April 2011

Profile of the Day: Ulysses S. Grant http://www.geni.com/people/Ulysses-S-Grant-18th-President-of-the-USA/6000000010349137529

[Download This Episode] [Subscribe in iTunes] [Subscribe in Your Favorite Podcatcher] Show Notes: Collaborative Genealogy What does “citing your sources” mean? When you perform genealogy research, you work with sources such as a database, a book, a newspaper article, or even a website.  These are all sources of information. When you locate information that can substantiate the facts about your family history (a birth date, a death location, etc.), you should cite not only the… Read the full story

The folks at Progeny Genealogy have a product called Charting Companion. It takes the information from your family tree, and allows you to make a wide variety of charts. Available now is a version that will read your data directly from Geni. If you’ve been dying to print out different visual representations of your family tree, this application is for you. It has fan charts, pedigree charts, hourglass charts, and many more. You can buy… Read the full story

Profile of the Day: Isaac Asimov http://www.geni.com/people/Isaac-Asimov/6000000010837269793

Henry Ford was an American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. By implementing the assembly line technique of mass production, Ford revolutionized the automobile industry. This new business technique was called “Fordism,” the mass production of inexpensive goods in conjunction with high wages for workers. Ford would become one of the richest men in the world. Ford was born on July 30, 1863 on a family farm in Michigan to William Ford and Mary Litogot and… Read the full story

Last week, we ran a contest to give away three 12-month pro accounts on the blog. Today, I’lm pleased to name the winners: Mindy Bass Aaron Dobbs David Wongs Congratulations, all three of you. You 12-month pro accounts are now active. If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry. We’ll be holding many more contests in the coming months. Keep an eye on the blog, twitter, and facebook.

Seventy-four years ago, Colin Powell was born in New York City to immigrants from Jamaica. He went on to become a Four-Star General in the US Army, the National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of State. This incredible man was the first African-American person to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he was the first African-American to be appointed Secretary of State. Today, we celebrate General… Read the full story

Profile of the Day: Pocahontas http://www.geni.com/people/Matoaka-Powhatan/6000000005385138952

A.C. Ivory of Find My Ancestor has a lot of great insights into the world of mobile genealogy. He’s graciously agreed to write guests posts for the Geni Blog, so sit back, and enjoy: Do you remember the days in your genealogy research when you would have to gather all your family group sheets, photo copies of documents and everything else you kept in your binders full of genealogy to go to the Family History… Read the full story

Martin Luther King, Jr. has become a symbol of peace and tolerance in the United States. Forty-three years ago, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Today, we honor the man by remembering him and his family legacy. Dr. King’s four children (Yolanda, Martin, Dexter, and Bernice) and his wife Coretta have all continued promoting his goals of equality and nonviolence. We would love to see Dr. King and his family connected to the world family… Read the full story

Profile of the Day: Francis Drake http://www.geni.com/people/Vice-Admiral-Sir-Francis-Drake/6000000006086120867

Profile of the Day Gwyneth Paltrow Rene Descartes Ronald Reagan Claude Monet Mary Pickford Interesting Geni Blog Posts Look Who’s Related: Benjamin Franklin & The Co-Founder of the Pony Express The History of the Pony Express Featured Project: Prominent Scientists: (ii) Medicine & Life Sciences Using the Chinese Exclusion Act Records in Genealogy Profile Options have Moved Geni Podcast: Collaborative Genealogy American Civil War Genealogy More Bloggers Participating in the Geni Giveaway How To: See… Read the full story

Among the many hats that he wore, Benjamin Franklin was the United States’ first Postmaster General. Eighty-five years later, William Hepburn Russell co-founded the Pony Express. That alone is an interesting tidbit, but did you know that Benjamin Franklin and William Russell were actually distant cousins? Here’s how: This is a great example of the benefit of being connected to the world family tree. If you can find a better relationship path, we’d love for… Read the full story

This weekend marks the 151st anniversary of the beginning of the Pony Express. Operating from April 3, 1860 until October 1861, it was the best way to send mail to and from California. Despite it’s extremely short lifespan, it has become a substantial part of American history. Today, I want to showcase the Geni profiles of four influential members of the pony express. Buffalo Bill’s Profile on Geni William Hepburn Russell’s Profile on Geni William… Read the full story

Interested in researching notable scientists in history? Check out this week’s featured project, Prominent Scientists: (ii) Medicine & Life Sciences. This project aims to organize and build the family trees for the scientists who have made major contributions to the fields of medicine and other life sciences. Perhaps you may want to join the project’s collaborators and add more profiles to the project! Are you related to any of the profiles included? Here’s a peek… Read the full story

Profile of the Day: Gwyneth Paltrow http://www.geni.com/people/Gwyneth-Paltrow/6000000010554089036