2018

Some people are lucky to have found old letters during their genealogy research. They may be thoughtful love letters sent home from soldiers at war or general greetings from one cousin to another across the country. But did you know that in the early days of the U.S. parcel service, some parents tried to send their babies by mail? Smithsonian Institution / Flickr After the parcel service was introduced in 1913, a few children were sent via parcel post with… Read the full story

Today we remember former First Lady of the United States Barbara Bush, who passed away yesterday at the age of 92. The matriarch of the Bush family, Barbara was known for her frank and outspoken manner. As First Lady, she worked tirelessly to advance the cause of literacy and founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Barbara Pierce was born on June 8, 1925 in Rye, New York to Pauline Robinson and Marvin Pierce. She first met George H.W. Bush… Read the full story

We’ve made some new enhancements on how to share content from Geni. Now when you want to share a page on Geni, whether it’s a profile, a project or even a discussion, you can simply click on the new Share icon at the top of every page to quickly copy the URL or share it on social media. In the heading of a page, you will now see a new Share icon between your notification count and your profile picture. When… Read the full story

Today we remember pioneering nurse Clara Barton, who died on April 12, 1912 at the age of 90. A battlefield nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, Barton is remembered for her incredible humanitarian work throughout her life. She was born Clarissa Harlow Barton on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. The youngest of five children, Barton found her calling for helping people at a young age. At the age of 10, she helped nurse her brother back… Read the full story

While researching your ancestors, have you come across a cause of death that you do not recognize? When looking at old records, it’s not uncommon to find a cause of death or illness whose name is no longer in use today. You may find these terms in old historical records such as obituaries, death certificates, probate records, or census mortality schedules. Here’s a quick roundup of a few terms you may encounter: Croup – a swelling of… Read the full story

On this day in 1909, Arctic explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole. Henson is remembered as the first African-American Arctic explorer and assisted Peary for nearly 23 years on his explorations of the Arctic. Henson was born on August 8, 1866 on his parents’ farm near the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland. His parents were sharecroppers and free people of color before the American… Read the full story

Did your ancestors ever received mail via the Pony Express? The Pony Express was once hailed as the fastest way to send and receive mail across the United States. Although its existence was short, its impact and popularity on the American West has continued to endure. Pony Express poster / Wikimedia Commons Check out these interesting facts about the old mail-delivery system of the United States. 1. The Pony Express was founded by William Russell,… Read the full story

Spring is here! As you start your spring cleaning in your home, you may also want to make time to do a little spring cleaning in your Merge Center too. Do you recall the last time you took a look at your Requested Merges, Tree Conflicts, or Data Conflicts? It’s easy to forget to check these when you are busy adding new branches. Take a fresh look at some of these pending requests and conflicts… Read the full story

On this day in 1625, King James VI and I died at the age of 58. Crowned the King of Scotland at thirteen months old, James’s reign in Scotland lasted for 57 years and 246 days, longer than any of his predecessors. James was born on June 19, 1566 and was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. His mother’s reign was plagued in scandal. On May 15, 1567, his… Read the full story

On this day in 1750, astronomer Caroline Herschel was born in Hanover, Germany. A pioneer for women in the field of astronomy, Herschel made several significant contributions to the field, including the discovery of several comets. As a young girl, Herschel was struck with typhus, which stunted her growth. At just 4 feet and 3 inches, her mother believed that she would be destined for spinsterhood and would not require much of an education. However, her father… Read the full story

We are sad to hear of the passing of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who has died in his home at the age of 76. Considered one of the most brilliant minds in science, Hawking overcame great odds to make some of the most groundbreaking discoveries about our universe. Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England to Frank Hawking and Isobel Walker. Born into a well educated family, Hawking showed an aptitude for math and science at an early age. He studied… Read the full story

We’re back from RootsTech 2018 and we had a wonderful time! Thousands of genealogists from all around the world gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the largest family history conference in the world. Throughout the conference, the Geni booth was packed with people eager to learn more about collaboration  and Geni’s World Family Tree. Several users stopped by to say hi and tell us how much they enjoy using the… Read the full story

How far telephones have come! On this day in 1876, inventor Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his new revolutionary invention, the telephone, and forever changed the way people communicated. Bell’s family had a significant influence on his research on hearing and speech. His father and grandfather were elocutionists and both his mother and his wife were deaf. His research led to experimentations with hearing devices and an interest in transmitting speech over wires. Bell… Read the full story

Have you read One Hundred Years of Solitude? On this day in 1927, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia. Considered one of the greatest Latin American writers of the 20th century, Márquez was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. Affectionally known as “Gabo” throughout Latin America, Márquez pioneered the style of “magical realism,” which incorporated fantastic or magical elements into seemingly realistic fiction. He was raised by his maternal grandparents… Read the full story

