Author: Amanda

Today we remember actress Doris Day on what would have been her 101st birthday. Image: Doris Day / Library of Congress Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alma Sophia Weiz and William Joseph Kappelhoff. For most of her life, Day believed she was born in 1924. It was not until her 95th birthday that she learned she was actually born in 1922 after the Associated Press… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Christopher Walken! Today the actor celebrates his 80th birthday. Image: Tabercil, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943 in Queens, New York to Rosalie Russell and Paul Walken. His father owned and operated a bakery, Walken’s Bakery, in Astoria. From a young age, Walken was a performer. He took dancing lessons as a young child and auditioned for many bit parts that were open for children… Read the full story

Today singer Celine Dion celebrates her 55th birthday! Image: Celine Dion / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Celine Marie Claudette Dion was born on March 30, 1968 in Charlegmagne, Quebec, Canada to a large family. The youngest of 14 children, Dion grew up in a close-knit family filled with music. From a young age, Dion dreamed of becoming a performer. At the age of 5, she made her first public appearance singing with… Read the full story

On March 29, 1867, legendary baseball player Cy Young was born. Image: Cy Young / Library of Congress Young was born Denton True Young to Nancy Miller and McKinzie Young. The oldest of five children, Young stopped his formal education after the sixth grade to help out on his family’s farm. Around this same time, Young discovered a love for baseball. He played in local baseball teams before he was signed to play for the… Read the full story

Are you a country music fan? Today American country music singer Reba McEntire turns 68. Image: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) She was born on March 28, 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Jacqueline and Clark Vincent McEntire. Named after her maternal grandmother Reba Estelle Smith, the music legend learned to sing and play guitar at a young age. Her father and grandfather were both champion steer ropers, so as a child, she… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Sunset Boulevard? On this day in 1899, legendary actress Gloria Swanson was born. Image: Gloria Swanson / Library of Congress Swanson was born on March 27, 1899 to Joseph Theodore Swanson and Adelaide Klanowski in a small house in Chicago, Illinois. Since her father was a soldier in the army, she moved frequently. She spent part of her childhood in Puerto Rico, where she learned Spanish and saw her first films…. Read the full story

On this day in 1874, illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini was born. Image: Harry Houdini / Library of Congress Houdini was born Erik Weisz on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. He was one of seven children born to Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weisz and Cecilia Steiner. Set on becoming a professional magician, Erik changed his name to Harry Houdini, after the French magician, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdini. He became widely known as “The Handcuff King” for… Read the full story

On this day in 1905, actress Joan Crawford was born in San Antonio, Texas. Image: Joan Crawford / Wikimedia Commons Born Lucille Fay LeSueur, Crawford was the youngest of three children born to Thomas E. LeSueur and Anna Bell Johnson. Her parents separated while Crawford was young and her mother remarried Harry Cassin, a theater owner. Growing up, she would use the name Billie Cassin. With a love for dancing, Crawford left school to pursue a dancing… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of French mime Marcel Marceau. Before he became one of the most famous mimes in the world, Marceau helped save many Jewish children from the Nazis during World War II. Image: Marcel Marceau / Library of Congress Marceau was born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923 in Strasbourg, France to a Jewish family. From a young age, Marceau was an avid fan of silent films, especially those of Charlie… Read the full story

On this day in 1806, Benito Juarez was born. Juarez was the President of Mexico and is today remembered as a national hero for his resistance of French occupation and victory in overthrowing Emperor Maximilian I. Image: Benito Juarez / Library of Congress Juarez was born to a Zapotec peasant family on March 21, 1806 in a small adobe house in San Pablo Guelato, Oaxaca, Mexico. He was an orphan by the age of three… Read the full story

Remember watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood growing up? Today we remember everyone’s favorite neighbor Fred Rogers on what would have been his 95th birthday. Image: Fred Rogers awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to James and Nancy Rogers. Rogers did not originally intend to pursue a career in television. After college, he studied to… Read the full story

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Celebrated annually on March 17 for over a thousand years, this Irish cultural and religious holiday honors the memory of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. Image: St. Patrick / Library of Congress At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped from his home by pirates and taken to Ireland. During his enslavement, he discovered his call to Christianity and escaped his captors after six years. He returned to Ireland as a… Read the full story

