February 2017

This year’s Oscars was one for the history books. Best Supporting Actor winner Mahershala Ali made Academy Award history last night by becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. Viola Davis, the first African American actress to receive three Oscar nominations, finally won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. With her win, she has become the first African American to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting,” winning an Emmy, a Tony and an Oscar. Full of… Read the full story

On this day in 1836, American landscape painter Winslow Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Homer was the second of three sons born to Charles Savage Homer and Henrietta Maria Benson. He came from a long line of New England families from both of his parents. As a child, he was encourage by his mother to pursue his interests in painting. Early in his career, Homer worked as a lithographer and then as an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly…. Read the full story

Last month, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Geni’s launch by announcing a chance for one lucky user to win a free year of Geni Pro. For a chance to win, people were asked to answer one question – “What first sparked your interest in genealogy?” We received many great responses from the community and a winner was randomly chosen from our list of valid entries sent to us via Facebook, Twitter and email. Today we’re excited… Read the full story

Remember watching The Golden Girls? On this day in 1934, star Rue McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma. She was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan to Dreda Rheua-Nell Medaris, a beautician, and William Edwin McClanahan, a building contractor. Her name was was a contraction of her parents’ middle names, but she dropped the “Eddi” when she was mistaken for a boy and drafted into the military in error after finishing school. After graduating from college, McClanahan found work in theater… Read the full story

We had a fantastic time at RootsTech 2017. Each year the conference gets bigger and bigger, and this year was no exception with an estimated 30,000 attendees! RootsTech 2017 We always have a wonderful time getting to see old friends and meeting new people enthusiastic to learn more about collaboration in genealogy. This year curators Anne Brannen and Ashley Odell joined the Geni team at the booth to help introduce Geni to new visitors. Their genealogy expertise… Read the full story

Some of the best stories come from our own families. Often these lasting memories are passed down through generations either through storytelling or in personal journals or diaries. Today take a look back at the wedding stories in your family tree. You may even want to look for their wedding announcements in old newspapers, which sometimes include a story or description of the happy couple’s special day. Below are a few interesting wedding stories we found in old newspapers:… Read the full story

In one week Geni will be heading to Salt Lake City, Utah for RootsTech 2017, the world’s largest genealogy conference. RootsTech has always been a little unique with its interesting blend of genealogy and technology. Open to newbies and experts, RootsTech is the perfect place to meet fellow genealogy researchers and discover new family history technologies. RootsTech will take place February 8-11, 2017 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The conference will be offering over 200 sessions for… Read the full story