Community

Come see Geni at the National Genealogical Society 2023 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia. The conference will take place May 31 – June 3 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Geni is excited to once again be a Silver sponsor of the conference. If you are planning to attend, be sure to stop by the Geni booth (304, 306) in the exhibit hall and learn about what’s new on Geni. We’re excited to see… 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

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

Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving? If you’re still looking for some interesting dish ideas, old newspapers are filled with recipe suggestions, with many submitted by their readers. We had some fun finding recipes that may give your Thanksgiving table a nice taste of the past. Several articles also offered a variety of menu suggestions for your Thanksgiving dinner. It’s interesting to see what was included in the holiday meal throughout time. In addition to… Read the full story

Geni Curator Jarrett Ross, also known as the GeneaVlogger, has released a great new video all about making a family tree for the entire world through collaboration. In this video, Jarrett looks back at the early days of Geni and the beginnings of the World Family Tree, which today connects over 172 million profiles. Learn more about Geni’s World Family Tree. This video also includes a great discussion with fellow curator Randy Schoenberg that is… Read the full story

September is just around the corner and that means it’s almost time for Webtember, Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ third annual free, month-long online genealogy conference! Every Friday for the entire month of September, Legacy Family Tree Webinars will host live and pre-recorded webinars. Join live each Friday to learn how you can take your genealogy skills to the next level. If you can’t make the live sessions, you can enjoy all 31 recordings at your… Read the full story

For this Father’s Day, we asked the community to share the best advice they had ever received from their dad or father-figure in their life. One lucky winner would be chosen at random to receive a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro. Today we are excited to announce the winner of our Father’s Day giveaway is Paula Wertheim! Paula shared a lovely story about her husband’s late stepfather, John P. Walther. My husband’s late stepfather… Read the full story

With Father’s Day coming up soon, we want to hear from you the best advice you have received from your dad or a father-figure in your life. Share their words of wisdom with us, along with a picture of your father, and you can win a free year of Geni Pro! Over the years, our dads have given us lots of advice. From small tips to bigger life lessons, a father’s wise words can leave… Read the full story

Next week Geni will be at the 44th National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Sacramento, California. This year, NGS 2022 will be both in-person and virtual, so if you can’t be there in Sacramento, you can still join the fun online from the comfort of your own home. We are extra excited because we’ve greatly missed seeing everyone in person. The conference will take place on May 24-28 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention… Read the full story

This Mother’s Day we asked you to tell us three words that best describe your mother or mother-figure in your life. Many of you sent in your answers and photos, but only one lucky winner would receive a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro. Today we are excited to announce the winner of our giveaway is Debra Richards! Debra emailed the above family photo and shared the three words that best describe her mom: Three… Read the full story

We’re celebrating Mother’s Day with a chance to win a 1-year Geni Pro subscription! On this special day, we honor and celebrate the mothers and mother-figures in our lives for their hard work, dedication, and care. This Mother’s Day, we want to learn more about your moms and mother-figures in your life. Send us a photo and answer the question, “What are three words that best describe your mom or mother-figure in your life?” and… Read the full story

The 1950 U.S. census is finally here! The images are available for FREE on MyHeritage now and in the coming days and weeks, MyHeritage will be indexes the images, state by state, so you can start searching the 1950 U.S. census by name. As the records are indexed, you will gradually start receiving Record Matches to the census on your Geni profiles. Until then, you may want to check out MyHeritage’s newly released Census Helper™…. Read the full story

The wait is almost over! On April 1, 2022, the 1950 U.S. census will finally be released to the public. This new collection offers a treasure trove of information that sheds new light on the lives of our relatives who lived in the United States during the mid-20th century. In anticipation for the release of this new collection of records, we’re taking a look at what information you can find in the census and introduce… Read the full story

RootsTech 2022 is coming up fast! In just one week, the world’s largest genealogy conference will be here once again. Last year, the conference was completely virtual for the first time and was more accessible than ever, with over 1 million attendees from around the world. This year RootsTech will once again be 100% virtual and 100% free! The conference will take place March 3-5, 2022 and will feature live and pre-recorded events, inspiring keynote… Read the full story

