October 2018

Are you excited for Halloween? Halloween is that great time of the year where children and adults put on their best or scariest costumes and indulge in an abundance of sweet treats. Homes are decorated in faux cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns are carved, and apples are ready to be bobbed. Halloween parties are held all around filled with fun and games throughout the night, while other folks are up to some playful mischief with Halloween pranks or “tricks.” Do… Read the full story

Today we remember magician Harry Houdini, who died on this day in 1926 at the age of 52. Known as one of the greatest illusionists in history, Houdini wowed audiences with his remarkable ability to escape from seemingly impossible situations while in handcuffs or straightjackets. On October 24, 1926, Houdini made his final performance to a packed theater in Detroit, Michigan. Despite experiencing great pain and a fever of 104 throughout the night, Houdini pushed through to complete his performance. Stories… Read the full story

On this day in 1891, radio star and actress Fanny Brice was born in Manhattan, New York. Known as the original “Funny Girl,” Brice entertained audiences for over four decades with her comedic chops, which made her one of America’s earliest female comedy superstars. Brice was born Fania Borach to Rose Stern, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, and Charles Borach, an Alstatian immigrant. The third of four children, Brice got her start at the age of 13 after… Read the full story

Today we remember American suffragist and abolitionist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who died on this day in 1902 at the age of 86. A leading figure of the American women’s rights movement, Stanton’s activism played a crucial role towards the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote. Stanton was born on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York to Daniel Cady, a prominent judge, and Margaret Livingston. Her maternal grandfather, James… Read the full story

We’re only one week away from MyHeritage LIVE, the first-ever MyHeritage user conference in Oslo, Norway! Geni will be there on the weekend of November 2-4, 2018 at the Radisson Blu Scandinavian hotel located right in the center of Oslo. A full schedule of expert speakers and hands-on workshops are planned throughout this immersive conference. In fact, there will be two lecture tracks – Genealogy and DNA – to educate you on some of MyHeritage’s powerful products and… Read the full story

Great Scott! Today actor Christopher Lloyd turns 80! Best known for portraying Doc Brown in the popular Back to the Future film trilogy, Lloyd has been entertaining audiences on the stage and screen for nearly six decades. Lloyd was born on October 22, 1938 in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel R. Lloyd and Ruth Laphram. His maternal grandfather, Lewis Lepham, was one of the founders of Texaco Oil Company. Lloyd is also a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger, John Howland,… Read the full story

Did your ancestors fight in the American Revolutionary War? On this day in 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis formally surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively bringing an end to the American Revolution. Cornwallis was known as one of the leading British generals during the American Revolutionary War. A gifted strategist, Cornwallis was generally successful in battle. However, in October 1781, in what became known as the Siege of Yorktown, Cornwallis found his troops trapped. Surrounded by… Read the full story

Protecting your Geni accounts from unauthorized access is very important to us. Unfortunately, the difficulty of remembering several passwords often means that people will reuse the same password across multiple sites. This common practice can put the security of your account at serious risk should your email address and password fall into the wrong hands. Today we are pleased to announce an important update to help make your Geni account more secure – Two-Factor Authentication…. Read the full story

Hollywood legend Rita Hayworth was born on October 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York. One of the top stars of the 1940s, Hayworth appeared in a total of 61 films throughout her long career. Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino was the oldest child of two dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino, Sr., and her mother, Volga Hayworth, had performed with the Ziegfeld Follies. Her paternal grandfather, Antonio Cansino, was a renowned Spanish classical dancer. At the peak of… Read the full story

Happy 50th birthday to Hugh Jackman! The Australian star was born on October 12, 1968 in Sydney to Grace Greenwood and Christopher John Jackman. The youngest of five children, Jackman was 8 years old when his parents divorced. His mother left the family and moved to England, leaving Jackman and his siblings to be raised by his father in Australia. Jackman got his start in theater, starring in several musical productions on stage and parts on… Read the full story

Today we remember filmmaker Orson Welles, who died on this day in 1985 at the age of 70. George Orson Welles was born on May 6, 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Richard Head Welles, an inventor, and Beatrice Ives, a concert pianist. His parents separated when he was 4, and his mother died when he was 9. His father had made a fortune after inventing a popular bicycle lamp, but became an alcoholic and died of… Read the full story

A few months ago, we introduced our new HTML tree on Geni, which made it possible for all users to finally view and edit their family trees on their mobile device or tablet. Since our announcement, we have continued to work hard to bring some of the Flash tree’s most powerful features to the HTML version of the tree. Today we’re excited to share that two very important tools are now available on the HTML tree – Move This Person… Read the full story

October is Family History Month and to celebrate, we’re giving away a free 1-year subscription of Geni Pro! With a Geni Pro subscription, you will have access to advanced tools to help you grow your tree faster on Geni. These features include: Tree Matches – access Tree Matches to grow your family tree faster and connect with new relatives Enhanced search – get full access to Geni’s search engine Priority support – communicate directly with our expert… Read the full story

On this day in 1822, Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States, was born. He was born in Delaware, Ohio to Sophia Richard and Rutherford Hayes, Jr., who died a few weeks before his birth. His great-grandfather, Ezekiel Hayes, was a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War. Hayes was a staunch abolitionist and during the Civil War, served in the Union Army. While still serving in the army, Hayes was elected to Congress… Read the full story

On this day in 1860, American artist Rembrandt Peale died at the age of 82. A prolific portrait painter, Peale was especially known for his realistic portraits of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Peale was born on February 22, 1778 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Rachel Brewer and Charles Wilson Peale. His father was a notable artist best known for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. The elder Peale named several of his children after… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Julie Andrews! Today the beloved star turns 83. Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. When she was young, her parents divorced and remarried. She later adopted her stepfather’s surname, Andrews. By the age of 10, she began performing with her mother and stepfather on stage. Since making her Broadway debut in 1954, Andrews has starred as some of the most beloved musicals on both the… Read the full story