Latest news with #MyHeritage
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MyHeritage and ScanCafe Partner to Digitize and Preserve Family Memories
New collaboration enables consumers to seamlessly digitize their cherished photos and films in bulk with ScanCafe and store them on MyHeritage to preserve and explore their family history TEL AVIV, Israel & LEHI, Utah & FISHERS, Ind., May 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MyHeritage, the leading global platform for family history, and ScanCafe, the leading photo and video digitization service in the U.S., announced today a new partnership to give consumers an easy and safe way to digitize their family memories. This new collaboration combines the power of two giants in the fields of media scanning and family history. ScanCafe enables consumers to easily digitize their physical media items. MyHeritage then safeguards their digital legacy and provides a starting point for exploring their entire family history. ScanCafe, founded in 2006, is a trusted service for bulk photo scanning and digitization of negatives, slides, videos, and other media. MyHeritage, founded in 2003, is an online platform for discovering and preserving family history. It offers convenient cloud storage service for digital photos and videos, and features an innovative suite of AI-powered technologies to enhance, colorize, repair, and animate photos. MyHeritage is now the recommended cloud storage option for all customers who order ScanCafe's services, and ScanCafe is now the recommended bulk media scanning solution for MyHeritage's U.S. users. For every ScanCafe order where cloud storage on MyHeritage is selected, or where MyHeritage is the referring service, the digitized media files from ScanCafe are automatically transferred for safekeeping on MyHeritage, and the user's ScanCafe and MyHeritage accounts are seamlessly connected through a secure integration. On MyHeritage, users can access their digitized photos and videos via the MyHeritage website and mobile apps, and enjoy powerful features to enhance, colorize, repair and animate their photos. Features like multi-photo tagging and AI-based photo date estimation make it simple to organize family photos and easily share them with family and friends. Preserving the family's cherished photos and videos is only the beginning. MyHeritage offers a range of additional products and features to help users discover and preserve their family story, including tools to build a family tree, a huge database of 34 billion historical records from around the world, and at-home DNA testing. "Many of us have childhood photo albums and shoe boxes full of treasured photos tucked away at home, and each one holds a piece of our family story," said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. "While MyHeritage's mobile apps include built-in photo scanning, many people don't have the time to scan their photos one by one. With ScanCafe's state-of-the-art bulk scanning service now integrated with MyHeritage, it's never been easier to have your family's entire media collection of memories professionally digitized by ScanCafe and securely stored on the MyHeritage platform for posterity — alongside all your family history materials. This collaboration reflects our unwavering commitment to expand the MyHeritage platform through initiatives that help families safeguard their memories and explore their family history in new and meaningful ways." "Behind every family photo and video is a personal story waiting to be rediscovered, and deserving to be told," said Anderson Schoenrock, CEO of ScanCafe. "We're thrilled to partner with MyHeritage, a global leader in family history, to make it easy for families to preserve their memories and discover the people, places, and stories that bring them to life." ScanCafe customers who select the MyHeritage cloud storage plan at checkout will receive cloud storage for their photos and unlimited access to MyHeritage's suite of photo features through monthly and annual subscription options, with the first month provided for free. MyHeritage users in the U.S. will enjoy a 50% discount at ScanCafe for a limited time. MyHeritage subscribers with a Complete, Omni, or Photo plan who accept MyHeritage's referral to digitize their memories with ScanCafe will have their digitized media files automatically uploaded to their account on MyHeritage. Learn more about the MyHeritage-ScanCafe partnership at About MyHeritage MyHeritage is the leading global platform for family history. It enriches the lives of people worldwide by enabling them to uncover more about themselves and where they belong. With a suite of intuitive products, billions of historical records, AI-powered photo tools, and an affordable at-home DNA test, MyHeritage creates a meaningful discovery experience that is deeply rewarding. The MyHeritage platform is enjoyed by more than 62 million people around the world who treasure and celebrate their heritage. MyHeritage offers full privacy controls and is available in 42 languages. About ScanCafe Founded in 2006, ScanCafe is a trusted digitization service helping families preserve and rediscover their most treasured memories. From old photographs, negatives, and slides to videotapes, film reels, and more, ScanCafe transforms aging analog media into high-quality digital files. With over 250 million memories digitized and counting, families nationwide rely on ScanCafe for its commitment to quality, affordability, and care. Because every memory deserves to be brought back to life—and passed on for generations to come. View source version on Contacts MyHeritageMargaux StelmanHead of Public RelationsPhone: +972 52-953-4295Email: pr@ ScanCafeAnderson SchoenrockCEOPhone: (310) 801-6625Email: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Sun