Today we remember beloved actress Betty White on what would have been her birthday. White’s career spanned over eight decades and left a lasting mark on television history both in front and behind the camera. After making the transition from radio to television, she became a staple on American game shows. She also starred in several memorable sitcoms including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland. A cultural icon, White… Read the full story

It was recently announced that MyHeritage and Expedia have partnered to help you plan the ultimate heritage tour. Together, MyHeritage and Expedia have launched the Heritage Travel Hub to make it easy for you to plan an incredible journey to the land of your ancestors. The site is housed on Expedia and features rich content that bridges family history research with planning a memorable, heritage-oriented trip. The Heritage Travel Hub will help you map an… Read the full story

This Father’s Day we asked you to send a photo of your dad or a father-figure in your life and tell us what makes him special to you. One lucky person would be chosen at random and receive a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro. We received some lovely stories from the community and today we’re excited to announce the winner of our Father’s Day giveaway – Līga Saleme! Līga shared the following about her… Read the full story

Each year Father’s Day is celebrated to honor fathers and father-figures in our lives. With the special day just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to hear about your dad and what makes him special to you. Share your stories with us and you can win a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro! From important life lessons to teaching us new skills such as riding a bike, our dads have made long… Read the full story

In celebration of Mother’s Day, we asked you to tell us the best piece of advice or words of wisdom you have received from your mom or from a mother-figure in your life. One lucky winner would receive a free year of Geni Pro. Today we are excited to announce the winner of our Mother’s Day Giveaway – Coyal M. Gorman! Coyal shared how her grandmother, Coyal Maxey, instilled the importance of family: “About 30… Read the full story

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the moms or mother-figures in our lives with a chance to win a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro! Throughout our lives, we’ve heard countless pieces of advice or words of encouragement from our mothers. For this Mother’s Day giveaway, we want to hear about the best piece of advice you have received from your mom or mother-figure in your… Read the full story

We’re excited to participate in the first virtual RootsTech conference! This year the world’s largest genealogy conference will be entirely virtual and completely FREE. From February 25-27, people all around the world will have the opportunity to learn and enjoy the wonders of RootsTech from the comfort of their own homes. Class Sessions With hundreds of classes on various subjects and celebrity speakers, attendees can create their own viewing schedule to suit their own interests…. Read the full story

We always love to hear stories about how Geni has helped to bring families together. Today we wanted to share with the community a story from Roberto Bastidas Buch, who after years of research, was finally able to reunite his family after decades apart. Arenys de Mar, 2017 family reunion / Photo courtesy of Roberto Bastidas Buch It was around the year 1978, six years after coming back to Colombia, South America, from the States, where… Read the full story

MyHeritage has announced that they have unlocked their two popular photo tools – MyHeritage Photo Enhancer and MyHeritage In Color™ – for an entire month! From now until September 10, 2020, everyone can access these powerful photo tools for FREE! These two groundbreaking tools will bring new life to your old, faded, black and white family photos. Sharpen your blurry images with MyHeritage Photo Enhancer and bring them to life in vivid color with MyHeritage… Read the full story

This Father’s Day, we asked you to share with us your favorite memory of your dad or a father figure in your life for the chance to win a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro. Today we want to congratulate Meli Alexander, the winner of our Father’s Day giveaway! Meli sent in her story of an epic water fight with her dad and cousin: My favorite Father’s Day memory was many years in the Bronx… Read the full story

With Father’s Day just a few days away, we thought it would be fun to offer yet another opportunity to win a free year of Geni Pro. Celebrate this Father’s Day by sending us your favorite memory of your dad or a father-figure in your life for a chance to win! Did you have a memorable fishing trip? How about a special memory of your dad walking you down the aisle? We want to hear… Read the full story

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked the community to share their favorite memories of their mother or a mother-figure in their lives. From the submitted entries, one lucky winner would receive a free 1-year Geni Pro subscription. Today, we’re excited to congratulate Lynn Grieder, the winner of our Mother’s Day giveaway! Lynn shared this special memory she has of her mother, Ethel Martin neé Hukkala: In 2002 we took my Mom on a “roots” trip… Read the full story

