente dell’associazione locale della Croce Rossa di Dörsdorf. Oggi ne è presidente onorario. Per il suo impegno nella vita pubblica ha ricevuto la medaglia d’onore della città di Lebach. “Tutto fatto con gioia”, è l’unica cosa che dice a riguardo.

In tutto questo, la fede lo accompagna. È cattolico e Dio ha un ruolo importante nella sua vita. Quando gli si chiede delle diverse grafie del suo cognome, sorride e minimizza: “Che siamo ‘Dio dona’ o ‘dono di Dio’ — siamo comunque figli di Dio”.

Come è iniziato tutto

La nostra ricerca delle origini è iniziata con un test del DNA. Intorno al 2015, MyHeritage era sempre più presente e ci siamo incuriositi: da dove veniamo davvero? Poco alla volta, quasi tutta la famiglia ha fatto il test. Quando sono arrivati i risultati — una percentuale da una zona, un’altra percentuale da un’altra — ne sono rimasta immediatamente affascinata.

La curiosità si è trasformata in una passione. Sono diventata membro Premium e, soprattutto durante il periodo del Covid, passavo giorno e notte a lavorare sull’albero genealogico. Ho consultato vecchi libri genealogici locali e registri parrocchiali, ricostruito ogni linea familiare singolarmente e trovato continuamente nuovi pezzi del puzzle grazie ai collegamenti su MyHeritage. Una volta che inizi, è quasi una dipendenza. Oggi il nostro albero genealogico conta quasi 8.900 persone.

Un nome che ha viaggiato con la storia

Più andavo indietro nel tempo, più il nome stesso diventava affascinante. Nel corso dei secoli veniva scritto a volte con l’accento e a volte senza — Dieudonné o Dieudonne. Mio padre lo scrive senza accento. Mi ha spiegato che l’accento sulla “é” compariva e scompariva a seconda che la nostra regione appartenesse in quel momento alla Francia o alla Germania: “Quando perdevamo la guerra e diventavamo francesi, c’era l’accento. Quando tornavamo tedeschi, spariva”.

Quando da giovane dovette richiedere la carta d’identità, all’ufficio gli dissero semplicemente che da quel momento l’accento sarebbe stato eliminato — così, dopo 17 anni, il suo nome era improvvisamente cambiato. I nostri antenati, tra l’altro, vivevano già nel Saarland nel 1735; oggi nessuno in famiglia parla francese. Ciò che rimane è il dialetto — e il nome.

Una radice che non ci aspettavamo

Non ci aspettavamo tutto ciò che abbiamo scoperto. Nella nostra linea genealogica abbiamo incontrato Maria Theresia Karoline Oberthal, nata nel 1793 a Freisen — una donna ebrea che in seguito si convertì al cattolicesimo e sposò un membro della famiglia Dieudonné. Questa parte delle nostre origini compare anche nei risultati del DNA, con una piccola percentuale di ascendenza ebraica ashkenazita. È una pista che vorrei continuare a seguire, perché finora sono riuscita a trovare pochissime informazioni su di lei. Ma sono proprio scoperte come questa a mostrare quanti percorsi diversi possano convergere all’interno di un unico cognome.

L’idea del regalo

Sapendo quanto il suo nome e le sue origini siano importanti per mio padre, per il suo 85° compleanno volevo regalargli qualcosa di davvero speciale — non semplicemente un’altra gita, ma qualcosa che appartenesse soltanto a lui. Mentre lavoravo all’albero genealogico, mi è venuta un’idea: e se lo portassi per un giorno esattamente nei luoghi in cui avevano vissuto i suoi antenati?

Ho organizzato personalmente l’itinerario e raccontato tutto in una lettera. In quel momento, il nostro antenato più antico conosciuto era Jean Dieudonné, nato nel 1625. Ma appena pochi giorni prima del viaggio, durante un’ultima ricerca, ne ho scoperto un altro: Gilles Dieudonné, nato intorno al 1590 a Carvin — circa 500 chilometri di distanza. Improvvisamente, la nostra storia arrivava ancora più indietro nel tempo di quanto avessi immaginato.

Un viaggio nel tempo

Un giorno di primavera siamo partiti da Dörsdorf in direzione della Lorena, per poi tornare nel Saarland: Vergaville, Albestroff, Bettviller, Tholey, Scheuern, Dorf. Tappa dopo tappa, nomi e date sono diventati luoghi reali: campanili, strade, cimiteri.

Ci siamo fermati in ogni antica chiesa. Molti di questi edifici esistevano già quando i nostri antenati vivevano in quei luoghi. “Sicuramente sono entrati anche loro qui dentro”, ha detto mio padre. Così, in ogni chiesa abbiamo acceso una candela, in memoria di chi non c’è più e per il benessere di chi è ancora con noi. Per lui, uomo di fede, era qualcosa di più di un semplice gesto — era un piccolo segno silenzioso del legame che ci unisce.

Non sono mancati anche momenti più divertenti. Da qualche parte in Francia, improvvisamente una macchina della polizia si è fermata accanto a noi con i lampeggianti accesi — due persone del Saarland ferme davanti al cartello di un paese avevano incuriosito gli agenti. Noi non parlavamo francese e loro non parlavano tedesco. Abbiamo comunicato con gesti, mani, piedi e Google Translate. Alla fine, uno dei poliziotti ci ha persino scattato una foto e girato un breve video, con l’auto della polizia e i lampeggianti sullo sfondo. Anche questo fa parte della ricerca degli antenati nella loro antica terra.

Il momento che ha reso tutto speciale

Mio padre in realtà è un tipo piuttosto duro. Ma quel giorno questa storia lo ha profondamente commosso. Già quando aveva letto la lettera con cui gli annunciavo il viaggio, era rimasto senza parole. Abbiamo concluso la giornata cenando insieme nel nostro paese natale, Dörsdorf — alla locanda “Zur Starz”, che esiste dal 1870 circa e che anche i suoi genitori frequentavano. Quando siamo tornati a casa, mi ha abbracciata forte e ha semplicemente detto:

“Grazie per questa bellissima giornata.”

Per me, è tutto racchiuso in quelle parole. Un uomo che non aveva mai avuto la possibilità di conoscere suo padre si trovava improvvisamente nei luoghi in cui i suoi antenati avevano vissuto, amato e ricominciato ogni volta da capo. I nomi e le date dell’albero genealogico non erano più semplici informazioni, ma persone con delle storie. E lui era uno di loro.

E la ricerca continua

Da tempo ormai non faccio più queste ricerche soltanto per noi. Una volta, attraverso un piccolo DNA Match di appena l’1,9%, sono entrata in contatto con una parente lontana la cui famiglia non sapeva nemmeno da dove iniziasse il proprio albero genealogico — e sono riuscita a regalarle un albero completo. Momenti come questi sono tra i più belli per me.

Grazie alla grande famiglia di mio padre, il nome Dieudonné continua a vivere. E la mia ricerca non è finita: ci sono ancora piste da seguire, grafie più antiche e indizi che voglio approfondire. Forse un giorno qualcuno dalla Francia si farà persino vivo dopo aver ritrovato i nostri antenati nel proprio albero genealogico.

Se c’è una cosa che ho imparato, è questa: un albero genealogico non è mai soltanto una raccolta di date. È un modo per mostrare alle persone che amiamo da dove vengono — e per donare loro qualcosa che resta. Per l’85° compleanno di mio padre sono riuscita a regalargli proprio questo: 400 anni di storia familiare, racchiusi in un solo giorno.

Un sentito grazie ad Anne e a suo padre Aloysius per aver condiviso con noi questa storia così emozionante. Se anche voi avete fatto una scoperta speciale grazie a MyHeritage, ci farebbe piacere conoscerla. Potete raccontarci la vostra storia scrivendo a stories@myheritage.com.