James Madison, the fourth President of the United States of America, was born on this day, March 16, 1751. Image: James Madison / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 Madison was born at the Belle Grove Plantation near Port Conway, Virginia to a prominent slaving-owning family. He was the eldest of twelve children. One of America’s Founding Fathers, Madison was instrumental in drafting the U.S. Constitution and laid the foundation for the Bill of Rights. He became… Read the full story

Today we remember Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on what would have been her 90th birthday. Image: Ruth Bader Ginsburg / Wikimedia Commons Ginsburg was born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the second child born to Nathan Bader, a Jewish emigrant from Odessa, Ukraine, and Celia Amster, whose family came from Kraków, Poland. In 1956, Ginsburg enrolled in Harvard Law School, where she was one of… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Billy Crystal! Today the comedian and actor turns 75. Image: Billy Crystal / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) William Edward Crystal was born on March 14, 1948 in New York City, New York. His father, Jack Crystal, worked as a jazz promoter, producer and owner of Commodore Music Store. He sometimes brought home comedy albums featuring Bob Newhart and Sid Caesar, which had a great influence on Crystal growing up. After starting… Read the full story

On this day in 1855, astronomer Percival Lowell was born in Boston, Massachusetts. The founder of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Lowell’s research would form the beginnings of the work that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death. Image: Percival Lowell / Library of Congress Lowell was born to a wealthy and prominent New England family. His great grandfather, John Lowell, was one of the first Judges to be appointed by President George Washington,… Read the full story

We’re back from RootsTech 2023 and it was so much fun to return to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was wonderful to spend time with old friends and meet new people, many of whom were just getting started in their family history search. With the last two years of conferences being all virtual, it was nice to be able to interact with attendees face-to-face once again. This year RootsTech… Read the full story

Does anyone in your family play the theremin? Today we celebrate the 112th birthday of master theremin performer Clara Rockmore. Image: Clara Rockmore / Wikimedia Commons She was born Clara Reisenberg on March 9, 1911 in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was then a part of the Russian Empire. A talented violinist growing up, Rockmore was forced to give up the instrument due to health problems caused by malnutrition. After her family fled to the United States, Rockmore met Léon Theremin,… Read the full story

Do you have Estonian roots? On this day in 1826, Estonian painter Johann Köler was born. A leader of the Estonian national awakening, Köler is considered to be the first professional painter of Estonia. Image: Johann Köler / Järvamaa Muuseum, Wikimedia Commons Köler was born March 8, 1826 in Lubjassaare farmstead in Ivaski, Vijandi County to a peasant family. Although the family had little money, Köler managed to attend school and eventually study painting at… Read the full story

On this day in 1765, French inventor Nicéphore Niépce was born in Chalon-sur-Saône-et-Loire, France. He is best remembered as the inventor of photography and one of the most important pioneers of the field. Nicéphore Niépce / Wikimedia Commons The son of a wealthy lawyer, Niépce’s entire family fled during the French Revolution, but he returned to serve in the French army under Napoleon. After returning home to manage his family’s estate, Niépce developed an interest in… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 176th birthday of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the first practical telephone. Image: Alexander Graham Bell / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland to Alexander Melville Bell ad Eliza Grace Symonds. His family life profoundly influenced his research on hearing and speech; his father and grandfather were elocutionists and both his mother and his wife were deaf. This research lead to… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! Today marks the 119th birthday of the beloved children’s book author. Image: Theodore Seuss Geisel / Library of Congress Theodore Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Theodor Robert Geisel and Henrietta Seuss. His father was a successful brewmaster before the family brewery was closed when Prohibition took effect. He was later appointed as superintendent of Springfield’s public parks system by the mayor. Geisel published his first… Read the full story

On this day in 1810, Polish pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin was born. Image: Frédéric Chopin / Library of Congress Frédéric François Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon I. Although his baptism record states his birthday as February 22, 1810, Chopin and his family used the birthdate March 1, which today is generally accepted as the correct date. A child prodigy, Chopin… Read the full story

On this day in 1901, chemist and activist Linus Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon. Regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history, Pauling is often considered to be the founder of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. Image: Linus Pauling / Smithsonian Institution, Flickr The eldest child of Herman Henry Pauling and Lucy Darling, Pauling showed an interest in science at a young age. He contributed many discoveries across several scientific fields. The… Read the full story

