The insolvent genetic testing company 23andMe informed a U.S. bankruptcy judge on Wednesday that it intends to restart asset bidding procedures following a $305 million proposal from its co-founder Anne Wojcicki.

The bankruptcy auction which concluded in May resulted in 23andMe selecting Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' $256 million bid as the top offer.

A subsequent proposal from TTAM Research Institute which Anne Wojcicki established as a nonprofit enabled 23andMe to request permission from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brian Walsh in St. Louis to resume discussions with prospective buyers after confirming TTAM's financial capability to support its superior bid.

According to attorney Emil Kleinhaus Regeneron will submit another bid for 23andMe's assets with the condition that they receive a $10 million breakup fee should Wojcicki's offer succeed. Kleinhaus stated that Regeneron maintains its desire to purchase 23andMe but finds it unjust that the genetic testing company requested another auction opportunity following the previous bidding process.

The following article was written by the American Society of Genealogists:

The ASG awards Grants for Continuing Genealogical Research Projects. These grants are intended to assist with those projects sitting unfinished (or unstarted) on every genealogist’s “back burner” for lack of financial aid to help cover researching and writing time, costs of copies, fees, travel, and other usual expenses associated with genealogical research and publication.

Each grant is for $2,500. Projects are not limited regarding subject, length, or format, but the value of the work to other researchers and institutions will be an important consideration. Examples of possible projects include, but are not limited to, compilation of single or extended family genealogies, transcriptions or translations of original documents, bibliographies, indexes, studies of ethnic groups, geographic locations, migration patterns, legal history, etc., using genealogical resources and methods.

Publication is not required, but acknowledgement of the support from the American Society of Genealogists in any distribution of the project results is requisite.

This grant program began in 2022. Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists are not eligible for these grants.

Applications

The call for proposals for each cycle is posted separately on this website. Further information and application forms are available from Alicia Crane Williams, FASG, 4 White Trellis, Plymouth, MA 02360; acwcrane@aol.com.

Award Recipients

2025:

Michelle Tucker Chubenko: “A Genealogist’s Guide to Austrian Land Cadastres for the Crownland of Galicia.” 

Yvonne Captain, PhD: “The Importance of the African Union Methodist Protestant (A.U.M.P.) Church of Delaware to the African Diaspora.” 

Kahealani Martins Curammeng: “Portuguese Heritage in the Hawaiian Kingdom.”

Emily H. Garber: “American Jewish Genealogy: From the Past to the Future.” 

2024:

Pamela Vittorio of Brooklyn, New York City: Navigating the Records of the New York Canals (1817 to 1918): A Guide for Genealogical Research.”

Kelly Richardson of Dickinson, North Dakota: documenting the Gualala River Cemetery in northern California.

Carolyne Ngara of Nairobi, Kenya:  comprehensive genealogical research on the Luo people of Kenya.

Shahidah Ahmad of Watertown, Massachusetts (second award): African American genealogy in Holly Hill and Cottageville, South Carolina.

2023:

Shahidah Ahmad of Watertown, Massachusetts: African American genealogy in Holly Hill and Cottageville, South Carolina.

Richard de Boer of Harlingen, The Netherlands: genealogical source review in six Balkans nations.

Stephanie Mills Trice of Silver Spring, Maryland: African American families at Zion Baptist Church, Macon, North Carolina.

Jamie Wasilchenko of Newaygo, Michigan: genealogy of Horodylovychi, Galacia, Austro-Hungarian Empire.

2022:

William E. Cole of Gold River, California: Cole genealogies (book and article) and study of nonconformists, 1590s.

Holly MacCammon of Philmont, New York: New York Surrogate Court Guradianship Records

Al Sharp of Kittitas, Washington: Henrico Project.

Ian Watson of Burtenbach, Germany: Ipswich Deeds Project.

The following article was written by FamilySearch:

Recently, FamilySearch expanded its free online archives with over 95 million new records from 25 different countries. Some exciting additions include 54 million church records from Colombia, 17.5 million civil registrations from Guatemala, 6.8 million church records from Bolivia, and and additional 6 million civil and church records from Brazil. 

Other countries with significant record additions include the following:

• Argentina
• Canada
• Ecuador
• Ireland
• Philippines
• United States
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia 

To ensure the accuracy of updates, FamilySearch takes time to compile new record update reports. Dates of when a collection was published may not coincide with the date of the report. 