The post Il cognome di mio padre ha 400 anni di storia. Per il suo 85° compleanno, abbiamo seguito le sue tracce fino in Francia appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Who my father is

My father was born in 1941 in our home village of Dörsdorf, as the youngest of 11 children. He never met his own father, who died in May 1941, just a few months before my father was born in October. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the question of where he comes from has affected him so deeply throughout his life.

His has been a life in the service of others. He first trained as a carpenter, then retrained — first as a masse therapist and pool attendant, and later as a sports physiotherapist. He was self-employed for 26 years and served as the trainer for the Rot-Weiß Hasborn major league team for almost 40 years. “Rot-Weiß is my soul,” he says, and you can tell: there’s no exaggeration there. To this day — at almost 85 — he leads the senior gymnastics in Dörsdorf, which he founded himself in 1987.

And then there is the Red Cross. He has been a member since 1956 — this year makes it 70 years. He started at 14 as a collection agent, became treasurer, founded the local Youth Red Cross group in 1960, and was its first leader — back then with six girls, and by 1972 there were 33 young people. Later, he was the readiness and operations manager and also the first chairman of the DRK local association in Dörsdorf for 24 years. Today, he is the honorary chairman. For his service in public life, he received the medal of honor from the city of Lebach. “All with joy,” is all he says about it.

Faith carries him through all of this. He is Roman Catholic, and God is important to him. When you ask him about the different spellings of his name, he waves it off with a smile: “Whether we are ‘God gives’ or ‘gift of God’ — we are children of God.”

How it all began

Our search for traces began with a DNA test. Around 2015, MyHeritage was present everywhere, and we were curious: where do we actually come from? Little by little, almost the whole family here at home took a test. When the results arrived — this percent from here, that percent from there — I was immediately hooked.

Curiosity turned into a passion. I became a Premium member, and especially during the Corona period, I sat at the family tree day and night. I scoured the old local family books and church records, traced each line individually, and always found new pieces of the puzzle through the connections on MyHeritage. Once you’re in it, it’s like an addiction. Today, there are almost 8,900 people in our family tree.

A name that migrated with history

The further back I went, the more fascinating the name itself became. Over the centuries, it was sometimes written with an accent, sometimes without — Dieudonné or Dieudonne. My father himself writes it without an accent. He explained to me that the accent on the “é” came and went, depending on whether our region belonged to France or Germany at the time: “When the war was lost and we were French, the accent was there. And when we were German, it was gone.”

When he needed his identity card as a young man, he was unceremoniously told at the office that they were simply leaving the accent off now — after 17 years, his name was suddenly different. Incidentally, our ancestors were already settled in Saarland in 1735; nobody in the family speaks French today. What remains is the dialect — and the name.

A root we hadn’t expected

We hadn’t expected everything we found. In our line, we came across Maria Theresia Karoline Oberthal, born in 1793 in Freisen — a Jewish woman who later converted to Catholicism and married into the Dieudonné family. This part of our origin is also reflected in the DNA results, with a small Ashkenazi Jewish percentage. It is a trail I would still like to follow, because little can be found about her so far. But it is exactly such discoveries that show how many different paths converge in a single family name.

The idea for the gift

Because I know how much his name and his origins mean to my father, I wanted to give him something very special for his 85th birthday — not just another excursion, but something that belongs to him alone. While sitting at the family tree, the thought came to me: what if I took him on a day trip to the exact places where his ancestors lived?

I mapped out the route myself and recorded everything in a letter. At that time, our oldest known ancestor was Jean Dieudonné, born in 1625. Just a few days before the trip, during a final search, I discovered another one: Gilles Dieudonné, born around 1590 in Carvin — about 500 km away. Our trail suddenly reached back even further than I had thought.

A journey through time

One day in spring, we set off from Dörsdorf towards Lorraine and back to Saarland: Vergaville, Albestroff, Bettviller, Tholey, Scheuern, Dorf. Stop by stop, names and dates became real places: church towers, paths, cemeteries.

We stopped in every old church. Many of these buildings have been standing since before our ancestors lived there. “They were definitely in there too,” my father said. So we lit a candle in each one, in memory of the deceased and for the well-being of the living. For him, a man of faith, this was more than a gesture — it was a quiet sign that we belong together.

There were also lighthearted moments. Somewhere in France, the police suddenly pulled up next to us with flashing blue lights — two Saarlanders parked in front of a town sign made the officers curious. We couldn’t speak French, and they couldn’t speak German. We communicated using our hands, feet, and Google Translate. In the end, one of the police officers even took a picture of us and shot a short video, with the police car and its flashing lights in the background. So much for ancestor research in the old homeland.

The moment that made it all worthwhile

My father is actually a bit of a tough guy. But on this day, the subject really softened him. Even when he read my letter kicking off the journey, he was blown away. We ended the day with a dinner together in our home village of Dörsdorf — at the “Zur Starz” inn, which has been around since about 1870 and where his parents had previously been guests. When we came home afterwards, he hugged me tightly and simply said:

“Thank you for the beautiful day.”

For me, everything is captured in that. A man who never had the chance to meet his own father suddenly stood in the places where his ancestors lived, loved, and repeatedly started anew. The names and dates from the family tree were no longer dry facts, but people with stories. And he was one of them.

And the search continues

I have long since stopped doing this research just for us. Through a small DNA Match of only 1.9%, I once came across a distant relative whose family didn’t even know where their family tree began — I was able to present her with a complete tree. Such moments are among the most beautiful for me.

Through my father’s large family, the name Dieudonné lives on. And my search is not over: there are still open trails, older spellings, and clues I want to follow up on. Perhaps one day someone from France will even get in touch, having rediscovered our ancestors in their own list.

If I have learned one thing, it is this: a family tree is never just a collection of dates. It is a way to show the people you love where they come from — and thereby give them something that lasts. I was able to give my father exactly that for his 85th birthday: 400 years of family, in a single day.

Many thanks to Anne and her father Aloysius for sharing this touching story with us. If you have also made a special discovery with MyHeritage, we would love to hear about it. Feel free to email your story to us at stories@myheritage.com.

The post My Father’s Surname Goes Back 400 Years. For His 85th Birthday, We Followed It All the Way to France appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Y-DNA analysis on MyHeritage. Y-DNA results are available for male customers only, and reveal your Y haplogroup: your place on the human paternal family tree. They allow you to trace your direct paternal ancestors from ancient Africa to the present day and discover the populations, places, and even the notable individuals who share your lineage.

Y-DNA results are available on the MyHeritage website and require a Complete or Omni plan.

If you have already tested with MyHeritage DNA:

Explore your Y-DNA results

If you haven’t purchased a MyHeritage DNA kit yet, order your kit today:

Order DNA kit

What is Y-DNA?

Y-DNA is the genetic material found on the Y chromosome, which is passed almost unchanged from father to son, generation after generation. Because it doesn’t mix with the mother’s DNA the way most of our genome does, it acts like a time capsule for the direct paternal line: your father’s father’s father, and so on.

Every male human belongs to a Y haplogroup: a branch on the human paternal family tree that represents a group of people sharing a common male ancestor far back in history, through their paternal line. Your haplogroup reflects which ancient population your paternal line belonged to and how that lineage spread across the world over thousands of years. With more than one hundred thousand haplogroups identified to date, the tree is remarkably detailed.

What’s included in Y-DNA results, and how to upgrade to get a higher-resolution haplogroup

Y-DNA results on MyHeritage provide a broad overview of your direct paternal line: your haplogroup, its ancient migration path, its presence around the world today, and connections to notable and ancient individuals who share your paternal lineage.

