August 2017

Today we remember Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 20th anniversary of her death. On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died tragically in a car crash in Paris, France. Known as the “People’s Princess” for her compassion and charitable efforts, Princess Diana was beloved all and the world mourned when news spread of her sudden death. In honor of her memory, we take a look back at her life. Image: Wikimedia Commons 1. Diana Frances Spencer… Read the full story

On August 30, 1797, author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born. She was born in London, England to political philosopher William Godwin, and philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816. Only one of their four children survived beyond infancy, a son named Percy Florence Shelley. She is best known for her first novel, Frankenstein. It was originally published anonymously in 1818 and remains widely read, and has inspired many theatrical and film… Read the full story

Next week Geni will be heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2017 Conference. The conference will take place August 30 – September 2 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, this year’s them is “Building Bridges to the Past.” The conference will have a wide variety of sessions available for all skill levels. Geni will be at booth 123 eager to meet attendees, help answer… Read the full story

On this day in 1485, Richard III of England was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field, bringing an end to the Plantagenet dynasty. Although Richard III would be king for only 2 years, his short reign would prove to be a turning point in history. He came to power after seizing the throne from his 12-year-old nephew, Edward V. After his brother’s marriage was declared invalid, his children were considered illegitimate, thus making the young Edward… Read the full story

Forty years ago today, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, died at the age of 42. The music legend was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi in a two-room shotgun house built by his grandfather. His twin brother, Jesse, died during childbirth. Although he grew up poor, by the time of his death, Presley had become one of the most successful musicians in history. After exploding into the spotlight with his… Read the full story

Do you love to cook? On this day in 1912, beloved chef Julia Child was born. Julia Carolyn McWilliams was born on August 15, 1912 in Pasadena, California to John McWilliams, Jr., a land manager, and Julia Weston. Her maternal grandfather, Byron Weston, was the founder of the Weston Paper Company and served as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. The host of the popular cooking show, The French Chef, Child didn’t learn to cook until she… Read the full story

We’re excited to announce some recent enhancements to our DNA features on Geni. These new improvements will make it easier for you to find your connection to relatives based on your shared DNA. Shared DNA Matches   Your DNA matches will now display shared DNA matches between you and your match. By seeing the DNA matches you have in common, you can start narrowing down your connection in the family tree. For example, if your… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Dustin Hoffman! Can you believe the actor turns 80 today? Dustin Lee Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California. He was the second son born to Lillian Gold and Harry Hoffman, who worked as a set decorator at Columbia Pictures. He was named after stage and silent film actor, Dustin Farnum. Hoffman comes from a Jewish family of immigrants from Ukraine, Poland, and Romania. After dropping out of college, Hoffman pursued acting full… Read the full story

Today actress Charlize Theron celebrates her 42nd birthday! The South African star was born on August 7, 1975 in Benoni, in what was then the Transvaal Province of South Africa. An only child, she grew up on her parents’ farm outside of Johannesburg and spent her childhood studying dance. Life at home was difficult. Her father was an alcoholic and was physically abusive. When she was 15, her father violently attacked her mother. Her mother… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Barack Obama! Today he turns 56. On August 4, 1961, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Ann Dunham and Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. His mother was born in Wichita, Kansas and his father was born in Nyanza Province, Kenya. His parents had met while attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa and married just six months before he was born. Growing up, Obama was not close to his father. His… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Martin Sheen! Today the actor turns 77. He was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez on August 3, 1940 in Dayton, Ohio to immigrant parents. His father, Francisco Estévez, was born in Spain, while his mother, Mary-Ann Phelan, was born in Ireland. As one of ten children, Sheen grew up in a large family. When his mother died when he was 11 years old, the family faced the possibility of separation, either into foster homes… Read the full story

We’re back from Orlando, Florida, where the Geni team attended the 37th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and chat with many excited Geni users. The Geni booth before the doors opened The Geni booth was a popular stop during the conference. To our surprise, we ran out of Geni water bottles faster than any other conference! Randy Schoenberg giving his Geni.com World Family Tree lecture On the first… Read the full story