Follow the links below to browse new records to expand your family tree.

Jump to Section

• Africa 
• Asia and Middle East 
• Canada and United States of America
• Europe (Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey, etc.)
• Latin America (South America, Brazil, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, etc.)
• Pacific and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, etc.)

For other helpful genealogy content, watch free, on-demand sessions from RootsTech.

A murder weapon and piece of clothing found inside a Linn County residence near Center Point led to a suspect's identification after 41 years.

Chief genetic genealogist CeCe Moore of Parabon NanoLabs explains the process of determining someone's identity by analyzing the DNA of the individuals they share genetic material with. The genetic team headed by Moore examined the DNA obtained from both the hammer and fabric that Ron Novak was wearing when he was discovered dead to build a family tree for an unidentified suspect.

The analysis method works well because it detects even minimal DNA matches to the unidentified suspect according to Moore. Parabon NanoLabs utilizes a genetic database that features data from roughly 2 million individuals. The company checked the Novak murder DNA against a genetic database to identify potential DNA matches.

According to Moore everyone involved shared less than one percent of their DNA which suggests that they were distant relatives. The individuals who matched the DNA evidence were probably third or fourth cousins to Novak's killer.

Parabon contacted relatives to obtain their consent for DNA testing in order to refine their search. Their investigation resulted in finding the Shappert family which consisted of several brothers.

The Linn County Sheriff’s office investigated three brothers while charging Michael Schappert with first-degree murder. Michael Schappert attended Kennedy High in Cedar Rapids before he settled near Portland for many years. Now sitting in the Linn County jail. 

The solution came about through a small blood sample and advanced technology. A very small sample of DNA is all that's needed for testing. One hair even. Moore confirmed that their identification process will successfully locate your identity.

Parabon NanoLabs charged less than $10,000 to produce the suspect list for this investigation. The company gains access to genetic databases that contain DNA information from individuals who have consented to law enforcement usage.

The majority of individuals who have undergone tests from companies such as Ancestry.com do not have their DNA utilized for forensic purposes.

The South Brunswick Public Library will have a virtual workshop on researching African American Genealogy on Saturday, June 21, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, in honor of Juneteenth. Registration is required and can be done by clicking here.

“While increased digitization of records has opened new possibilities for many genealogy researchers, those looking to uncover the stories of African American ancestors may still struggle to find records,” the program description reads, “Since African Americans have historically been barred from many of the life experiences that generate official documents, researching Black genealogy can present unique challenges.”

The workshop will teach participants how to explore their African American roots, according to the library. Teddi Ashby of the African American Genealogy Group will host the program. 

This program is free and open to all, including those who work to help others research family history. This program is supported and funded by the Friends of South Brunswick Library.

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage:

Big news for French genealogy! MyHeritage has just released a groundbreaking collection: 731 million structured records extracted from historical French newspapers, thanks to our in-house AI technology. This is our first "Names & Stories" collection in a language other than English, and it opens up a treasure trove of information for anyone researching their French roots.  Search the collection These records delve beyond names and dates: they capture relationships, occupations, addresses, and more, all linked to original newspaper pages. It's a significant advancement in making French historical newspapers accessible and searchable for genealogists worldwide. You can read the full announcement on the MyHeritage Blog.

The Wiregrass Archives at Troy University-Dothan recently completed the Alabama Historical Marker Digital Enhancement Project, a grant-funded project that created a public-facing digital map for historical markers across the state.

A partnership between the Alabama Historical Association Marker Committee, Alabama Heritage magazine and the Encyclopedia of Alabama, the project created a digital map of 218 Alabama Historical Association markers in Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa counties.  

Besides pinning the markers by location, the project added information about each marker’s title, location, text, image and sponsors. Project assistant Dr. Katie Beasley located Encyclopedia of Alabama articles for 81 markers and Alabama Heritage articles for 36. 

“The project’s real mission was to link as many markers as possible to digitally available articles from the Encyclopedia of Alabama and Alabama Heritage magazine that provide readers with information beyond each marker’s text,” said Dr. Marty Olliff, director of the Wiregrass Archives and principal investigator for the project.

Now that the initial phase of the project is complete, the group will add the remaining 600 Alabama Historical Association markers as soon as possible. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance tourism and, particularly, K-12 social studies education.