These results are presented in collaboration with FamilyTreeDNA, a global leader in Y-DNA and a trusted MyHeritage partner for over a decade. Their expertise in Y-DNA and their database of hundreds of thousands of Y-DNA testers make this the natural partnership to bring Y-DNA results to MyHeritage for the first time.

For those intrigued by their Y-DNA results on MyHeritage who want to explore their paternal lineage in more depth, FamilyTreeDNA’s Big Y-700 test is recommended as an optional upgrade directly from within your Y-DNA results on MyHeritage. More details about this upgrade are presented further below.

Accessing your Y-DNA results

Y-DNA results are available only for DNA kits belonging to biological males, since only males carry a Y chromosome. If you are one of our female customers, you can still explore your paternal line by ordering a MyHeritage DNA test for a close male relative — for example, your brother, father, paternal uncle, or paternal grandfather.

For the majority of male users who have taken a MyHeritage DNA test or uploaded their data in the past, there is no need to take a new test to access your Y-DNA results. Simply log in to your MyHeritage account and click Y-DNA on the DNA menu.

Accessing Y-DNA results from the DNA menu

The first time you visit the Y-DNA page, a special version of this page will be displayed where you will need to click a button to generate your Y-DNA results, as shown below:

Accessing Y-DNA results for the first time

You’ll be asked to give your consent before results are generated. Once you do, your results will be ready within approximately one hour, and you’ll receive an email as soon as they are available. Click the link in the email or visit the Y-DNA page again to access your results.

Note that a small number of old uploaded kits may not be supported, and in these cases, a message will inform you that you need to take a new test.

Reviewing your Y-DNA Results

Once you enter the Y-DNA page, a panel on the left gives you 6 reports to pick from. The first one, described below, is displayed by default.

Haplogroup Story

Your first stop is the Haplogroup Story, which introduces you to your haplogroup and the larger haplogroup family it belongs to. Every haplogroup is part of a wider family group that shares a common heritage.

Y-DNA: Haplogroup Story (click to zoom)

Here you’ll find a description of the origins and spread of your haplogroup, a paternal lineage diagram, a timeline, and Haplogroup Badges that capture the key characteristics of your line at a glance.

Migration Map

Y-DNA: Migration Map (click to zoom)

All human male lineages trace back to a single common ancestor who lived in Africa around 230,000 years ago, nicknamed Y-Adam. The Migration Map traces the estimated path your haplogroup took from Y-Adam through each ancestral branch all the way to your haplogroup today. A timeline below the map shows where each branching point occurred and places your haplogroup in the context of its “parent” and “sibling” branches throughout history.

Notable Connections

Y-DNA: Notable Connections (click to zoom)

Notable Connections reveal famous people who share a common paternal ancestor with you.  This connection is more special than just having a common ancestor, because you and these individuals are related to that common ancestor only through your paternal lines (i.e. your father’s father’s father and so on, and theirs). Each notable connection includes a detailed biography of the notable individual, a diagram showing how the two lines are related, and a timeline that places the divergence point in historical context. Your Y-DNA results include two Notable Connections.

Ancient Connections

Y-DNA: Ancient Connections (click to zoom)

Ancient Connections works on the same principle as Notable Connections, but instead of famous people, your connections are to ancient individuals identified from archaeological findings discovered at excavation sites around the world. Each ancient connection shows the discovery location, the date range, the cultural group they belonged to, and a timeline showing the relationship to your haplogroup. Your Y-DNA results include two Ancient Connections.

Country Frequency

Y-DNA: Country Frequency (click to zoom)

Country Frequency shows which countries Y-DNA testers with your haplogroup most commonly reported as their paternal origin, based on self-reported data from hundreds of thousands of testers and participants in academic studies. Results are displayed as a ranked table by country, showing the number of testers with your haplogroup in each country and the haplogroup’s frequency among all testers from that country. It’s a fascinating way to see where your paternal lineage has left its mark on the modern world.

Time Tree

This report is available only through the Big Y-700 upgrade.

Privacy

MyHeritage is committed to protecting your privacy at every step. MyHeritage licensed the know-how to facilitate the Y-DNA results, which are calculated on MyHeritage so that your DNA is not shared with FamilyTreeDNA or any other third party.

Cost

Y-DNA results require a MyHeritage Complete or Omni subscription. Existing subscribers are eligible for Y-DNA results at no additional cost.

FAQ

Why are Y-DNA Results only available for males?

Only males have the Y chromosome, which is passed from fathers to sons. Because of this inheritance pattern, only DNA kits belonging to biological males can be used to generate Y-DNA Results. Females can still explore their paternal line by ordering a MyHeritage DNA test for a close male relative, for example, their brother, father, paternal uncle, or paternal grandfather.

Do I need to take a new test?

In most cases, no. If you have already taken a MyHeritage DNA test or uploaded DNA results to MyHeritage in the past, your Y haplogroup will be calculated automatically from your existing data once you give your consent. In very rare cases, a kit may not include the Y chromosome data needed — for example, if the DNA was uploaded from a provider that didn’t analyze the Y chromosome. In that case, you can order a new MyHeritage DNA kit.

How is my Y haplogroup calculated, and how can I get a higher-resolution one?

Your Y haplogroup is calculated by analyzing the Y chromosome markers from your existing DNA data on MyHeritage. The result is a broad-level haplogroup; it is accurate, but not as detailed as results from the recommended upgrade: FamilyTreeDNA’s Big Y-700 test. It is available as a separate kit purchase, through banners in the Y-DNA results on MyHeritage. Big Y-700 utilizes sequencing to examine a significantly higher number of locations on the Y chromosome (about 12 million base pairs), unlocking more detail: a higher-resolution haplogroup, more Notable Connections and Ancient Connections, a Time Tree, and more granular migration paths. This upgrade can trace your paternal lineage into more recent history, often pinpointing common ancestors within the last few centuries. That’s because the deeper sequencing identifies almost every mutation in the Y chromosome, which allows for fine-tuning the basic haplogroup that MyHeritage returns (that typically maps to the Middle Ages), into a higher-resolution haplogroup that is much more recent.

Summary

Y-DNA results add a powerful new dimension to the MyHeritage DNA experience. From your haplogroup’s ancient origins in Africa to its migration across continents, its connections to historical figures and archaeological discoveries, and its presence in the world today — your direct paternal line has a unique story that spans human history. We invite you to discover your paternal story today.

Explore your Y-DNA results

The post New on MyHeritage: Trace Your Paternal Line Back Thousands of Years with Y-DNA appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

• AI Editor, a writing assistant built right into the story editor
• Audio QR codes, which allow you to listen to recorded stories in your loved one’s own voice straight from the printed book
• A dedication page you can add at the front of your book
• The ability to arrange multiple photos side by side, and to rotate photos

Try the features now on MyStories

AI Editor

Not everyone feels confident putting their memories into words. Now, with AI Editor, you don’t need to worry about getting the phrasing just right. AI Editor is a writing assistant built directly into the MyStories editor that helps you polish your text without ever leaving the page.

AI Editor offers two ways to improve your writing:

• Fix errors checks your story for grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues, across the entire story at once.
• Adjust style lets you rewrite your text in a specific direction: tighten it, elaborate on it, or shift the tone to be warmer, lighter, or more conversational. You can apply “Adjust style” mode to a specific selection of text, or to the whole story.

Whichever mode you choose, your original text remains in the editor until you decide to use the new version. This gives you full control to compare, adjust, and decide what feels right for your story.

Note that AI Editor doesn’t create, invent, or add any content to your stories. It simply fixes errors and adjusts the tone of what you’ve already written.

