It is so exciting for us to see genealogy come to life on network TV in the new NBC series “Who Do You Think You Are?“ I hope you are enjoying every minute of the journey upon which each of the celebrities embarks. One of the best aspects of having conducted research on each of the episodes, besides the fact that each story is unique and compelling and gives our research chops a “work-out,” is that we have the opportunity, thanks to Ancestry.com and Wall-to-Wall Productions, to work with researchers across the globe. I am so passionate about this television series. I get to see historical research come to life on screen. I get to see the impact of history face-to-face!

Guess what? You may not think so right now, but you have stories like the celebrities’ stories in your own family tree! Just make sure you’re looking for them. Genealogy and family history represent far more than just names on a pedigree chart. Take time to learn about the era in which your ancestors lived; in fact, doing that might just help you solve the next generation!

At ProGenealogists, we have helped clients, who thought they were alone in the world, find half-siblings, aunts and uncles that they didn’t know they had. They had lost touch with their families for various reasons … cycles of divorce, abandonment, or other traumatic events. Getting them back in touch with living family members have helped clients heal and be touched by the stories presented to them. These types of family reunion stories are truly moving and they are stories that we’ll never forget. Genealogical and historical research can actively touch the lives of a person living today.

Some of our clients need us to help them break through some difficult problem that they have been working on for years. Many times, they don’t believe that we can actually help them, but given time we can often make significant headway if not actually solve the mystery. Again, we end up touching the lives of someone living today with history! How great is that? Some of the greatest joy that we professional genealogists can have is a very happy client on the phone relating how they didn’t think we could do it, but we did, and now they are thrilled!

An earlier blog entry mentioned that we’d be putting up pages from each of the episodes and highlighting some of the sources used. I’m pleased to announce that those pages are being posted regularly, in the hours following the TV show. You’ll find them under “Case Studies” on our website, or, just click the “Who Do You Think You Are?” blue banner on the homepage. The different episodes will be listed on the right side of the page.

Hope you are enjoying the show!

“Who Do You Think You Are?” is scheduled every Friday on NBC at 8/7c. This Friday viewers will witness Lisa Kudrow’s amazing journey into her ancestry.