We’re excited to share that the science team at Geni’s parent company, MyHeritage, led by MyHeritage’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Yaniv Erlich, has had a groundbreaking paper published today in Science, one of the most influential academic journals in the world. The research was conducted with scientists at Columbia University, the New York Genome Center, MIT and Harvard, and provides fresh insights into the last couple of centuries of marriage and migration in Europe and… Read the full story

Have you taken a DNA test for genealogy? On this day in 1953, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the chemical structure of DNA. Their revolutionary discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA would forever change the study of genetics and heredity. Crick was born on June 8, 1916 in Weston Favell, Northamptonshire, England. His grandfather, Walter Drawbridge Crick, was an amateur naturalist who corresponded with Charles Darwin. From a young age, Crick had a strong interest in… Read the full story

Have you ever met someone at a conference and wanted to quickly see if you’re related? Now you can use the Geni Pathfinder, our new handy tool on your mobile device to easily discover how you’re related to the people you meet at genealogy conferences, family reunions, or anywhere else! Begin by navigating to this url on your mobile device: https://www.geni.com/pathfinder (you will be prompted to login, if you have not already). A QR code and… Read the full story

Remember reading The Grapes of Wrath? On this day in 1902, author John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California. Considered one of the great American novelists, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Steinbeck was the son of Olivia Hamilton, a former school teacher, and John Ernst Steinbeck, who served as Monterey County treasurer. Growing up in a small rural town, Steinbeck spent his summers working on nearby ranchers alongside migrant workers. Many of… Read the full story

Today we remember English poet John Keats, who died on this day in 1821 at the age of 25. The young poet had devoted his life to poetry, publishing three books of poetry before his death. Although his poems were not generally well received by critics during his lifetime, today Keats is regarded as one of the most beloved English poets history. Keats was born on October 31, 1795 in Moorgate, London, England to Thomas Keats… Read the full story

Next week the Geni team will be heading to Salt Lake City, Utah for RootsTech 2018, the world’s largest genealogy conference. Between February 28 – March 3, thousands of genealogists from around the world will gather at the Salt Palace Convention Center to learn more about the latest in the world of genealogy. This year has an exciting group of keynote speakers, including Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton and renowned genealogist Henry Louis Gates, Jr. With… Read the full story

Today marks George Washington’s 286th birthday! Washington was born on February 22, 1732 on his family’s plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Remembered as one of the most important figures in American history, Washington led the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolution and went on to serve as the nation’s first president. Recently, a researcher at the Schaffer Library in New York discovered what is believed to be a lock of George Washington’s hair… Read the full story

On this day in 1728, Peter III of Russia was born. The Russian ruler served as Emperor of Russia for a mere 6 months before he was overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great. Peter III was the son of Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, a nephew of Charles XII of Sweden, and Anna Petrovna, the daughter of Emperor Peter I. Born in Kiel, in the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, both of Peter’s parents died when he… Read the full story

On this day in 1902, photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, California. He is best remembered for his iconic black and white photos of the American wilderness, especially those of Yosemite National Park. Adams was the only child born to Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Bray. His grandfather founded a prosperous lumber business, which his father eventually inherited. Adams would later come to condemn the lumber industry for cutting down many of… Read the full story

Happy Chinese New Year! Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, the new year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar with each year associated with one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Today marks the first day of the Year of the Dog on the lunar calendar. In celebration of the new year, here are some things to know about the holiday: 1. At the core of the holiday is family… Read the full story

Geni curator Randy Schoenberg recently gave a great webinar, “Introducing the Geni World Family Tree,” with Legacy Family Tree webinars. If you missed it, you can catch it now in the video below. Join Randy as he gives a great introduction to the benefits of collaboration in the World Family Tree and discusses why you should be building and preserving your family tree on Geni. Randy also talks about some of the unique features of Geni, including genealogy projects, which… Read the full story

Do you have any poets in your family? On this day in 1874, American poet Amy Lowell was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. A leading poet of the Imagist school of poetry, Lowell was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Amy Lawrence Lowell was born into a prominent New England family. Her brother, Percival Lowell, was an astronomer whose work would lead to the discovery of Pluto. In fact, the dwarf planet’s name was… Read the full story

Geni curator Jarrett Ross, also known as the GeneaVlogger, recently made a great video on how to use Projects on Geni. Projects are a great way to organize your research about any particular topic and work with others who are also interested in that same research topic. By adding relevant profiles to the project, all project collaborators can easily work together to add new discoveries to the World Family Tree. If you are interested in a particular genealogy research subject, you can quickly start a… Read the full story

We recently asked this question on Facebook, “What’s the oldest photograph you have of an ancestor?” We received so many great responses that we thought it would be great to share some of the beautiful photographs we received. Check out a few of our favorite photos below and feel to share some from your own collection of old photographs in the comments below! Felipe Vargas Brignardello: The oldest picture I have is from 1864, in the middle is… Read the full story