How AI Editor works

While writing or editing a story, click “AI edit” above the editor to open the editor panel.

Accessing the AI Editor (click to zoom)

Choose “Fix errors” to check your story for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Click “Find errors” and MyStories will review the entire story and highlight any issues it finds.

MyStories AI Editor: Reviewing errors (click to zoom)

Click “Accept” to apply the change to your story, or “Skip” to ignore it.

If you feel your text needs deeper editing or polishing, click “Adjust style.” Choose whether you want to rewrite a specific selection or the whole story, then pick a direction: tighten, elaborate, warmer, lighter, or conversational.

MyStories AI Editor: Tightening a specific selection of text (click to zoom)

If you’re happy with the editor’s suggestion, click “Use this version” to apply it to your text. If you want a different suggestion, click “Try another direction,” and if you’d rather go with your original phrasing, click “Discard.”

Audio story playback

With MyStories, you don’t have to type your stories at all. Record yourself telling them, and MyStories transcribes them for you. Now, those recordings can be part of the printed book, too.

At print time, you can add QR codes to any story that includes an audio recording. Scanning a code opens a page in the reader’s phone browser — no app to download, no login required — where they can play the recordings.

Viewing all audio clips for a MyStories book

Adding QR codes to the book

This option appears in the “Choose content” stage of the printing process. Select “Add recording QR codes” under “Recordings.” This will add a QR code to the table of contents, which, when scanned, opens a page in the reader’s phone browser listing every story with a recording.

Adding QR codes to the printed book (click to zoom)

If you prefer, you can choose to add a small QR code next to each story that has one, so a reader can open its recording directly from that page. If you select this option, you’ll be able to choose a position for the QR code on the page: below the title, centered at the top, or on the upper corner of the relevant page.

Choosing a position for the QR code (click to zoom)

You can also choose exactly which recordings to include in the printed book from the individual story page:

Choosing which recordings to include in the printed book (click to zoom)

Adding a dedication page

A dedication is one of the most personal touches you can add to a printed book — a chance to include a message for the people you wrote it for. Now you can add one to your MyStories book, too.

A Dedication section appears below the same “Choose content” step where you added the QR codes. Check “Add a dedication page” to write a short note that will print on its own page at the front of your book, right after the title page and before the table of contents.

Adding a dedication page (click to zoom)

As you type, a live preview shows exactly how your dedication will look on the printed page.

If you leave the box unchecked, or check it but leave the text empty, no dedication page is added. Once you’ve written one, it’s saved with your book, so it’s ready the next time you print another copy.

Side-by-side photos

MyStories users enjoy adding photos wherever they like within the text, but many have requested the option to place multiple photos side by side in a horizontal row. We’re happy to share that this option is now available in the story editor.

After you add the first photo, select it, then click the “Add photo to row” button shown below:

Creating a horizontal row of photos (click to zoom)

You can add up to 3 photos in a single row. Drag the corners of any photo to resize it, or click the “Match photo heights” button on the upper left corner to align them neatly.

Matching the heights of 3 photos in a horizontal row (click to zoom)

Arranging photos in a horizontal row is especially useful for upright portrait-oriented photos because it makes more economical use of the space on the page. It’s a great way to include a series of photos of a particular person or event without taking up several pages.

Photo rotation

We have also added the option to rotate a photo within the story editor. If a photo you’ve uploaded is oriented incorrectly, it’s now easy to fix by simply clicking the rotate button on the upper right corner of the image.

Rotating a photo on MyStories (click to zoom)

Privacy

Your personal data is yours and yours alone, and you maintain full control over who can see your stories.

When you use AI Editor, your story content is processed by a third-party AI service to generate corrections or rewrites, and is deleted afterward. The first time you use AI Editor, you’ll be asked to consent to this before proceeding.

You decide which recordings are included in your printed book, and whether QR codes are added at all. Recordings are only accessible to someone with the physical book in hand — they are not searchable or shared elsewhere. Before printing, you’ll be asked to confirm that you have the right to share the recordings and the consent of everyone in them.

Your dedication is personal content, and it’s treated that way: it’s saved with your book, but it isn’t included in emails or shown anywhere else on MyStories.

As with the rest of your MyStories content, we will never publish your stories, photos, recordings, or dedications on social media or other channels without your explicit consent.

Cost

AI Editor and audio story playback are available as part of the MyStories premium plan, which costs $99. The dedication page, side-by-side photos, and photo rotation are available to all MyStories customers, including those with a basic plan. MyHeritage users are eligible for a 15% discount, which you can claim here.

Try the new features today

Whether you’re polishing a story you’ve been working on or getting ready to print your first book, these updates make it easier to write with confidence and to share your story in a way that feels personal. Visit MyStories.com and claim your 15% discount now!

The post New in MyStories: AI Editor, Audio Story Playback, and More appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

The drought was part of a much wider climate disaster. Modern research has connected the severe droughts of 1875–1878 across Asia, Africa, and South America with an exceptional combination of ocean and atmospheric conditions, including a powerful El Niño. In India, crop failures were compounded by soaring food prices, poverty, colonial economic policies, and inadequate relief. Estimates of the number of deaths vary considerably, but they run into the millions.

For family historians, the 150th anniversary offers a reason to look beyond the enormous statistics and consider how the famine may have reshaped individual families. An ancestor may have died without leaving an accessible death record, moved in search of food or work, entered a relief camp, changed occupations, or become separated from relatives. Even when the famine is never mentioned in surviving family accounts, its effects may be visible in the records left behind.

Key takeaways about the Great Famine of 1876–1878

• The Great Famine began in southern India in 1876 and continued into 1878, affecting tens of millions of people across a vast area.
• Drought and crop failure triggered the crisis, while economic conditions, colonial policy, high food prices, and limited relief greatly increased its human cost.
• In family history research, the famine may help explain deaths, disappearances, migration, disrupted households, debt, land loss, and changes in occupation.
• A gap or sudden change in the records is a clue, not proof. Compare several sources before connecting a family event to the famine.
• Useful sources may include civil and religious records, census reports, land and revenue files, relief records, newspapers, migration records, and oral history.

What was the Great Famine of 1876–1878?

The famine began after poor rainfall and crop failure in the Deccan Plateau and southern India in 1876. The worst-affected regions included much of present-day Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Contemporary administrative geography was different from today’s map, so researchers may encounter place names such as Madras Presidency, Bombay Presidency, Mysore State, and Hyderabad State.

By 1877, the crisis had extended into additional areas. Food prices rose beyond the reach of many families, livestock died, and rural livelihoods collapsed. People sold possessions, incurred debt, left their villages, or sought assistance at relief works and camps. Malnutrition also made the population more vulnerable to disease. Mortality continued even as rainfall and harvest conditions began to improve, with epidemics taking many lives among people already weakened by hunger.

The precise death toll remains uncertain. Historical estimates depend on incomplete registration, administrative reports, and comparisons of population totals before and after the famine. For genealogists, that uncertainty is itself important: millions of individual deaths cannot be expected to appear neatly in a single set of death registers.

Why the famine can matter in genealogy research

Large historical events often enter a family history indirectly. A record may state that a person died, relocated, remarried, or took a different job without explaining why. Placing that event within the conditions of 1876–1878 can suggest new questions and new places to search.

Deaths and missing family members

If several relatives disappear from the record during the late 1870s, famine-related mortality is one possible explanation. Death might have resulted from starvation, but diseases associated with displacement and severe malnutrition were also major threats.

Exercise caution when interpreting an absence. A person who no longer appears locally may have migrated, been recorded under a different spelling, joined another household, or simply been omitted from surviving records. Treat the famine as historical context until another source strengthens the connection.

