May 2016

Do you have roots in the Old West? Wild Bill Hickok, one of America’s most legendary gunslingers, was born on this day in 1837. Born and raised on a farm in rural Illinois, James Butler Hickok lived a life filled of adventures. During the American Civil War, Hickok served as a scout and spy for the Union army. He also worked as a stagecoach driver and lawman. A gifted marksman from an early age, the legend… Read the full story

We’re excited for the 47th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree taking place on June 3-5, 2016 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. Jamboree has always been one of the most fun genealogy events of the year. A short drive from the Geni office, Jamboree is a great opportunity to reunite with old friends and meet new faces. This year’s theme is “Giving to the Future by Preserving the Past.” Presentations will be held on a… Read the full story

Do you have a favorite Western film? On this day in 1907, legendary icon John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa. Although he was born Marion Robert Morrison, he preferred to be called by his nickname, “Duke.” He was a gifted athlete and even landed a football scholarship to the University of Southern California. Wayne got his start in film with small parts in low budget Westerns. His big break came when he was cast in… Read the full story

Do you have royal blood? On this day in 1819, Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in London. One of the longest reigning monarchs in British history, Victoria’s strategic marriage of her nine children to royal and noble families across Europe earned her the nickname, “the Grandmother of Europe.” Image: Library of Congress In honor of her birthday, here are some interesting facts about Queen Victoria: 1. She was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke… Read the full story

Have you found any funny or unusual names during your genealogy research? Naming trends change and evolve over time, so what may seem odd-sounding to us today, may not have been so strange at the time. Nevertheless, we still get a good chuckle when we come across one of these names as we think to ourselves, “what were they thinking?” Check out some funny and unusual names we found in Geni’s World Family Tree! 1. Experience Bliss 2. Fanny Rash 3. Honest… Read the full story

As any genealogist will say, documents are vital to doing good genealogy research. It’s important to remember to upload your documents to your family’s profiles on Geni and add sources to ensure the family tree is as accurate as possible. What happens when you have a document with multiple people in it? Records such as the census or passengers lists may hold the names of entire families. Instead of uploading the document to every profile, you can simply tag… Read the full story

Today Norway celebrates its Constitution Day, referred to simply as syttende mai (seventeenth May) by Norwegians. The national holiday is observed each year to commemorate the signing of the Constitution of Norway at Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark-Norway’s defeat in the Napoleonic Wars. The Crown Prince of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, was named the first king of Norway,… Read the full story

Do you have immigrant ancestors? Here’s an interesting video from Metrocosm depicting immigration to the United States from 1820 to 2013. Watch the changing immigration patterns in the U.S. over a period of nearly two centuries. The data comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Office. In this colorful animation, the country’s brightness corresponds to its total migration to the U.S. at any given time, while each dot represents 10,000 individuals. It’s interesting to see how immigration patterns have… Read the full story

We had a great time meeting everyone at the NGS 2016 Family History Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida! Between May 4-7, genealogists and family historians from all around the country gathered at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Boward County Convention Center to enjoy a fascinating array of genealogy lectures and learn more about what’s going on in the world of genealogy. The Geni booth at NGS 2016 before opening day At the Geni booth, we welcomed many people interested in… Read the full story

Happy birthday, George Clooney! Today the star turns 55. Clooney has an interesting pedigree. Not only is he the nephew of famous actress Rosemary Clooney, but his fourth great grandmother, Mary Ann Whitehouse (Sparrow), is the half sister of Nancy Lincoln, the mother of President Abraham Lincoln. That makes Abraham Lincoln his first cousin five times removed! After small parts on television, Clooney finally hit it big with a starring role in the hit drama ER. Since then,… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Brady Bunch? On this day in 1926, actress Ann B. Davis was born in Schenectady, New York. Best known for playing the beloved and hilarious housekeeper Alice Nelson on the popular 70s sitcom, Davis was a longtime veteran of the stage and screen. She caught the acting bug in college, where she had originally planned to study medicine. After her breakout hit on the 1950s sitcom The Bob Cummings Show, for which she won two… Read the full story

It was reported recently that a Northern Idaho family has finally broken their 100 year old streak – the Underdahl family finally welcomed their first baby girl after 101 years. The record was finally broken when Scott and Ashton Underdahl welcomed Aurelia Marie Ann on April 12. The couple have a son, Archer, and had been hoping to finally bring a girl into the family. After a century-long streak of boys, baby Aurelia was born at 8lbs 3oz…. Read the full story