Remember watching Charlie’s Angels? On this day in 1947, star Farrah Fawcett was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ferrah Leni Fawcett was the youngest of two daughters born to Pauline Alice Evans, a homemaker, and James William Fawcett, an oil field contractor. After generating interest from various agencies, Fawcett dropped out of the University of Texas to try her luck in Hollywood. Fawcett quickly booked several commercials and television guest spots. Her big break came in 1976 when she… Read the full story

Happy 37th birthday to Justin Timberlake! This year will be a big one for the popular musician. In just a couple of days, his fifth studio album will be released, right before his performance at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. The former Mouseketeer was born Justin Randall Timberlake on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee to Lynn Harless and Randall Timberlake, a Baptist minister. He grew up surrounded by music and was taught to play the… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Oprah! Today media icon Oprah Winfrey turns 64. After facing considerable hardship growing up, Winfrey has become one of the most successful and influential entrepreneur’s in the world. Although Winfrey was named “Orpah” on her birth certificate, people mispronounced it as “Oprah” so often that the name stuck. Born into poverty in rural Mississippi, she got her start working in radio and by the age of 19, Winfrey was co-anchoring the local evening news. In 1986,… Read the full story

Today Australia celebrates Australia Day! The holiday commemorates the day in 1788 when British settlers arrived on the shores of Australia for the first time. Led by Captain Arthur Phillip, the first boats arrived at Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. On shore, Phillip raised the British flag to signal the beginning of the colony. In honor of Australia Day, we’re highlighting the genealogy projects for the First Fleet! Before the American Revolutionary War, the British, faced… Read the full story

On this day in 1891, Canadian-American neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield was born. Penfield is best remembered for his pioneering work mapping the human brain and his groundbreaking discovery to treat epilepsy. During his lifetime, Penfield was called “the greatest living Canadian.” Penfield was born on January 26, 1891 in Spokane, Washington and spent much of his youth growing up in Wisconsin. In 1934, he established the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. It was there that Penfield began his groundbreaking… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Neil Diamond! Today the “Sweet Caroline” singer turns 77. Diamond was born on January 24, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. In high school, Diamond was a member of the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club alongside future music icon Barbra Streisand. The former classmates would later record the hit duet, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” in 1978. He attended New York University on a fencing scholarship intending to study medicine, but… Read the full story

Do you have Norwegian ancestry? On this day in 1813, Norwegian writer Camilla Collett was born in Kristiansand, Norway. Often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist writer, Collett was a passionate advocate of women’s rights and an influential figure in Norwegian literature. Collett was the daughter of Alette Thaulow and Nicolai Wergeland, a priest and politician. Her father was a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll, which wrote the Constitution of Norway in 1814. Her brother,… Read the full story

If you’re interested in getting started on your genealogy, but at a loss as to what you need to do first, here are some tips on what to do to begin building your family tree. 1. Keep it simple and start with what you know. The first step is the easiest – simply start with what you know. Begin with yourself and work your way back to your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. This will give you a good… Read the full story

What’s your favorite fairy tale? 390 years ago today, French author Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France. Sometimes referred to as the “father of the fairy tale,” Perrault wrote some of the most beloved and recognizable fairy tale stories in literary history. Perrault was born into a wealthy bourgeois family. He worked in the government before deciding to dedicate himself to his children. He wrote several stories, many derived from pre-existing folk tales, and published them in Tales… Read the full story

Today we highlight suffragist Alice Paul, who was born on January 11, 1885 in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. One of the leading women’s rights activist of the 20th century, Paul was a key figure in the campaign to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The eldest of four children born to William Mickle Paul I and Tacie Parry, Paul grew up in a prominent Quaker family. After traveling to England to further her education,… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary musician David Bowie on the second anniversary of his death. Bowie passed just two days after his 69th birthday after an 18-month battle with cancer. Bowie was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, South London, England. He changed his last name to “Bowie” out of fear of being confused with The Monkey’s lead singer, Davy Jones. In 1969, Bowie scored his first hit song, “Space Oddity,” which was… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge! Today the Duchess turns 36. Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born on January 9, 1982 in Reading, Berkshire, England to Michael Middleton and Carole Goldsmith. She studied art history at the University of St. Andrews, where she met Prince William in 2001. On April 29, 2011, the couple wed at Westminster Abbey in London. This year, the royal family will have many occasions to celebrate. It was announced this week that their two-year… Read the full story

What are your genealogy goals for 2018? Get the new year started on the right foot by laying out what you  hope to accomplish this year. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 1. Get your relatives to take a DNA test If you’ve already taken a DNA test for genealogy, make a plan to encourage your relatives to take a DNA test too. This is especially important for your older relatives. Connect their results to the… Read the full story

On this day in 1892, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was the son of Arthur Tolkien, a bank manager, and Mabel Suffield. After his father died of rheumatic fever in 1896, his mother took her young family to live with relatives in Birmingham, England. Tragedy struck his family yet again 8 years later when his mother died of acute diabetes. During World… Read the full story