27-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Woman finds long-lost siblings after 60 years apart with DNA tool – and it's now just £33
A WOMAN who was given up for adoption as a baby has finally found her long-lost British siblings after 60 years – and made an incredible discovery that left them all stunned. The extraordinary twist of fate came to light through a MyHeritage DNA test, which connected family members who had spent their lives never knowing each other existed. Get a MyHeritage DNA kit for £33 with FREE shipping when you buy 2+ kits SHOP HERE Suzy Fraser, 64, was adopted in Australia after her unwed mum was packed off from Portsmouth to give birth Down Under in 1958 – and she spent decades searching for her birth family. Suzy's birth mum was just 19 when she got pregnant and was whisked away to Australia due to the stigma around unwed mothers at the time. She was forced to place Suzy for adoption as the family didn't think Raymond, Suzy's biological father, was good enough for her mum. Suzy's breakthrough in finding her dad's side of the family came when her hubby, Tim, suggested she take a MyHeritage DNA test in 2018. The results matched her with a first cousin from Gibraltar, who then connected her with several half-siblings living in the UK – all children of her birth father, who had sadly passed away in 2010. But the siblings had an absolutely jaw-dropping revelation for Suzy. They had another sister called Susan (Susie) who had tragically died from asthma when she was just 19. Even more incredibly, this sister looked strikingly similar to Suzy. "I saw the photographs of our sister Susie, who was nineteen when she passed away, and also the picture of Suzy, as she is now, and it was as if it was the same person," revealed Sharon, one of Suzy's newfound siblings. In an emotional reunion that would bring tears to anyone's eyes, the siblings finally met face-to-face in Thailand. "I just feel loved now," Suzy said. "We would walk along and hold hands and cuddle each other. "There is nothing strange about it or uncomfortable about it. It is just awesome." Her husband Tim added: "Suzy is now complete. She knows who she is. She knows where she comes from, and she had never known any of that. It is a complete life changer." Discover your own family secrets MyHeritage DNA 's current special offer makes now the perfect time to discover your genetic heritage if you're curious about your own family story. The simple at-home DNA test requires just a quick cheek swab – no blood or complicated procedures – and can reveal ethnic origins, connect you with relatives, and potentially uncover family secrets you never imagined. Whether you're adopted, researching your family history, or simply curious about your origins, a DNA test could be the key to unlocking secrets that have remained hidden for decades. After all, as Suzy's story shows, the truth about who we are and where we come from can sometimes be more extraordinary than fiction.
New York Post
17-05-2025
- New York Post
Scottish woman discovers long-lost dad's secret life as New York mafia informant after DNA test
A woman who was searching for information about her long-lost dad has discovered his secret life as a New York City mafia informant. Paula Colville, 60, was raised by her mom Elizabeth, who became pregnant while working in New York City as an au pair in the 1960s. After returning to Scotland, Elizabeth refused to speak to Paula about her past – with Paula only discovering her own father's name aged 15, after a conversation with her grandmother. Advertisement 3 Paula Colville holds up a photo frame of her father Billy Elson Lawson. Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS Once Elizabeth passed away, Paula, from Lochgelly in Fife, decided to try 'one last time' to find out more about her family, and took a DNA test in the hopes of being matched with any living relatives. Shockingly, she was put in contact with half-sisters and half-nieces from California and New York – and together, they discovered that Billy Elson Lawson had lived in New York City, acting as an undercover mafia informant, before fleeing the state after an attempt on his life. Advertisement 'My mum was never forthcoming with any information about my father,' said Paula. 'My mother made it very clear that I was a bitter reminder of the man that she'd loved and lost. 'As a 15-year-old, I was given a small amount of information by my gran – she told me his name, and said that my father was 20 years older than my mum, and was the owner of the George Washington hotel in Lexington Avenue. 'That wasn't true, but she did tell me his name was Billy Lawson. Advertisement 'So, when my mum was at work, I went through the entire White Pages – which is the New York phonebook – to try and find him. 