October 2022

Do you have any Dutch ancestry? Today we highlight Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, who was born around October 31, 1632. Although little is known about the early years of his life, records show he was baptized on October 31 in Delft in the Netherlands. Image: Johannes Vermeer / Wikimedia Commons Vermeer was born to Digna Baltens and Reijnier Jansz, a silk weaver who produced caffa, a fine satin fabric. His father later became an innkeeper and… Read the full story

On this day in 1914, Dr. Jonas Salk was born. Salk discovered and developed the first successful polio vaccine. Image: Jonas Salk / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr Salk was born on October 28, 1914 in New York City, New York to Daniel Salk and Dora Press. His parents were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. Although they lacked a formal education, they encouraged Salk and his siblings to pursue their education. A gifted student, Salk… Read the full story

Today we are excited to announce the release of the Source Assistant – a quick and easy way to extract information from your confirmed Record Matches and Smart Matches™ from MyHeritage to the family tree on Geni.  Now when you confirm a Record Match or a Smart Match™, you can quickly add new or updated information from the MyHeritage match to your relatives’ Geni profiles with just a few clicks. The new Source Assistant We… Read the full story

Have you found how you’re related to a U.S. President? On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was born. Image: Theodore Roosevelt / Library of Congress Born into the prominent and wealthy Roosevelt family in New York, Roosevelt was nicknamed “Teddy” when he was young. He suffered from poor health as a child, but by his teens he was able to maintain a physically active lifestyle and become known… Read the full story

Have you read The Canterbury Tales? English poet Geoffrey Chaucer died on this day in 1400. Known as the “father of English literature,” Chaucer was the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. Image: Geoffrey Chaucer / British Library, Flickr He was born around 1343 in what was probably London, but not much is known about the early years of his life. Through his royal connections, Chaucer held various positions including a noblewoman’s page,… Read the full story

Remember the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? On this day in 1788, writer Sarah Josepha Hale was born. Image: Sarah Josepha Hale / Wikimedia Commons Hale was born Sarah Josepha Buell on October 24, 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire to captain Gordon Buell and Martha Whittlesay. She was homeschooled by her mother and elder brother and later became a teacher at a local school. In 1813, she married lawyer David Hale and together they had… Read the full story

On this day in 1956, Carrie Fisher was born. A cultural icon, Fisher would have turned 66 today. Image: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) As the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and movie star Debbie Reynolds, it seemed Fisher was destined to follow her parents into show business. She began her acting career at the age of 15 in the Broadway show Irene starring her mother. A couple of years later, she made… Read the full story

Do you remember the first scary movie you ever saw? Today we remember horror movie icon Bela Lugosi, who was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary. Image: Bela Lugosi / Wikimedia Commons Dubbed the King of Horror, Lugosi was a dominant figure of 1930’s horror. He most notably portrayed Count Dracula, which to this day is still considered by many to be the definitive portrayal of the vampire legend. Lugosi was born Béla Ferenc Deszõ Blaskó on… Read the full story

On this day in 1850, mountaineer, lecturer, and suffragist Annie Smith Peck was born. Image: Annie Smith Peck / Library of Congress Peck was born on October 19, 1850 in Providence, Rhode Island and was the youngest of five children born to George Bacheler Peck and Ann Power Smith. Growing up, Peck wished to attend Brown University, just like her father and brothers had done, but she was refused admission due to her gender. She… Read the full story

On this day in 1926, music legend Chuck Berry was born. A rock and roll pioneer, Berry’s sound helped to define the genre and inspire generations of future musicians. Image: Chuck Berry / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Berry was born on October 18, 1926 in Saint Louis, Missouri to Henry William Berry, a contractor and deacon, and Martha Banks, a public school principal. He grew up in the Ville, a middle-class Black community in St. Louis…. Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actress and dancer Rita Hayworth on what would have been her 104th birthday. Image: Rita Hayworth / Wikimedia Commons She was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York. Hayworth was the oldest child of two dancers, Eduardo Cansino, Sr. and Volga Hayworth. Her paternal grandfather was Antonio Cansino, a renowned Spanish classical dancer. She was dancing professionally by the age of 12 alongside her father. The pair… Read the full story