Today we remember acting legend Elizabeth Taylor on what would have been her 91st birthday. Image: Elizabeth Taylor / Wikimedia Commons Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England to American parents, Francis Lenn Taylor, an art dealer, and Sara Sothern, a retired actress. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the family returned to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, California. Soon after, Taylor began auditioning for films…. Read the full story

Today we remember pioneering NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who passed away on this day at the age of 101. Johnson broke racial and gender barriers by becoming one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist. Image: Katherine Johnson / NASA Johnson was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to Joshua Coleman, a handyman and farmer, and Joylette Roberta Lowe, a teacher. Johnson showed a gift… Read the full story

RootsTech 2023 is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited to see everyone in person once again. For those who can’t make it to the Salt Palace Convention Center between March 2-4 in Salt Lake City, Utah, you will also have the opportunity to attend the conference virtually for free from the comfort of your own home! That’s right – RootsTech will be both virtual and in-person. For the last two years,… Read the full story

On this day in 1868, civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois is often considered one of the most influential proponents of civil rights during the first half of the 20th century. Image: W.E.B. Du Bois / Library of Congress William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868 to Alfred Du Bois and Mary Silvina Burghardt. His mother’s family was a part of a small,… Read the full story

On this day in 1732, George Washington, the first President of the United States, was born. Image: George Washington / Wikimedia Commons Washington was born on February 22, 1732 on his family’s plantation, the Pope’s Creek Estate, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the first son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball. His great grandfather, John Washington, emigrated to Virginia from England in 1656. A Founding Fathers of the United States, Washington led… Read the full story

On this day in 1933, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Nina Simone was born. Image: Nina Simone / Wikimedia Commons, Nationaal Archief, CC0 Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina. She was the sixth of eight children born to John Divine Waymon and Mary Kate Irvin. Around the age of 3, she began playing the piano and was soon performing at her local church. She studied classical… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actor Sidney Poitier on what would have been his 96th birthday. Image: Sidney Poitier / Wikimedia Commons Poitier was born on February 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida to Bahamian parents Evelyn Outen and Reginald James Poitier. He was born two months premature while his parents were vacationing in the U.S. Until the age of 10, Poitier lived on his family’s farm on Cat Island in the Bahamas. At the age of 15,… Read the full story

On this day in 1781, French doctor René Laennec was born in Quimper, France. Considered one of the greatest physicians in history, Laennec made many significant contributions to the world of medicine, most notably his invention of the stethoscope. Image: René Laennec / Wikimedia Commons As a boy, René Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec was sent to live with his uncle, Guillaume-François Laennec, after the death of his mother. His uncle was the dean of medicine at… Read the full story

Happy birthday to LeVar Burton! Today the actor turns 66. Image: LeVar Burton / Mike Muegel, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Burton was born Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, West Germany. His mother, Erma Gene Christian, was a social worker and educator. His father, Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, was a photographer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was stationed at Landstuhl at the time of his birth. As… Read the full story

Today we celebrate suffragist and social reformer Susan B. Anthony, who was born on this day in 1820. Image: Susan B. Anthony / Library of Congress Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts to Daniel Anthony and Lucy Read. Her father was an abolitionist and an advocate of the temperance movement. She grew up in a politically active household, which instilled in her a strong passion for social reform. Anthony first met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851. They… Read the full story

It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. While reading through old newspapers, it’s fun to find announcements celebrating 50, 60, 70 year wedding anniversaries. Some offer secrets to their lasting relationship and pictures of the happy couple, while others contain an abundance of genealogical information as families came together to celebrate these long-lasting unions. This Valentine’s Day, we take a look at a few of them below: After 72 years of marriage, Joseph… Read the full story

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Today we remember abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery sometime around February 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, Douglass chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14. Image: Frederick Douglass / Library of Congress While he was young, the wife of his master, Sophia Auld, began teaching Douglass the alphabet, despite laws that prohibited teaching… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Laura Dern! Today the actress turns 56. Image: Laura Dern / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Dern was born on February 10, 1967 in Los Angeles, California to actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Her great grandfather, George Dern, served as the 6th Governor of Utah and later, as the United States Secretary of War. Born into a Hollywood family, it was no surprise that Dern would also follow in… Read the full story