Migration and family separation

People moved toward towns, relief centers, railway projects, and regions where food or employment seemed more accessible. Some returned home after the crisis; others settled elsewhere. In the longer term, economic hardship also contributed to labor migration from southern India to other parts of the British Empire.

For a researcher, this means that a relative who disappears from village records may surface in a city, port, plantation colony, or employment record. Search outward from the last known residence rather than assuming the entire family tree remained in one district.

Changes in land, property, and occupation

Famine could force cultivators to sell land, mortgage property, dispose of livestock, or abandon an agricultural livelihood. Artisans and weavers were also vulnerable when customers could no longer afford their goods. An ancestor described as a cultivator before the famine and a laborer, railway worker, or urban tradesperson afterward may have adapted to economic upheaval.

Land and revenue records can therefore add valuable context. They may document arrears, transfers, tenancy, petitions, or changes in ownership that do not appear in birth, marriage, and death records.

Remarriage, adoption, and reconfigured households

High mortality and displacement could leave widowed spouses, orphaned children, and families divided across different locations. Children might be taken in by relatives or other households without a formal adoption record. A widowed person might remarry, and later documents may not make the earlier marriage obvious.

Pay attention to guardians, witnesses, neighbors, and other people named in a record. These members of the wider family and community network may reveal how a household changed after the crisis.

How to investigate a possible family connection

1. Begin with a precise place

Identify the village, town, district, princely state, or presidency associated with the family in the 1870s. Because borders and place names have changed, record both the historical jurisdiction and its present-day equivalent. Gazetteers, old maps, and the famine maps preserved in the India Office Records can help establish whether the locality lay within an affected area.

2. Build a timeline from before and after the famine

List every known event for the family between roughly 1871 and 1881. Include births, marriages, deaths, residences, occupations, property transactions, military service, and migration. A broader window makes it easier to see gradual changes as well as abrupt breaks.

The 1871 and 1881 censuses are especially valuable at the population level, although surviving material and the amount of personal information available vary. Census reports can show how a district’s population, occupations, and settlement patterns changed even when household schedules do not survive.

3. Search vital and religious records

Birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records can establish relationships and narrow the dates when a person was last known to be alive. MyHeritage includes searchable historical records for India births and baptisms, 1786–1947, India marriages, 1792–1948, and India deaths and burials, 1719–1948.

Coverage is incomplete and varies by place and community. The ecclesiastical returns in the British Library’s India Office Records, for example, relate mainly to European and Eurasian Christians, with relatively few local converts included. For other families, local religious institutions, community records, village accounts, and regional archives may be more relevant.

4. Look for records created by the crisis

The famine generated administrative correspondence, maps, reports, relief accounts, public-works files, and later official investigations. These records may not always name every person receiving aid, but they can identify relief sites, migration routes, local conditions, and the dates when particular districts were most severely affected.

The National Archives of India preserves central government records, and its Abhilekh Patal portal provides searchable reference information for archival holdings. The British Library’s India Office Records include official papers from the administration of British India. Their catalogue descriptions are also searchable through The National Archives’ Discovery service, including a map of the areas affected by the famine of 1876–1878.

5. Follow migration beyond India

If family tradition points to migration after the famine, search passenger lists, indenture registers, plantation records, civil registrations, and return-migration documents in the destination country. Useful locations may include Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, Mauritius, South Africa, Fiji, and the Caribbean, depending on the family’s region, community, and date of migration.

Do not assume that every late-19th-century migration was caused by the famine. Economic pressure, recruitment networks, military service, marriage, and other factors may have played a role. The strongest case will combine timing, place, family testimony, and documentary evidence.

6. Preserve oral history and local memory

Family memories may survive without the dates historians expect. Stories of an ancestor who left during a time of hunger, lost land, traveled to find work, or was raised by relatives may refer to the Great Famine or to another regional scarcity. Record the account as it was told, including local terms, place names, relationships, and foods or occupations mentioned. Then compare those details with the historical timeline.

Oral tradition should not be dismissed simply because it cannot immediately be documented. It can point toward records that would otherwise be overlooked. At the same time, avoid assigning a story to the famine solely because the approximate period seems to fit.

Reading silence in the historical record

Researching families affected by famine involves working with absence. Many people who endured or died during the crisis left no record that is searchable by name today. Surviving colonial sources often describe populations through statistics, revenue, labor, and relief administration rather than preserving individual voices.

This makes careful reconstruction especially important. A district report can establish local conditions. A land file can show that a household lost property. A marriage record can reveal that a widow began a new household. A migration record can show where a surviving relative went. No single document may tell the whole account, but several independent sources can recover part of what happened.

The anniversary is also an invitation to approach this history with humility. Genealogy can restore names and relationships to a catastrophe usually expressed in millions, while acknowledging that gaps in the evidence may never be fully resolved.

Frequently asked questions about the Great Famine of 1876–1878

When did the Great Famine of 1876–1878 begin?

The famine began in southern India in 1876 after failed rains and crop losses, intensified during 1877, and continued into 1878. Its 150th anniversary therefore spans 2026–2028 rather than falling on a single date.

Which parts of India were affected?

The crisis severely affected the Madras and Bombay presidencies and the princely states of Mysore and Hyderabad. It later extended into parts of the Central Provinces, the North-Western Provinces, and Punjab. Historical jurisdictions do not align exactly with current state boundaries.

How many people died in the Great Famine?

Estimates vary because death registration and population data were incomplete. Scholarly estimates run into several million, and a frequently cited modern demographic estimate is approximately 8.2 million deaths. It is safest to present the figure as an estimate rather than an exact total.

Can I find a list of everyone who died?

No comprehensive list is known to exist. Researchers may find individual deaths in civil or religious registers, but coverage is uneven. Administrative reports, census comparisons, burial records, and family evidence may help reconstruct losses that were never formally registered.

How can I tell whether my ancestors were affected?

First determine where the family lived between 1876 and 1878. Then look for a cluster of deaths, migration, land transfers, debt, occupational changes, remarriage, or children living with relatives. These patterns can support further research, but none proves a famine connection without corroborating evidence.

What records are most useful for researching the famine’s impact on a family?

Start with birth, marriage, death, burial, and religious records, then expand to census reports, land and revenue records, relief and public-works files, newspapers, maps, migration records, and oral histories. The most reliable conclusions usually come from combining several kinds of evidence.

Was the famine caused only by drought?

No. Severe drought and crop failure triggered the crisis, but famine mortality was shaped by food prices, poverty, access to grain, colonial economic and relief policies, and the spread of disease among malnourished and displaced people.

Research notes and principal sources

• India Famine Commission, Report of the Indian Famine Commission (1880): https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.17292
• Deepti Singh et al., “Climate and the Global Famine of 1876–78,” Journal of Climate 31, no. 23 (2018): https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0159.1
• British Library, India Office Records datasets and catalogue guidance: https://bl.iro.bl.uk/collections/c3dbd611-7794-4da1-8fb4-52cb4532b64b
• National Archives of India: https://www.nationalarchives.nic.in/
• British Library, India Office Records: Ecclesiastical Returns (IOR/N): https://searcharchives.bl.uk/catalog/032-000115736

Yan Sandler is a passionate genealogy enthusiast, specializing in Eastern European and Jewish heritage. He enjoys helping others to uncover their roots, turning complex archival fragments into meaningful family stories for researchers worldwide.

The post The Great Famine of 1876–1878: What It Could Mean for Your Family History appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

The relationship path between Dakota Johnson and Marilyn Monroe, confirmed by MyHeritage’s Research team (click to zoom)

This family connection traces its origins to the 17th century, rooted in the lives of Richard Tydings (1638–1687) and Charity Tydings (1640–1687).