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Celebrate your mother or a mother-figure in your life by sharing with us your favorite memory that you have together. Send in your stories to us and you can win a free 1-year Geni Pro subscription! If it’s a day trip to the beach or a special dress your mother made for you, we want to hear your stories! And if you have a photo, feel free to… Read the full story

As many of us are self-isolating at home, you may be looking for something to do to help pass the time. Although we may all be at home in isolation, we can still continue to work together as a community on our shared family history. Below we’ve made a list of suggestions to help focus your work and perhaps help provide you with a welcomed distraction to pass the time productively. Review your family tree… Read the full story

If you are at home in isolation and are looking for a fun way to pass the time and enjoy genealogy, you may want to check out MyHeritage In Color™, MyHeritage’s groundbreaking new feature to automatically colorize old black and white photos. For a limited time, MyHeritage is providing free and unlimited access to MyHeritage In Color™ to everyone! Normally, only 10 photos can be colorized for users without a MyHeritage Complete Plan. However, from… Read the full story

We’re back from RootsTech 2020 where we had a fantastic time meeting new people, seeing old friends, and connecting with Geni users. This year thousands of people came together at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RootsTech. Since making its debut 10 years ago, RootsTech has become the largest genealogy gathering in the world. During the first days of the conference, the Geni booth was… Read the full story

Next week Geni will be heading to Salt Lake City, Utah for RootsTech 2020! Between February 26-29, thousands of genealogists and family history enthusiasts will come together at the Salt Palace Convention Center to partake in the world’s largest family history event of the year. This year RootsTech celebrates its 10th anniversary with an exciting line up of keynote speakers, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose family served… Read the full story

Will you be at RootsTech 2020 on February 26-29 in Salt Lake City, Utah? Wonder if any new cousins will also be there? The Geni Pathfinder can now send you a notification to let you know if new relatives are also attending the conference. Simply go to the RootsTech 2020 Pathfinder event page or scan the QR code below to register for notifications. On the pathfinder event page, select how you would like to be… Read the full story

The following post was written by Ian Stone from Perth, Western Australia. A Geni user since 2010, Ian discovered his passion for genealogy after starting his family tree on the site nearly a decade ago. After sharing his submission for Geni’s Family History Month Giveaway, Ian asked for the opportunity to expand on his answer to the question, “If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit and why?” Ian had said that he would love to visit… Read the full story

Save the date! MyHeritage, Geni’s parent company, has announced that MyHeritage LIVE 2020 will take place on October 25-26, 2020 in Tel Aviv, Israel. This one-of-a-kind conference brings together attendees from around the world and international genealogy and DNA experts for a full two days of fun and education. Read our recaps of MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and MyHeritage LIVE 2018 in Oslo, Norway. The third annual MyHeritage user conference will be held at the Hilton Tel Aviv,… Read the full story

In celebration of Family History Month, we ran a contest throughout the month of October for a chance for one lucky winner to receive a free year of Geni Pro. To enter, you simply needed to submit your answer to the question: If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit and why? We received lots of entries submitted through Facebook, Twitter, and email. One lucky winner was chosen at random from the list of entries…. Read the full story

October is finally here and that means Family History Month is once again upon us. In celebration of Family History Month, we’re giving away a free 1-Year subscription of Geni Pro! This Family History Month you can take your genealogy research on Geni to the next level with a chance to win a Geni Pro subscription. How to enter To enter our giveaway, simply answer the following question: If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit… Read the full story

If you were unable to attend MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam and missed the live streams, you’re in luck! All MyHeritage LIVE 2019 lectures are now available to view for free! All recordings can be viewed from the comfort of your own home on MyHeritage Education, MyHeritage’s newly launched education center. The second annual MyHeritage user conference was a big success with over 450 people in attendance from 30 countries all around the world. Attendees… Read the full story

Unable to make it to MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam September 6-8? MyHeritage has announced that all lectures on the genealogy and DNA tracks will be live streamed throughout the conference! Now everyone will have the opportunity to learn from MyHeritage’s fantastic international lineup of genealogy and DNA experts. The live stream will be available directly on the MyHeritage LIVE website and the MyHeritage Facebook page to watch via Facebook Live for free. From there, you will have the opportunity to… Read the full story

