March 2019

While at RootsTech 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah, GeneaVlogger and Geni Curator Jarrett Ross took some time to interview Geni’s General Manager Mike Stangel at the Geni booth. Jarrett and Mike at the Geni booth at RootsTech See our Highlights from RootsTech 2019 During their discussion, they talked about the history of Geni’s World Family Tree and our acquisition by MyHeritage in 2012. Mike also talked about the recent release of our new and improved GEDCOM importer and shared what new features… Read the full story

Next week Geni is heading to Manchester, New Hampshire for the 15th New England Regional Genealogical Conference. NERGC 2019 will take place April 3-6 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel. The conference will offer presentations, workshops, and fun events, such as the Ancestors Road Show and Society Fair. The exhibit hall will be free and open to the public. If you are planning to attend or are in the area, come visit the Geni booth (105/107). We’re happy to hear your family stories… Read the full story

On this day in 1625, Charles I ascended to the throne and became king of England, Scotland, and Ireland after the death of his father King James VI and I. Charles was born on November 19, 1600 in Dunfermline Palace in Fife, Scotland. The second son of James IV and I and Anne of Denmark, Charles became the heir apparent after his older brother, Henry, died of typhoid fever in 1612. On March 25, 1625, Charles became king… Read the full story

On this day in 1828, Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen was born. Ibsen was the oldest of five children born to Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg in the small costal town of Skien in Telemark County, Norway. His maternal grandfather, Johan Andreas Altenburg was a wealthy merchant and shipowner in Skien. Although they were once a wealthy merchant family, by the time Ibsen was 8, they had been thrown into poverty. At the age of 15,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Glenn Close! Today the star turns 72. The versatile actress was born on March 19, 1947 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father was a prominent doctor and opened a clinic in the Belgian Congo. He also served as the personal physician of Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire. After graduating with a degree in drama from the College of William and Mary, Close made her Broadway debut in 1974’s Love for Love. As her success in theater grew,… Read the full story

On this day in 1937, writer H.P. Lovecraft died at the age of 46. Today, Lovecraft is remembered as one of the most significant writers of horror fiction. He was born Howard Phillips Lovecraft on August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. When Lovecraft was 3, his father was committed to a psychiatric facility and remained there until his death in 1898. An only child, Lovecraft became an avid reader and developed a keen interest in science… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Albert Einstein! Today marks his 140th birthday of one of the most brilliant minds in history. Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in what was then the German Empire. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Munich where his father, Hermann Einstein and his uncle, Jakob, founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current. In 1902, Einstein began working… Read the full story

On March 13, 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. It would be the first planet to be discovered with the aid of a telescope. Herschel was born on November 15, 1738 in Hanover, Germany, then a part of the Holy Roman Empire. His father was an oboist in the Hanover Military Band and as a teen, Herschel also worked as a musician in the band. At 19, he went to England and supported himself as… Read the full story

Today the world celebrates International Women’s Day in recognition of past and current achievements of women all over the world. In honor of the day, here are some fascinating and pioneering women found in Geni’s World Family Tree. Hedy Lamarr (1914 – 2000) Image: Wikimedia Commons Film actress Hedy Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary on November 9, 1914. Lamarr was not only one of the most popular film actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but she… Read the full story

We’re back from RootsTech in Salt Lake City, Utah! From February 27 – March 2, 2019, thousands of genealogists and family history enthusiasts gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center to attend the largest genealogy conference in the world. The Geni booth before the exhibit hall opened Geni had a booth in the exhibit hall with computers available for attendees to get a chance to get started with some hands-on help from Geni staff and curators. The… Read the full story

On this day in 1887, Brazilian composer and conductor Heitor Villa-Lobos was born. Remembered as one of the best known South American composers of all time, Villa-Lobos was considered to be one of the most significant figures of Brazilian art music in the 20th century. Villa-Lobos was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 5, 1887. His father, Raul Villa-Lobos, was a librarian and an amateur musician. As a young boy, Villa-Lobos’s home was filled with music… Read the full story