Born in England, the couple ventured across the Atlantic to forge a new legacy in Maryland, where they settled during the mid-1600s. They were among the earliest British colonists in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, Maryland, arriving during the initial decades of English settlement in North America.

From this shared foundation, the family tree split into two distinct lineages through their daughters, setting the stage for a cross-generational Hollywood bond.

The lineage leading to Dakota Johnson and her father, the actor Don Johnson, descends from the youngest daughter of Richard and Charity, Mary Dowell (born 1683).

In a parallel historical trajectory, the line of Mary’s elder sister, Pretitia (born 1675), winds through time to Marilyn Monroe and her mother, Gladys Mortenson.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in June 1, 1926, the screen icon would later reach back into her maternal heritage to adopt her mother’s maiden name: Monroe, presented in the path by her maternal grandmother Della Mae Monroe (1876–1927).

In doing so, she transformed a family surname into the most enduring moniker in cinematic history.

Tracing her lineage, we discovered that Monroe’s family history is deeply tied to the state of Kentucky. John Hogan (1756–1798), Monroe’s 4th great-grandfather, lived as a pioneering frontiersman during the state’s early years. Historical documentation reveals his involvement in scouting missions with Daniel Boone’s expedition in the late 1770s; he also played a pivotal role in creating a primary ferry service across the Kentucky River, facilitating the westward passage of early American settlers.

Dakota Johnson’s father is the actor Don Johnson (born 1949 as Donnie Wayne Johnson). His father, Freddie Wayne Johnson (1930–2017), established a life as a farmer in Flat Creek, Missouri. Their lineage goes further back in history to Captain Robert Samuel Brashear (1731–1816), the grandson of Mary Dowell. Captain Brashear was nicknamed “The Rolling Stone” because he migrated across Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee during his 84-year life. Born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, he carved a legacy on the American frontier, establishing early settlements on Buffalo Creek and the Reedy Fork of the Haw River in Guilford County, North Carolina.

In 1794, the family migrated to the Sugar Grove Valley in eastern Tennessee. Records identify him, alongside his sons and sons-in-law, among the earliest settlers of present-day Roane County, where he erected a formidable blockhouse of squared yellow poplar logs along Brashears Creek. His foundational presence in the region is officially recognized by the First Families of Tennessee.

The film Flesh Impact centers on an alternate-reality celebration of Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, imagining a world where the Hollywood icon survived to reach her centennial milestone. Dakota Johnson will be stepping into the monumental role of portraying Monroe at the peak of her 1950s fame.

As our research shows, her striking resemblance to Monroe is far from coincidence.

Are any famous people hiding among the branches of your own family tree? Found out today on MyHeritage.

The post Dakota Johnson Is Playing Marilyn Monroe. Turns Out, They’re Actually Related appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

That is how I have felt for as long as I can remember.

I had a wonderful life growing up. I was raised by an incredible woman who loved me unconditionally, and I will always be grateful to her. But after I learned I was adopted, there was always a part of me that wondered who I was and where I came from. I carried those questions with me for decades, never imagining where they would eventually lead.

Learning I was adopted changed my life

I was born in 1983 in San Cristóbal, Venezuela. My biological mother was a Colombian immigrant who placed me for adoption shortly after I was born because she couldn’t raise me.

My adoptive mother had just lost her husband one month before I was born. She took me in as her only child and gave me a home full of love.

Carlos as a child

When I was 12 years old, she told me the truth.

When I found out I was adopted, my life changed completely.

I loved my mother just the same, but from that day on I couldn’t stop wondering about my biological family. Then, when I was only 15, my adoptive mother passed away too.

Years later, I moved to Spain to build a new life. I married my wonderful wife, Andrea, and together we are raising our son. I was happy, but that question never disappeared.

Who was my family?

Finally taking the first step

For years I thought about searching, but I never quite found the courage to begin.

Then a close friend said to me, “Have you heard about MyHeritage? They have a good offer. Why don’t you buy it?”

My wife encouraged me too.

So, in July 2025, I finally ordered a MyHeritage DNA kit. About a month after sending my sample, I received my DNA matches.

At first, I thought they would finally give me the answers I had waited my whole life to find.

Instead, they seemed to lead nowhere.

Thinking my search was over

My closest matches on my father’s side were 2 second cousins. One was a woman named Elvia, but she didn’t have enough information to help me move forward. The other was a man from the Canary Islands. I discovered he had recently passed away, and I thought I had reached a dead end.

The disappointment hit me so hard that I stopped searching for a while. After waiting my whole life for answers, I couldn’t see any way forward.

Carlos with his son in Spain

But I couldn’t completely let go, either.

Eventually, I contacted the widow of my DNA match. I knew she was grieving, so I tried to be patient. Little by little, she shared what she could. One day, she found a Venezuelan phone number that had been saved in her late husband’s contacts — a man he had reconnected with years earlier at a university conference.

She sent me the number.

I had no idea that message was about to answer the question I’d carried for 42 years.

The call I’ll never forget

At exactly 5:00 p.m., I sent a cautious WhatsApp message.

Hours went by.

Then, at 11:30 that night, my phone rang.

I asked him: “Did you know a Colombian woman in Maracaibo in 1983 who became pregnant and then disappeared?”

There was silence.

Then he answered: “Yes.”

“You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“No.”

Another silence.

“Are you still there?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “But… what do you mean by that?”

I took a deep breath.

“There’s a very good chance you’re my father.”

He suggested we switch to a video call.

When I saw his face, I was speechless. The resemblance was undeniable. It felt as though I were looking into a mirror.

The man on the screen was Idelmo Ramón Medina Soto. My biological father.

Carlos’s father, Idelmo

A family I never knew existed

He told me he had never forgotten my biological mother. After she disappeared, he had spent years wondering what had happened to her and to the baby she was carrying. He had prayed for answers, never knowing whether he would find them.

We wanted to be absolutely sure, but DNA kits are very difficult to obtain in Venezuela. So my father’s daughter, who lives in Houston, Texas, took a MyHeritage DNA test. The results confirmed that she was my half-sister.

Carlos’s sister, Mariel, who lives in the U.S.

In one moment, my world became so much bigger.

I discovered not only my father, but also 5 half-siblings — 4 sisters and 1 brother — living between Venezuela and the United States.

Carlos and Idelmo in a group call with two of Carlos’s sisters

Making up for 42 lost years

We haven’t been able to meet in person yet. He was planning to come visit me in Spain this summer, but had to put off the trip due to the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.

Still, we refuse to lose any more time. We talk on video calls almost every day. Every conversation feels like we’re recovering another small piece of the 42 years we lost.

Idelmo holding photos of Carlos

I never imagined something so huge in life like this. I’m super happy that MyHeritage has helped me so incredibly. Without MyHeritage, I honestly wouldn’t have anything at all.

Today, the hole I carried in my heart for so many years has finally begun to heal.

Many thanks to Carlos for sharing his incredible story with us! If you’ve also made an amazing discovery with MyHeritage, we’d love to hear about it. Please share it with us at stories@myheritage.com.