MyHeritage LIVE 2019 is only a few days away! We’re excited to have the opportunity to participate in MyHeritage’s 2nd annual user conference, which will be held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands from September 6-8, 2019. This one-of-a-kind conference is the perfect place to get to know the MyHeritage and Geni teams in person. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet and Geni’s General Manager Mike Stangel, who will be giving a presentation… Read the full story

We’re back from Washington, D.C., where Geni attended the Federation of Genealogical Society 2019 Family History Conference. The conference brought together many local family history groups as well as visitors from all around the country to learn from the many informative class sessions ranging from beginning genealogy topics to advanced sessions to take your genealogy research even further. Geni had a booth in the exhibit hall of the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel where we were happy to… Read the full story

Next week Geni is heading to Washington, D.C. for the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2019 Family History Conference. The conference will take place August 21-24 at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel. Fun fact: the hotel was the site of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first Inaugural Ball in 1933. Come visit Geni in the exhibit hall at booth #406 for your chance to talk with members of the Geni team. If you have any questions or simply want to try… Read the full story

We’re back from Cleveland, Ohio where we attended the 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. It was a blast to meet other Geni users, spend time with our great team of Geni curators, and connect with old friends. The Geni booth was packed with people on the opening day of the exhibit hall and the SHARE Fair. Many people stopped by to learn how to get started on Geni and connect to the World… Read the full story

The 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is coming up soon! The conference will take place July 28 – August 2 in Cleveland, Ohio. Come visit Geni in the exhibit hall, July 28-31, to say hi and to ask any questions. We’ll be offering an exclusive conference discount on Geni Pro subscriptions that you wont want to miss! If you’re not ready to upgrade but would like the opportunity to try out some of our premium… Read the full story

Since releasing our new enhancements to Geni relationship paths, users have been having a blast finding new and surprising connections in the World Family Tree. Now Geni will find the shortest blood path and the shortest in-law path between two individuals, if either can be found. Here’s some of the great feedback we’ve heard so far: “My heroes! Been praying someone would develop an app that could do this!” – Debbie G. “Oh my goodness. This… Read the full story

MyHeritage has released the full schedule for MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The second annual MyHeritage user conference will take place September 6-8, 2019. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from three tracks: Genealogy, DNA, and hands-on workshops. The conference has a full line-up of international speakers and local experts as well as several MyHeritage staff members, including MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet. See the full MyHeritage LIVE 2019 schedule Geni’s General Manager, Mike… Read the full story

We had a great time at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s 50th Genealogy Jamboree. The annual conference is a favorite for us because it is located right in our own backyard in Burbank, California. The Geni booth before the start of the conference Many genealogists flocked to the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel to participate in this fun and engaging conference. The exhibit hall was open to the public, so even those who didn’t… Read the full story

Next week Geni will be heading to the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California. This year is extra special because Jamboree is also celebrating their 50th birthday! The conference has grown into four great events, Jamboree, Genetic Genealogy, JamboFree, and Workshops, with the exhibit hall open May 31 – June 2 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. The exhibit hall will be free to the public, so if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by… Read the full story

We’re back from St. Charles, Missouri, where we attended the National Genealogical Society 2019 Family History Conference. A total of 2,324 people were in attendance for this fun and informative gathering of genealogists and family history buffs. Doors to the exhibit hall A number of events were lined up throughout the conference including a wide array of sessions for all skill levels. Several sessions were even live streamed for those who couldn’t be there in person. The… Read the full story

If you missed Geni General Manager Mike Stangel’s webinar, “Advanced Features on Geni.com,” on Legacy Family Tree Webinars, you can now watch it online for free! In the webinar, Mike gives an overview of some of the more advanced features on Geni. If you are just getting started on your tree or if you are a longtime Geni user, you’ll find this webinar quite informative. Watch to learn more about how our new GEDCOM importer works, how to… Read the full story

Join Geni’s General Manager Mike Stangel for a free webinar, “Advanced Features on Geni.com” with Legacy Family Tree Webinars on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Take a deep dive into some of Geni’s more advanced features to grow and connect your family tree to the World Family Tree of over 130 million profiles. Learn about GEDCOM imports, merging duplicates, managing profiles, uploading images and documents, and much more. The live webinar will take place Tuesday, May… Read the full story