November 2019

On this day in 1832, abolitionist and surgeon Mary Edwards Walker was born. Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor for her efforts to treat the wounded during the American Civil War. Today, she remains the only woman to receive the honor. Image: Mary Edwards Walker / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Walker was born on November 26, 1832 in Oswego, New York to Alvah Walker and Vesta Whitcomb. From a young age, Walker’s… Read the full story

This weekend the movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, hits theaters nationwide. The film stars Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, the host of the beloved children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The film was inspired by the 1998 article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod for Esquire. The film follows journalist Lloyd Vogel, who is assigned to profile the television icon for Esquire magazine. Recently on the red carpet, Hanks learned of his own personal connection to Rogers – they are… Read the full story

On this day in 1694, French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire was born. Considered one of France’s greatest writers, Voltaire’s advocacy of civil liberties and social reform would go on to influence the thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions. Image: Voltaire / New York Public Library François-Marie Arouet was the youngest of five children born to François Arouet and Marie Marguerite Daumard. In 1718, he adopted the name “Voltaire,” which was an anagram of Arovet Li, the Latinized… Read the full story

Today we are excited to introduce the new Consistency Checker to Geni’s World Family Tree. The Consistency Checker will constantly monitor changes to profiles in the family tree to detect common errors or inconsistencies and bring them to your attention so that you can make the necessary changes to improve the quality and accuracy of the family tree. This helpful tool checks for 28 types of inconsistencies, ranging from obvious issues, such as a child… Read the full story

In celebration of Family History Month, we ran a contest throughout the month of October for a chance for one lucky winner to receive a free year of Geni Pro. To enter, you simply needed to submit your answer to the question: If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit and why? We received lots of entries submitted through Facebook, Twitter, and email. One lucky winner was chosen at random from the list of entries…. Read the full story