'Of course, I didn't find him because his name had already changed at that point, but I wasn't aware of that. 3 Once Elizabeth passed away, Paula, from Lochgelly in Fife, decided to try 'one last time' to find out more about her family, and took a DNA test in the hopes of being matched with any living relatives. Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS 'I tried again throughout the years – I even went to the Salvation Army, because they help to find missing people. I hoped that they might be able to help, but they couldn't find anything. Advertisement 'I gave up for a while after that. 'But then my best friend passed away in January 2022, and he'd said to me that I should really give it one last go to see if I could find out anything.' Paula even hired a private investigator based in New York to try and track down information about Billy – but he came up empty handed. But after finding half-sisters Cherie, 51, and Lisa, 49, through MyHeritage and Ancestry DNA tests, the siblings were able to compare the information they had about their father. Paula discovered that Billy had been placed under witness protection after an attempted assassination blew up his apartment, leading him to flee the city. 'He'd been living in an apartment, and people had tried to have him killed – the apartment blew up, but he wasn't in there at the time,' she said. 'It was linked to the mafia stuff, which is really surreal. Advertisement 'You don't expect something like that to be part of your life – it's like something from the movies.' He took on the name Why Wakeen, and moved to Texas and New Jersey, where he was twice married and divorced, before settling down in Arkansas. Neither of his wives knew anything about his time in the mob, attempted murder, or his birth name. Billy passed away in Arkansas in 2009 after a battle with pneumonia and pancreatic cancer, with his death registered under his alias. Advertisement 'I found two women who turned out to be my half-nieces,' said Paula. 'They had a similar story about their granddad – but his name was slightly different, so I wasn't sure. 'We conversed quite a lot – shared what information we could with each other. 'Dad was sporadic, in and out of their mum's life, and it was mostly phone calls she had with him. Her mum did have some contact with him – although not a lot. Advertisement 'I had also commissioned a private investigator who lived in New York, to try and find more about him, but he couldn't come up with anything – again, because of the name. 3 Paula, who lived her whole life believing she was an only child, was shocked to discover she had sisters – and thrilled to get the chance to learn more about them. Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS 'It was like he had vanished off the face of the earth. 'Through matches on Ancestry, I managed to locate cousins of his. Advertisement 'They were completely unaware that Billy had even been married, never mind had biological children. They knew nothing. 'They said that he just vanished after he joined the American Air Force in 1960. 'I finally managed to find other relatives who put me in the right direction – and they helped me get in contact with my sisters, Cherie and Lisa. 'They didn't know he had changed his name – they were shocked.' Paula, who lived her whole life believing she was an only child, was shocked to discover she had sisters – and thrilled to get the chance to learn more about them. The three women bonded immediately – and in February, Paula and her husband flew to New York to meet them for the first time, and celebrate her 60th birthday amongst family. 'I sent them letters at first, and they received them on the exact same day,' Paula said. 'We had our first video call the next day – this was in June 2023 – and our relationship has just built from there. 'Finally, my husband and I went to New York in February. It was my 60th birthday, and I thought it would be really nice to spend it with my sisters. 'It was everything I hoped for and more – it was like all my birthdays and Christmases came at once. 'The girls and I are so alike – how we think, we have the same likes and dislikes. 'Considering we grew up with different mothers and on different sides of the planet, it's strange that we think the same way. 'You'd think that there would be awkward silences once we met, but we were talking non-stop. It was really lovely.' Paula and her sisters took a trip around New York City – investigating her father's old haunts, including a visit to a hotel where he had briefly worked as a bellboy in the 1960s. Now, with her family's greatest mystery solved, Paula hopes to continue keeping a close relationship with her sisters – and says the discoveries she has made have been 'surreal.' 'The girls and I have already agreed that we'll do our utmost best to see each other at least once a year,' she said. 'My husband and I are already planning our next trip to New York. 'The girls do want to come to Scotland – but I'm quite happy going back there! 'It was Dad's territory, and I just want to go to the places where he was. I still want to learn more about him – but that will come as time goes on. 'I feel very blessed. I'm very lucky that the girls have welcomed me with open arms. 'We're in a very good place and we're close – which is strange to say, because I was brought up as an only child. 'It's been surreal – it's like finding the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.'