The post Healing the Hole in My Heart: I Found My Biological Father at 42 appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Explore the 23 new and updated historical record collections added this month

Collection	Description	Number of Records	Link to Search
Australia Gazettes from OldNews.com	An index of historical local, regional and national gazettes from Australia, dating back to 1836.	146,381 newspaper pages added for a total of 2,387,137 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Austria Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Austria.	10,187 newspaper pages added for a total of 14,322,961 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Austria, Vienna Catholic Church Burials, 1850-1930	An index of Catholic Church burial records from Vienna, Austria, between the years 1850 and 1930.	6,021,770 records	Search collection now
Baltic Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from the Baltic nations and territories of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.	259,550 newspaper pages added for a total of 3,226,157 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Canada Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers and periodicals from Canada.	88,756 newspaper pages added for a total of 2,834,452 newspaper pages	Search collection now
France Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers and periodicals from France.	52,469 newspaper pages added for a total of 4,936,213 newspaper pages	Search collection now
France, Church Baptisms and Civil Births	An index of church baptism and civil birth records from France, with images that often add details about the child’s parents.	32,942,800 records added for a total of 204,183,653 records	Search collection now
France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths	An index of church burial and civil death records from France, with images that often add details about the family of the deceased.	31,247,900 records added for a total of 193,580,033 records	Search collection now
France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages	An index of church marriage, civil marriage and select marriage bann records from France.	31,537,900 records added for a total of 171,841,549 records	Search collection now
Germany Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Germany.	25,767 newspaper pages added for a total of 26,648,721 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Italy Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Italy.	305,379 newspaper pages added for a total of 7,683,286 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Italy, Calabria Parish Births and Baptisms, 1591-1963	An index of parish birth and baptism registers from Calabria, Italy, between the years 1591 and 1963.	2,282,150 records	Search collection now
Italy, Calabria Parish Deaths and Burials, 1593-1969	An index of parish death and burial records from Calabria, Italy, between the years 1593 and 1969.	722,525 records	Search collection now
Mexico Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Mexico.	231,922 newspaper pages added for a total of 2,723,163 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Netherlands Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from the Netherlands.	75,009 newspaper pages added for a total of 4,227,893 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Serbia Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Serbia.	13,153 newspaper pages added for a total of 628,752 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Spain Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers and gazettes from Spain.	1,856,890 newspaper pages added for a total of 23,746,795 newspaper pages	Search collection now
United Kingdom Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical local, regional and national newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from the United Kingdom, dating back to 1665.	31,030 newspaper pages added for a total of 15,975,983 newspaper pages	Search collection now
Massachusetts, Suffolk, Boston Tax Registrations, 1822-1918	An index of tax records from Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, between the years 1822 and 1918.	28,649,200 records	Search collection now
Michigan Obituaries, 1850-2006	An index of obituaries from Michigan, United States, from 1850 onwards.	7,116,000 records	Search collection now
Pennsylvania Birth Index, 1900-1920	An index of birth records from Pennsylvania, United States, between the years 1900 and 1920.	5,760,250 records	Search collection now
United States Newspapers from OldNews.com	An index of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from the United States.	19,455 newspaper pages added for a total of 119,022,869 newspaper pages	Search collection now
United States, Applications for Headstones for Military Veterans, 1861-1989	An index of applications for headstones for deceased military veterans from the United States, between the years 1861 and 1989.	2,338,410 records	Search collection now

• Australia Gazettes from OldNews.com This index of historical local, regional and national Australian gazettes includes MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles dating back to 1836. In addition to news of the day that may contain names of relatives, they contain a wide range of vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, death notices and obituaries. Search Australia Gazettes from OldNews.com
• Austria Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Austria was created through the use of MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily from the mid-1700s to mid-1900s. In addition to news of the day that may contain names of relatives, they contain a wide range of vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, death notices and obituaries. Search Austria Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Austria, Vienna Catholic Church Burials, 1850-1930 This collection contains burial records of the Catholic Church in Vienna, Austria, between the years 1850 and 1930. Records typically include the name of the deceased, date of birth, date of death, and burial place. Records also include age at the time of death, the names of the parents and spouse. Search Austria, Vienna Catholic Church Burials, 1850-1930
• Baltic Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Baltic nations and territories of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. It was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1800s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Baltic Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Canada Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers and periodicals from Canada was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid-1700s to early-2000s. In addition to daily and weekly publications that often include names of relatives, they also contain a wide range of vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, death notices and obituaries. Search Canada Newspapers from OldNews.com
• France Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers and periodicals from France was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1700s to mid 1900s. In addition to news of the day that may contain names of relatives, they contain a wide range of vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, death notices and obituaries. Search France Newspapers from OldNews.com
• France, Church Baptisms and Civil Births This is a collection of church baptisms and civil births recorded in France from the earliest time of priests performing and documenting baptisms of newly born infants and later births recorded by civil registration officers. Baptism was usually performed on the day of birth or the following day. The indexed records include the name of the child, birth date, and birthplace. The images associated with these indexed records provide additional information on the child’s parents. These records are the vital birth records for France and of supreme genealogical importance in establishing child-to-parent relationships. Search France, Church Baptisms and Civil Births
• France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths This is a collection of church burials and civil deaths recorded in France. The indexed records contain the name of the deceased, their death date, and death place. Additional details can often be found on each record’s associated image including information about the deceased’s birth date and place, marital status (widowhood, divorced), residential address, parents’ names, or the name of their spouse(s) and sometimes death of the spouse(s). Deaths were usually recorded within a day or two of the passing in the same commune where the person died. Search France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths
• France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages This is a collection of church marriages and civil marriages and select marriage banns recorded in France. Before marriages could be performed, banns were required to be read at three Sunday masses in each of the parishes of the bride and groom. The indexed records include the name of the bride and groom, their marriage date, and the marriage location. Additional details can often be found on each record’s associated image including information about the couple’s birth dates and places, their parents’ names and sometimes death of one or more of the parents as well as the names and details of witnesses, often with recorded relationships to the bride and groom. These records are the vital marriage records for France and of great genealogical value in establishing the marriage relationship as well as the couple’s relationships to their parents. Search France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages
• Germany Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Germany was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1700s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Germany Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Italy Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Italy was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1800s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Italy Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Italy, Calabria Parish Births and Baptisms, 1591-1963 This collection contains parish registers of birth and baptism from Calabria, Italy, between the years 1591 and 1963. Records typically include the name of the child, the date of birth, the date and place of baptism, and the names of the parents. Many entries also include the names of the godparents. Search Italy, Calabria Parish Births and Baptisms, 1591-1963
• Italy, Calabria Parish Deaths and Burials, 1593-1969 This collection contains parish death and burial records from Calabria, Italy, between the years 1593 and 1969. Records typically include the name of the deceased, the year of birth, the date of death, the date and place of burial, the names of the parents, and the name of the spouse. Search Italy, Calabria Parish Deaths and Burials, 1593-1969
• Mexico Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Mexico was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1800s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Mexico Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Netherlands Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from The Netherlands was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1700s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Netherlands Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Serbia Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Serbia was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the mid 1800s to mid 1900s. These printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search Serbia Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Spain Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional and local newspapers and gazettes from Spain was created using MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles primarily focused from the late 1600s to early 2000s. In addition to news of the day that may contain names of relatives, they contain a wide range of vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, death notices and obituaries. Search Spain Newspapers from OldNews.com
• United Kingdom Newspapers from OldNews.com This index of historical local, regional and national British newspapers, periodicals and gazettes includes advanced optical character recognition (OCR) of articles dating back to 1665. Newspapers are an essential resource for genealogy and family history research as they can contain rich information about people in a family tree, through obituaries and other vital record substitutes such as birth, marriage, and death notices. Search United Kingdom Newspapers from OldNews.com
• Massachusetts, Suffolk, Boston Tax Registrations, 1822-1918 This collection contains tax records from Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States between the years 1822 and 1918. Records typically include the name of the individual, and the year and place of residence. Search Massachusetts, Suffolk, Boston Tax Registrations, 1822-1918
• Michigan Obituaries, 1850-2006 This collection contains obituaries records from Michigan, United States, from 1850 onwards. Records typically include the name of the deceased, the date and place of birth, the date and place of death, and the date and place of the obituary. Many entries also name relatives of the deceased, such as parents, spouse, siblings, and children. Search Michigan Obituaries, 1850-2006
• Pennsylvania Birth Index, 1900-1920 This collection contains birth records from Pennsylvania, United States, between the years 1900 and 1920. Records typically include the name of the child, the date and place of birth, and the name of the mother. Search Pennsylvania Birth Index, 1900-1920
• United States Newspapers from OldNews.com This collection of historical national, regional, and local newspapers, periodicals, and gazettes from United States has been created with MyHeritage’s advanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology. Covering a period from the late 1700s to the late 1900s, these printed articles feature daily news that may include mentions of relatives, and offer a rich variety of vital record substitutes, such as birth, marriage, and death notices, along with obituaries. Search United States Newspapers from OldNews.com
• United States, Applications for Headstones for Military Veterans, 1861-1989 This collection contains applications for headstones for deceased military veterans from the United States, between the years 1861 and 1989. Records typically include the name of the veteran, the date of birth, the date of death and place of burial, and the dates of enlistment and discharge. Many entries also provide military service details such as branch of service, rank, unit, company, and service number, as well as the name and residence of the applicant who submitted the request. Search United States, Applications for Headstones for Military Veterans, 1861-1989