“This digital map provides a tool that aligns with the newly devised Alabama Course of Study in Social Studies,” Olliff said. “It combines geographic and historical information, but also leads students into thinking beyond the marker to the stories historical markers merely allude to.  The Alabama Course of Study introduced a new historical methods course for high school, and the enhanced digital map of markers opens a world of research possibilities.”

The Project map is available to the public through the Alabama Historical Association Marker Committee webpage, https://www.alabamahistory.net/historical-markers-index.

This project was funded by grants from the Alabama Humanities Alliance and the Alabama Historical Association.

If your name is McKenna, a two-day event on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 June in Monaghan (Ireland) might just interest you.

The Clan McKenna international gathering commences on Friday 13 morning at 11am with a walking tour of Monaghan town, accompanied by a tour guide. 

In the afternoon there is a tour of Monaghan County Museum followed by a talk by local historian Brian McDonald after which a buffet is being served. The venue for this is the magnificent Peace Campus.

On Saturday 14 at 10.30am – 12.30pm it's a return to the Peace Campus for a DNA/Genealogy workshop conducted by Connor McKenna.   

Immediately following this there will be a visit to Donagh Old Graveyard where the remains of the last McKenna chieftain lies and also the ancestors of General Don Juan McKenna, military officer and hero of the Chilean War of Independence and recognised as the co-liberator of Chile.

The gathering will culminate with an inaugural dinner in the Sliabh Beagh Hotel in the beautiful rural North Monaghan area of Knockatallon. Coach transport will be provided to the hotel taking in enroute places of interest on The McKenna Trail such as Errigal Old Graveyard & Liskenna Fort said to be where McKenna finally killed the deer he had been hunting for two nights. 

On the night outgoing chieftain for the past 3 years Marilyn Stoecklein will relinquish her role and pass the McKenna staff and cloak to Siobhan McKenna of Monaghan town. 

All details of the Clan McKenna International Gathering 2025 are available from: clannmckenna@gmail.com or the secretary at 00353 (0)87 755 9095

The following is an announcement written by MyHeritage and ScanCafe:

MyHeritage has just launched a new partnership with ScanCafe, the leading photo and video digitization service in the U.S.! To celebrate the launch of the partnership, MyHeritage users will enjoy 50% off at ScanCafe for a limited time! This collaboration makes it easy for MyHeritage users in the U.S. to digitize their old photos, slides, negatives, and home videos, and have them automatically transferred for safekeeping on MyHeritage through a secure account integration. Once on MyHeritage, users can organize and enhance their photos and enrich their family trees. Founded in 2006, ScanCafe has already digitized over 250 million memories, making them an excellent choice for anyone looking to protect their family’s legacy and make it accessible for future generations. You can read more about this new partnership in the blog post.

The founder of 23andMe opens new tab, Anne Wojcicki, requested a U.S. judge to reopen the genetic testing company's auction because she received backing from a Fortune 500 company valued at over $400 billion.

Court documents from Anne Wojcicki did not reveal the identity of the Fortune 500 company.

The genetic testing company 23andMe based in South San Francisco, California sought bankruptcy protection in March to auction its business after experiencing reduced consumer demand alongside a 2023 data incident that compromised sensitive information of millions of its consumers.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O) reached an agreement last month to acquire the firm for $256 million which exceeds the $146 million proposal made by Wojcicki and TTAM Research Institute.

On May 31 Wojcicki filed that 23andMe's debtors worked to redirect the sales proceedings toward Regeneron instead of TTAM.

Both TTAM and Wojcicki claimed that 23andMe’s financial and legal advisers set a maximum bid limit of $250 million because they incorrectly doubted TTAM's financial capabilities. The plaintiffs argued the auction ended too soon before they could make a bid above $280 million.

According to the filing, the four-member special committee of independent directors undertook extensive and careful consideration before reaching the auction results as stated by the company's debtors.

23andMe filed for court permission to allow Wojcicki and Regeneron to present final proposals by the date of June 12. 23andMe wants to receive a $10 million breakup fee from Regeneron if Wojcicki's proposal wins approval.

Immediate responses to the email requests for comments were not provided by the legal teams representing 23andMe debtors and TTAM parties as well as Regeneron.