New York Post
09-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
The woman who created Mother's Day also hated it with a passion — and her family is upholding that tradition
Mother's Day ain't what it used to be. The family of Anna Jarvis, the holiday's founder, are following in their ancestor's footsteps — by refusing to recognize the controversial date. Jarvis, born in 1864, wanted moms to have a deeply personal day to celebrate them. Her vision for the holiday was to be a tribute to 'the best mother who ever lived: yours.' 3 Portrait of Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother's Day, is said to have gone 'insane' in her fight to take down the holiday she created. Bettmann Archive But as the day started to become more commercialized, the woman from Webster, West Virginia, spent her final years, blind and broke, campaigning against the holiday with lawsuits to reclaim what the day initially stood for. Today, Richard Talbott Miller Jr. and Elizabeth Burr, Jarvis' first cousins three times removed, are upholding the activist's stance against Mother's Day, though they only recently discovered their link to Jarvis thanks to an intrepid geneologist from MyHeritage, who sought to find out if the holiday's creator had any living kin. When Burr first received a call from a researcher at MyHeritage, she 'thought it was a scam.' 'But once I realized it was real, it was amazing.' Jarvis set out to establish Mother's Day after the death of her own mother, whose dream it was to see such a holiday become a reality — so Jarvis honored hers by doing just that. 3 American painter Norman Rockwell was commissioned to create a poster for Mother's Day in 1951. Bettmann Archive And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill making Jarvis' Mother's Day a national holiday. As the date transformed into a so-called 'Hallmark holiday,' Jarvis couldn't stand the monster she created — she hated the flower arrangements, greeting cards and expensive chocolates, CNN reported. She called those who profited from Mother's Day 'charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and termites.' 'This is the wrong spirit,' Jarvis told the Miami Daily News in a heated interview in 1924. Even though she spent years campaigning Congress to get the holiday national recognition, she started protesting florists for the marked-up and excessive floral arrangements, which eventually led to her arrest for public disturbances. She then went directly after First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for co-opting the holiday to promote the health and welfare of women and children, even though Jarvis' mother was also a community health advocate. Jarvis never married or had children before passing away in 1948 — but her only known living relatives have been uncovered by researchers at MyHeritage. Turns out, they're not fans of Mother's Day either. 3 Anna Jarvis died in 1948, having never married or had children of her own. Corbis via Getty Images It was long believed that her family line had ended, but using census records, family trees and historical documents, a genealogist was able to trace her extended family line through her aunt, Margaret Jane Jarvis Strickler. This led them to Maryland siblings Miller and Burr. Burr and her aunt, Jane Unkefer, told the researchers that their family never celebrated Mother's Day the way the rest of the world does now to honor of their ancestor's vision. 'We really didn't like Mother's Day,' Unkefer said. 'We acknowledged it as a nice sentiment, but we didn't go in for the fancy dinner or bouquets.' 'Our mother always said, 'Every day is Mother's Day.''
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
See your family's history in vibrant colour: MyHeritage lets you enhance and colourise old war-time photos for FREE - just in time for VE Day
Ever wanted to see how your family once reacted to the end of the war in vibrant colour? Have old, blurry photos of relatives that you'd love to see in clear detail? With VE day on the horizon, MyHeritage is helping families around the world honour and remember loved ones who lived through the momentous end of World War II in Europe with their photo enhancement and colourisation tools - and you can try them with a free trial today. MyHeritage Free Trial Ever wanted to discover your family tree? Simply enter a few names into MyHeritage's family tree programme and watch your tree come to life, gain new insights about your ancestors and explore billions of historical records. Better yet, you can experience all the unmissable perks MyHeritage has to offer without paying a penny when you sign up for a 14-day free trial today. Free for 14 days Shop Discovering new branches to your family tree is just one of the many perks to genealogy programmes, but with 33.8 billion global historical records, colourisation and enhancement of historical photos, and so much more, MyHeritage is the gold standard, you're going to want to try. The best part? You can experience all the unmissable perks MyHeritage has to offer without paying a penny when you sign up for a 14-day free trial today. Victory in Europe (V-E) Day is tomorrow, and in a moving tribute to the day and the war that prefaced it, MyHeritage users from the US, UK, Canada and beyond have contributed photos with personal narratives behind them. The unique photos offer rare, human glimpses into the joy, relief and resilience that defined May 8, 1945 – not just historical accounts but snapshots of real people celebrating peace, returning home and rebuilding. To deepen the connection to these moments, many contributors used MyHeritage's photo enhancement and colourisation tools, which work to help restore and enrich old family photographs, allowing users to see faces, uniforms and cityscapes in a new light. 'Seeing my grandfather's face in full colour, smiling with his friends in uniform, brought tears to my eyes. It made history feel personal - like I was right there with him,' said Jennifer Martin, a MyHeritage user from Ontario. This initiative is part of MyHeritage's mission to preserve and share family stories. By encouraging users to explore their personal histories, MyHeritage helps bridge generations and cultures with the power of storytelling, adding more records to the database to subsequently help others. Thus, the power of MyHeritage's genealogy tools truly come into their own. Allowing you to build your family tree, uncover your family's past and grow your tree further with automatic matches to the brand's global collection of 33.8 billion historical records, MyHeritage makes it easy to discover your genealogy from home. Better still, with MyHeritage's photo enhancing tools, you can bring focus, stunning detail and vibrant colour to once blurry, black and white images, breathing new life into your ancestry Better still, with MyHeritage's unmatched photo enhancing tools, you'll be able to bring sharp focus, stunning detail and vibrant colour to once blurry, black and white images, breathing new life into your ancestry. 'I have especially enjoyed the MyHeritage resources that bring my genealogy to life,' wrote one impressed reviewer. 'Colourising black and white photographs can make a huge difference, and DeepStory allows ancestors to tell their own life stories.' Another added: 'Since joining MyHeritage in 2010, I've gone from knowing very little of my ancestors to a much deeper understanding of who they were and the lives they lived.' Ready to discover your family tree for less? Explore MyHeritage's unmissable tools with a 14-day free trial today.