On this day in 1773, William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, was born at Berkeley plantation in Virginia. Image: William Henry Harrison / New York Public Library Born on February 9, 1773, Harrison was the last U.S. president to be born as a British subject before American Independence. He was the youngest son of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Bassett and his family were prominent political figures. His father was a… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Laura Ingalls Wilder! The beloved author was born on this day in 1867 in a long cabin in the Big Woods region of Wisconsin. Image: Laura Ingalls Wilder / Wikimedia Commons Wilder was the second of five children born to Charles Phillip Ingalls and Caroline Lake Quiner. Through her father, Wilder was a descendant of the Delano family, the same ancestral family of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is her fifth cousin once removed…. Read the full story

On this day in 1756, Aaron Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey. Although he served as the third Vice President of the United States, Burr is perhaps best remembered for killing his political rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804. Image: Aaron Burr / New York Public Library Burr was the second child of Esther Edwards and the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr., who was the second president of the College of New Jersey (now known as… Read the full story

On this day in 1894, American illustrator Norman Rockwell was born in New York City, New York. Image: Norman Rockwell / Library of Congress Norman Perceval Rockwell was born on February 3, 1894 to Jarvis Waring Rockwell and Anne Mary “Nancy” Hill. Rockwell’s 7th great grandfather, John Rockwell, was one of the first settlers in Connecticut. For over four decades, Rockwell’s illustrations of everyday life in America graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post magazine. Although disliked… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Farrah Fawcett on what would have been her 76th birthday. Image: Farrah Fawcett / Wikimedia Commons She was born Ferrah Leni Fawcett on February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was the second daughter born to Pauline Alice Evans and James William Fawcett, an oil field contractor. Fawcett first discovered her love for acting while in high school and in 1968, she decided to try her luck in Hollywood. She soon… Read the full story

On this day in 1902, poet and author Langston Hughes was born. A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes was known as one of the earliest innovators of jazz poetry. His writings reflected the life and experiences of African Americans and addressed racial issues in society. Image: Langston Hughes / Library of Congress Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. His parents separated shortly after his birth and he was primarily raised by his maternal grandmother until her death in 1915…. Read the full story

Today marks what would have been the 104th birthday of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. Image: Jackie Robinson / Library of Congress Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children born into a family of share croppers. A natural athlete, Robinson was inspired to pursue his passion for sports by his older brother, Matthew “Mack” Robinson, who won a silver medal in the men’s 200 meters at the… Read the full story

On this day in 1882, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was born in Hyde Park, New York. As the only U.S. President to serve four terms in office, Roosevelt led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II until his death in 1945. Image: Franklin D. Roosevelt / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Roosevelt was born into one of the oldest and wealthiest families in New York. In… Read the full story

Remember the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland? On this day in 1832, author Lewis Carroll was born. Image: Lewis Carroll / Wikimedia Commons The eldest son in a family of 11 children, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson spent much of his childhood reading books. He enjoyed entertaining the children of his close friend, Henry George Liddell, and spent much time delighting them with stories of fantastic adventures. Liddell’s daughter, Alice, became the inspiration for Carroll’s most famous… Read the full story

Ninety-eight years ago today, legendary actor Paul Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Image: Paul Newman / Wikimedia Commons A versatile actor and entrepreneur, Newman showed an early interest in theater. He made his Broadway debut in 1953 and eventually segued into television and film. Some of his most memorable films include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, and The Sting. In 1958, Newman married actress Joanne Woodward. They remained married for 50 years… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 141st birthday of British author Virginia Woolf. A pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device, Woolf is remembered as a central figure of the modernist movement in literature. Image: Virginia Woolf / Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen on January 25, 1882 in London England to Sir Leslie Stephen, a prominent author and mountaineer, and Julia Jackson, a noted philanthropist. She was… Read the full story

On this day in 1862, American author Edith Wharton was born. Known for her stories about America’s upper-class, Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1921. Image: Edith Wharton / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 She was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862 to a prominent and wealthy New York family. In 1885, she married Edward Wharton, a wealthy banker. The couple eventually divorced in 1913 after 28 years… Read the full story

It’s National Handwriting Day! Established in 1977, National Handwriting Day is celebrated on the birthday of John Hancock. The American Founding Father is best remembered for his iconic signature on the Declaration of Independence. Image: John Hancock / Library of Congress John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts. A major figure of the American Revolution, Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. His large and stylish signature has become so… Read the full story