Reader Responses to Tracing Family Trees

While it’s nice to know that young people are interested in genealogy, it would be helpful if they used the proper terminology. The photo’s caption mistakenly claims that the ancestor in the photo is the namesake of Jake Garfinkle ’23, when in fact the opposite is the case. In addition to that, I fail to see what value there could be in including in the printed interview all twelve of the “likes” with which this inarticulate young man peppered his speech.

Thank you for an interesting and relevant article on uncovering family secrets. Following years of searching and overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, I obtained a copy of my original birth certificate last July from the City of New York. To my surprise, my name at birth was Paul Edward Thomas. Thereafter, with the aid of DNA, I have received a flood of information over the last few months. Among many facts, I learned the name of my mother and that many of my ancestors are buried in the same cemetery in Hartford (Conn.), only 40 miles away. It has been a wonderful, satisfying experience bringing an unexpected family history to light.