Example of what you could find in these records

Among the births recorded in the new Pennsylvania Birth Index, 1900–1920 is that of James M. Stewart, born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Better known as Jimmy Stewart, he became one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, starring in classics such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, and Vertigo. During World War II, Stewart also served as a pilot, flying combat missions over Europe, and ultimately rose to the rank of brigadier general, making him the highest-ranking actor in American military history.

His birth index entry records his mother’s maiden name as Jackson (Elizabeth Ruth Jackson) and includes certificate number 66603, which can be used to request the original birth certificate from the Pennsylvania State Archives.

This collection is especially valuable for genealogical research because each birth entry includes the mother’s maiden name, a key detail for verifying family relationships and tracing earlier generations.

Summary

We hope these valuable collections help you make new discoveries in your family history research.

Searching the collections on MyHeritage is free. To view the records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data, Complete, or Omni plan. For newspaper collections from OldNews.com, an Omni plan, or an OldNews Pro plan, is required to view the full newspaper images on OldNews.com.

If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from these collections 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 family tree.

Enjoy the new collections!

The post MyHeritage Adds 152 Million Historical Records in July 2026 appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

A friend told me I was adopted.

Six months later, both of my parents were gone.

Luzmer as a young child

My mother died first, from advanced colon cancer. My father died just days afterward from a heart attack. They loved each other deeply, and I truly believe he could not survive losing her. They passed away never knowing that I had discovered the truth. I never told them. I knew how painful it would have been for them, and I wanted to protect them from that pain.

But after they were gone, the questions stayed with me. And they followed me for more than 40 years.

Luzmer Espinal

Searching for answers with no clues

For decades, I searched for my biological family in Colombia. I checked civil registries, hospitals, records — everywhere I could think of. Every path ended the same way: nothing.

I felt like I was trying to put together a puzzle without having any pieces. 

Over the years, my 3 daughters became part of the search too. They wanted to know where I came from. They wanted to know their grandmother. Even when I felt discouraged, they encouraged me to keep going.

By then, I was living in London with my husband. One day, toward the end of 2025, I started watching videos online about adoptees reconnecting with their biological families through DNA testing. Something inside me shifted. I thought: maybe this could happen for me too.

So in November 2025, I ordered a MyHeritage DNA kit.

A few weeks later, my life changed forever.

For the first time, someone who looked like me

On December 17, I received a DNA match notification. According to MyHeritage, the person could be my half-brother on my father’s side.

I reached out immediately.

At first, he was skeptical. He told me that “DNA in Colombia is very similar,” brushing off the possibility that we were related. But then I sent him a photo of myself.

“Oh no, wait,” he said. “You look very much like my family.”

Soon afterward, he sent me a picture of my biological father. The moment I saw his face, I froze.

“I am identical,” I thought.

For the first time in my life, I saw someone who looked like me.

My biological father, now an older man living in Colombia, had never known I existed. I learned that I was the result of a relationship he had many years ago. Suddenly, after decades of silence, part of my story finally made sense.

But my mother was still a mystery.

Following a single name

My father remembered almost nothing about my biological mother except the name of one of her brothers.

That single detail became my next clue.

I turned to Facebook Messenger and began searching for anyone who might be connected to that name. Eventually, I found a younger man who I thought could be related to her.

I wrote to him: “I’m going to tell you a story, and you’re going to tell me if it sounds like someone in your family.”

As I shared the details, everything lined up perfectly.

A teenage girl from a traditional Colombian family. A hidden pregnancy. A home for unmarried mothers run by nuns in Medellín.

Ten minutes later, he sent me a phone number with a message I will never forget:

“Call her. She is crying.”

It was my mother’s number.

‘It’s you, it’s you. It’s a miracle’

I spoke to my biological mother, Aleida, for the first time on January 29, 2026.

When she answered the phone, she cried for 10 straight minutes.

I let her cry.

After more than 40 years of searching for answers, suddenly everything was real. Everything I had wondered about my entire life was standing right in front of me.

Later, when we finally managed to speak calmly, she told me what had happened.

She was only 16 years old when she became pregnant. My biological father was older, married, and already had children. Because her family was very traditional, they hid the pregnancy and sent her away to a home run by nuns in Medellín.

Aleida, just 16, was sent to a home run by nuns in Medillín to hide her pregnancy (AI illustration)

When I was born, she never even got to hold me.

They took me away moments after my birth.

She spent decades wondering what had happened to her baby, never even knowing whether I was a boy or a girl. She carried the secret alone for most of her life, praying for me all those years.

At one point during our first video call, she looked at me through the screen and broke down crying again.

“It’s you, it’s you. It’s a miracle.”

That was the moment I completely broke too.

Finally in my mother’s arms

By then, Aleida had been living in Asturias, northern Spain, for 3 years, near her younger daughter — my newly discovered half-sister.

On April 26, 2026, after 54 years apart, we finally met in person at the airport in Oviedo.

The moment we saw each other, we embraced like we had known each other forever. Watch the video below to witness that moment:

For the first time in her life, my mother was finally able to hold me in her arms.

A mother’s embrace

Now we speak every single day. Sometimes it still feels unreal, like we are living inside a Netflix documentary or a telenovela. But beneath all the emotion, there is also peace.

This reunion has healed something in all of us — me, my mother, and even my biological father.

And more than anything, I feel grateful to my mother. Grateful that, despite her fear and her youth, she chose to bring me into the world.

Because without that decision, none of this beautiful story would have happened.

Many thanks to Luzmer Espinal for sharing this incredible story with us. If you’ve also made an amazing discover with MyHeritage, we’d love to hear about it. Please share it with us via this form or email us at stories@myheritage.com.

The post ‘It’s a Miracle’: I Found My Biological Mother 54 Years After I Was Taken From Her appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Search France, Tables of Successions and Absences for free!

Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14, marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a pivotal event of the French Revolution. Today, it is France’s national holiday and a celebration of the country’s history and culture.

The France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970 collection is an index of individuals who died or were officially declared missing in France between 1890 and 1970. Records typically include the individual’s name, date and place of death, age at death, and the name of a spouse. Some records also include the date and place of birth, residence, parents’ names, and a reference to an inheritance file.

Originally created for tax and inheritance purposes, these records are now an excellent resource for family history research. They can help confirm dates and places, identify family relationships, and lead you to additional records that provide even more information about your relatives.

Whether you know you have French roots or are just beginning to explore your family history, don’t miss this opportunity to search these records for free from July 14–18, 2026.

Happy Bastille Day, and happy searching!

The post Explore Your French Family History with Free Access to French Inheritance Records for Bastille Day! appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.