genealogy | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/genealogy/RSS feed for genealogyenTue, 03 Nov 2026 18:56:36 +0000Hawaii and Easter Island Are 4,400 Miles Apart. But the Same Group of 'Ultravoyagers' Settled Both Centuries Ago, Genetic Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/native-hawaiians-descend-from-a-group-of-ultravoyagers-who-sailed-about-4400-miles-from-easter-island-genetic-study-suggests-180989793/Researchers studied DNA from more than 1,000 modern-day Polynesians and found that Native Hawaiians and Easter Islanders were most closely related. The findings help trace the epic settlement of the Polynesian islands while also revealing genetic vulnerabilities among their communitiesTue, 03 Nov 2026 18:56:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/native-hawaiians-descend-from-a-group-of-ultravoyagers-who-sailed-about-4400-miles-from-easter-island-genetic-study-suggests-180989793/This Social Worker Was Supposed to Help Orphans Find Homes. Instead, She Abducted Children Who Already Had Families and Sold Them for Profithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/Between 1924 and 1950, Georgia Tann placed more than 5,000 children—many of them seized from their parents without permission—with wealthy families across the U.SWed, 23 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/Did Thomas Jefferson Father Sally Hemings' Children? After More Than a Decade of Research, the Answer Is Finally Firmly in Handhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/did-thomas-jefferson-father-sally-hemings-children-after-more-than-decade-research-answer-finally-firmly-hand-180989331/A lock of hair, advances in genetic science and a community of descendants all contributed to solving an American mysteryTue, 22 Sep 2026 04:01:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/did-thomas-jefferson-father-sally-hemings-children-after-more-than-decade-research-answer-finally-firmly-hand-180989331/