March 2014

It’s the end of the month! Treat yourself with these interesting articles from around the web. The Genealogy Sphere Maryland man may have found two lost or forgotten photos of Lincoln’s funeral procession (The Washington Post) – Mystery photos from the National Archives may be rare, long-forgotten photographs from Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession Linda Hunt believes that knowing where we come from is integral to knowing who we are (Oregon Live) – A local woman… Read the full story

Happy birthday Ewan McGregor! Today the Scottish actor turns 43. Born in Perth, Scotland to school teachers, McGregor showed an early interest in singing before devoting his education to theater. In 1996, he received international acclaim with his breakthrough role in the film Trainspotting. Soon he would join one of the largest film franchises in history with is role as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Did you know he had already shared… Read the full story

Today we remember President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who died on this day in 1969 at the age of 78. He was born in Texas in 1890 and was the third of seven sons. Eisenhower was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry and was raised in a large family in Kansas by parents with a strong religious background. A five-star general in the United States Army, Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during… Read the full story

As we conduct our genealogy research, it’s important not to neglect one of the most invaluable resources we have at our disposal: our relatives! Sharing family history and memories through the intimate knowledge of your family members is a great way to learn about earlier generations of your family. It’s important not to wait too long to connect with your relatives, distant and close members. Once a relative passes away, their memories and stories are lost… Read the full story

Happy 83rd birthday Leonard Nimoy! Nimoy was born March 26, 1931 in Boston Massachusetts to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union (now Ukraine). He began acting at the age of 8 in neighborhood theater and was encouraged to pursue a career as an actor by his grandfather. Best known for portraying Spock in the original Star Trek series, the role and the series would have a significant cultural impact and earn him three Emmy nominations. Following the… Read the full story

Happy birthday Elton John! Today the singer turns 67. He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England on March 25, 1947. He began playing the piano at the age of 3, and by the age of 11, he had earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Today Elton is one of the best-selling artists in the world, with over 300 million records sold worldwide. What’s your favorite song? Curious to see how… Read the full story

Here’s your weekly round-up of articles you may have missed in the past week! Image: Soldier’s fate revealed / Batley&Birstall News The Genealogy Sphere Watch as 1000 years of European borders change (loiter.co) – Watch this fascinating video of he changes in Europe’s borders for the last 1000 years Grandfather’s Brilliant Final Letter To His Grandkids Offers Life Lessons For The Rest Of Us (The Huffington Post) – Read this moving letter a grandfather wrote to… Read the full story

Were you a fan of Steve McQueen? On March 24, 1930, the popular action star was born in Beech Grove, Indiana. Dubbed the “King of Cool,” McQueen embodied the “anti-hero” persona, which made him a huge box office draw during the 1960s and 1970s. Some of his most memorable films include Bullitt, The Magnificent Seven  and The Great Escape. What’s your favorite Steve McQueen film? Explore his family tree on Geni and see how you’re related!   View… Read the full story

Happy birthday Rosie! Today Rosie O’Donnell turns 52. Born on March 21, 1962 in Commack, New York, Rosie was the third of five children. Her mother was a homemaker and her father was an electrical engineer in the defense industry. She began her career as a stand-up comedian, making five appearances on the talent show Star Search before heading to Los Angeles. She made her film debut in A League of Their Own and continued to find further… Read the full story

It’s no surprise when we’re researching our genealogy that we come across an occupation that has disappeared from the current job market. As technology advances over time, occupations that were once commonplace get rarer and rarer, until it eventually becomes obsolete. Check out this list of some unusual occupations that our ancestors once labored in that we no longer see today. Knocker-ups Before the invention of the alarm clock, a knocker-up was a profession in… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? Today we celebrate the beloved television host Fred Rogers on what would have been his 86th birthday. He was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to James and Nancy Rogers. Over the course of three decades, Rogers became an indelible American icon of children’s entertainment and education. Fred Rogers is connected to over 75 million people in Geni’s World Family Tree. How are you related? View Fred Rogers’ Geni Profile… Read the full story

Do you have Massachusetts Bay Colony ancestors? On this day in 1603, Simon Bradstreet, the last Massachusetts Bay Colony governor, was born in Horbling, England. Bradstreet arrived in Boston with John Winthrop aboard the Arabella and was very much involved in colonial politics. He was married to Anne Bradstreet, who was the first poet and first female writer to be published in Colonial America. Her work was very influential to the Puritans of her time. Amongst… Read the full story