On this day in 1890, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, was born. Image: Dwight D. Eisenhower / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration The third of seven sons, Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890. Growing up, Eisenhower went by the nickname “Ike,” which was an abbreviation of his last name. After graduating from West Point in 1915, Eisenhower married Mamie Doud. The couple would have two children, but only their son John… Read the full story

Geni Curator Jarrett Ross, also known as the GeneaVlogger, has released a great new video all about making a family tree for the entire world through collaboration. In this video, Jarrett looks back at the early days of Geni and the beginnings of the World Family Tree, which today connects over 172 million profiles. Learn more about Geni’s World Family Tree. This video also includes a great discussion with fellow curator Randy Schoenberg that is… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Paul Simon! Today the legendary singer-songwriter turns 81. Image: Paul Simon / National Archief, Wikimedia Commons Simon was born on October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey to Hungarian Jewish parents. His road to musical stardom began at the tender age of 11, when he met Art Garfunkel. The young musicians performed together in their sixth grade production of Alice in Wonderland. At 13, the duo were soon singing under the name “Tom &… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Hugh Jackman! Today the actor turns 54. Image: Hugh Jackman / Eva Rinaldi, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Jackman was born on October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Australia to Grace McNeil (Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman. His parents were English and had come to Australia as part of the “Ten Pound Poms” immigration in 1967. Implemented after World War II, the immigration program was an effort to increase the population of Australia. Emigrants… Read the full story

On October 11, 1884, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was born. Image: Eleanor Roosevelt / Library of Congress Anne Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City, New York to Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Rebecca Hall. Born into the prominent Roosevelt family, Eleanor was the niece of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was an orphan by the age of 10 and grew up in the home of her maternal grandmother,… Read the full story

Do you have an ear for music? Perhaps it’s in your genes! In 1813, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in Le Roncole, Italy. A dominant figure of the Italian opera scene, Verdi is remembered as one of the most renowned opera composers in history. Image: Giuseppe Verdi / Bergen Public Library Norway, Flickr He was born Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi to Carlo Giuseppe Verdi, an innkeeper, and Luigia Uttini, a spinner, in a small Italian… Read the full story

On this day in 1849, poet Edgar Allan Poe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 40. Known for his mysterious and macabre tales, it seems almost fitting that his death would be just as strange. Image: Edgar Allan Poe / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Death plagued much of the early years of his life. Within three years after his birth, both of… Read the full story

Do you have singers in your family tree? On this day in 1820, Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Image: Jenny Lind / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 Born Johanna Maria Lind on October 6, 1820, Lind was the illegitimate daughter of Niclas Jonas Lind, a bookkeeper, and Anne-Marie Felborg, a school teacher. Although divorced from her first husband, Lind’s mother refused to remarry until after his death in 1834. Her… Read the full story

Pioneering physicist and inventor Robert H. Goddard was born on October 5, 1882 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Known as the father of modern rocket propulsion, Goddard is credited with creating, building, and launching the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket.  Image: Robert H. Goddard / NASA Despite his groundbreaking work, Goddard received very little public support for his research. Ahead of his time, Goddard recognized the potential of rockets for atmospheric research, missiles and space travel. He even noted the possibility of a… Read the full story

Today we remember country music icon Loretta Lynn, who has passed away at the age of 90. Image: Loretta Lynn / Scott Schram, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Lynn was born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She was the second child and eldest daughter born to Melvin “Ted” Webb and Clara Marie “Clary” Ramey. Named after actress Loretta Young, Lynn grew up in a poor Appalachian mining town. At the… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Andy Griffith Show? 62 years ago today, the classic sitcom starring Andy Griffith premiered. Image: Andy Griffith / Wikimedia Commons Set in the small town of Mayberry, the show followed the lives of the widowed sheriff, Andy Taylor, his deputy Barney Fife, his young son, Opie, and his Aunt Bee. From the moment it premiered, the show was a success. For all 8 seasons, the show consistently remained one of the most popular… Read the full story