PBS' Faces Of America Shows How Soft We've Become

We have been watching this show for the past two weeks on PBS, mostly because I'm very interested in genealogy and history.

In First Lady's Roots, a Complex Path From Slavery

In 1850, the elderly master of a South Carolina estate took pen in hand and painstakingly divided up his possessions. Among the spinning wheels, scythes, tablecloths and cattle that he bequeathed to his far-flung heirs was a 6-year-old slave girl valued soon afterward at $475.

Dave Bakke: Woman unearths grandfather�s secret life - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

Nine times out of 10, when genealogy enthusiasts root around in their family closet, they don't find more than what they expected to find. But that 10th time, they might find what Linda Hayes found — a huge skeleton. "It was life-altering," says Linda

From slave house to the White House

The plantation where Michelle Obama's great-great-grandfather lived is tucked behind the tyre stores and veterinary clinics of Highway 521. But its history and grounds have been meticulously preserved, down to the dykes that controlled the flow of water into its expansive rice f …

McCain, Obama, Palin and Biden all a wee bit Irish -

With the election tomorrow, let's think briefly about what presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin have in common. For sure, it's a bit of Irish.

Palin's family ties include FDR, Princess Diana

Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are not the only political odd couple who share a family tree. Sarah Palin is linked in her lineage to Franklin Roosevelt. She also has a connection with Princess Diana.