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Get your genealogy fix today with these interesting articles from the past week. Image: 10 Fascinating Death Facts from the Victorian Era / Listverse.com The Genealogy Sphere 10 Fascinating Death Facts from the Victorian Era (Listvers.com) – Here are ten fascinating facts about death during the Victorian Era A Book Photography Stand (One Rhode Island Family blog) – Creative way for you to digitize some books for your genealogy research Are… Read the full story

Geni and our parent company, MyHeritage, recently announced a global initiative with BillionGraves to digitally preserve the world’s cemeteries. This past Sunday, our good friends at MyHeritage headquarters headed out to the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva, Israel to digitize gravestones using the BillionGraves mobile app. With 80 eager MyHeritage employees out in full force, the team got a real hands-on experience using the app and came away from the experience with some great ideas… Read the full story

Happy birthday Liza Minnelli! This day in 1946, Liza Minnelli was born in Hollywood, California to Hollywood power couple Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland. Primed for stardom at birth, Liza was able to step out of her mother’s shadow and enjoy a highly successful career in entertainment. She’s one of the rare few who have earned the coveted EGOT, an award in each of the top four major entertainment honors: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and… Read the full story

Suffering from the Monday blues? Check out these articles for a quick family history pick-me-up to perk up your Monday! Image: 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today / 9gag.com) The Genealogy Sphere 11 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today (9gag.com) – Did your ancestors work jobs that no longer exist today? War Widow Finds Answers After Years (FaithIt.com) – A war widow discovers the truth about her missing husband after searching for 68 years… Read the full story

Happy birthday Chuck Norris! Can you believe he’s turning 74 today? The action icon was born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma to Wilma and Ray Norris on March 10, 1940. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris rose to fame as a martial artist. During one of his martial arts demonstrations, he caught the eye of Bruce Lee who cast him in the film Return of the Dragon, which helped launch Norris… Read the full story

Happy birthday Rachel Weisz! Today the actress turns 44. Born in Westminster, London, Rachel’s father was an inventor from Hungry and her mother was a teacher-turned-psychotherapist from Vienna, Austria. Her family fled to England before the outbreak of World War II to escape the Nazis. She began her career as a model at the age of 14, and soon began studying English in school. She soon found international stardom in the film The Mummy. In… Read the full story

Have you ever seen the statue of David in person? On this day in 1475, Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy. Unlike many artists who didn’t live to see their work appreciated, Michelangelo was one of the most successful and wealthiest artists during his lifetime. To this day, people travel from all over the world to view his magnificent work in person, including his most popular pieces the Pietà and the ceiling of… Read the full story

Did you play with a hula hoop as a child? Image credit: George Garrigues, Wikipedia On March 5, 1963, the modern day Hula-Hoop was patented by Arthur Melin. The co-founder of the toy company, Wham-O, Melin was inspired to develop the popular children’s toy after observing Australian children twirling wooden hoops around their waists during gym class. Wham-O began selling plastic versions of the hoop, which they dubbed “Hula” after the Hawaiian dance, and demonstrated them… Read the full story

On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. As prime minister of Britain, Churchill rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory. Although he was defeated in his re-election for prime minster in 1945, Churchill continued to play an influential role in world politics. With President Harry S. Truman in attendance, Churchill delivered one… Read the full story

On March 4, 1913, Woodrow Wilson was sworn in as the 28th president of the United States. Born Thomas Woodrow Wilson in Staunton, Virginia, Wilson served as President of Princeton University and as governor of New Jersey before entering the White House. President Wilson led the country through World War I and helped craft the Treaty of Versailles, which brought an end to the Great War. The treaty also created the League of Nations, a… Read the full story

Did you watch the 86th Annual Academy Awards? The star-studded award show was hosted for the second time by comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who took over the reigns from the previous year’s host Seth MacFarlane. Funny must run in the genes because the Family Guy creator also happens to be Ellen’s 10th cousin. Did you enjoy watching Ellen bring her friendly charm to the Oscar stage? It turns out this year’s race was a family affair, with… Read the full story