May 2018

We’re proud to announce a long awaited improvement for Geni users – our new HTML tree is now available on all tablet and mobile devices! The new HTML tree replaces our HTML5 version of the tree, which was previously available for devices that do not support Flash. In the past, the HTML5 tree presented users with a very limited version of the family tree, which did not provide users with the best experience for working… Read the full story

Today the U.S. celebrates Memorial Day to honor of the men and women who have died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Many people will take this time to visit cemeteries to honor our fallen soldiers. The holiday is traditionally celebrated with large parades and family barbecues as we also welcome the unofficial beginning of summer. Image: Kathleen T. Rhem, U.S. Army This long weekend also presents a great opportunity to research your military ancestors. Here are a few ideas on… Read the full story

On this day in 1934, infamous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot and killed in an ambush by police in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Between 1932-1934, the famous gangsters captured the attention of the American public as they traveled throughout the country committing robberies and murders. The media coverage of their dangerous actions was intense and the couple used this to their advantage. After evading capture for two years, they were finally stopped as they drove… Read the full story

Will you be at the 49th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree next week in Burbank, California? Geni will be there May 31 – June 2, 2018 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. We look forward to this fun conference every year! A few changes are in store for this year’s conference. By popular demand, this year, the exhibit hall will be open a day early on Thursday, May 31 during the Genetic Genealogy Conference. Jamboree will then… Read the full story

Do you have Polish ancestry? Today we remember Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, who was born on this day 120 years ago. Known as “The Baroness with a Brush,” Lempicka gained fame for her bold Art Deco portraits of aristocrats and celebrities. Lempicka was born Maria Górska on May 16, 1898 in Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a Russian Jewish lawyer and her mother was a Polish socialite. As a young child, Lempicka developed a strong… Read the full story

It’s World Family History Day! World Family History Day is celebrated on on May 15 of each year and it falls on the same day that the United Nations observes its International Day of Families. This is the perfect day to dive into your genealogy research and share with your relatives all of the amazing things you have uncovered about your family history. In honor of World Family History Day, check out our list of fun ways you can make… Read the full story

“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” Poet Emily Dickinson died on this day in 1886 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Although her family were prominent members of the community, Dickinson lived much of her life as a recluse at the family homestead built by her paternal grandfather, Samuel Fowler Dickinson, in Amherst. Her grandfather was a prominent lawyer and helped establish the foundations for Amherst College. Her father, Edward, was an active politician and… Read the full story

Do you remember the songs “White Christmas,” “Blue Skies” or “Anything You Can Do”? They all were written by legendary composer and lyricist Irving Berlin, who was born on this day in 1888. Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline in Tyumen, Siberia in the Russian Empire. One of eight children, Berlin and his family fled to the United States to escape Jewish persecution. The family settled in New York City in 1893, where Berlin worked to help support his… Read the full story

We’re back from Grand Rapids, Michigan where the Geni team was at the National Genealogical Society 2018 Family History Conference. Over 2,000 people were in attendance for the genealogy conference, which took place May 2-5 at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was exciting to introduce Geni to those who were still unfamiliar with the concept of the World Family Tree and they were quickly intrigued by the idea of connecting the… Read the full story

Happy Cinco de Mayo! The Mexican holiday is primarily observed in the United States and parts of Mexico as a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. Many don’t realize that the holiday also commemorates the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Image: DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University / Flickr In honor of the holiday, here are 5 things to know about the history of Cinco de… Read the full story

It recently came to our attention that the privacy policy page on Geni omitted an important detail. The description of who can edit the public profiles you manage failed to include users within the maximum Family Group range of the managed profile, as well as limited access to all Geni users. These are explained in detail below. Maximum Family Group Public profiles can be edited by users that are near the profile in the family… Read the full story

This week we’ll be in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the National Genealogical Society 2018 Family History Conference. This exciting conference will take place May 2-5, 2018. Will you be there? NGS 2018 is the perfect opportunity to learn from over 175 lectures on a variety of genealogy topics for all skill levels. Explore the exhibit hall and come visit Geni at booth 206! We’re excited to share the power of collaboration in Geni’s World Family Tree and meet Geni… Read the full story