August 2024

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IAJGS 2024 Conference Recap

Posted August 30, 2024 by Amanda | 1 Comment

We’re back from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where we had the opportunity to attend the 44th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. The conference was held August 18-22 in the City of Brotherly Love. The exhibit hall was open for the entire conference and attendees made good use of their time visiting the Geni table. We were happy to grant extended walkthroughs of the website to help users better understand how they can make use of all… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Posted August 30, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Image: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley / Wikimedia Commons On August 30, 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in London, England. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. In 1816, she married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein, Shelley infused elements of the Romantic movement, creating what is considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Initially published… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Ingrid Bergman

Posted August 29, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Do you remember watching Casablanca? Today we remember star Ingrid Bergman, who was born in Stockholm, Sweden on August 29, 1915. Image: Ingrid Bergman / Wikimedia Commons Bergman lost both her parents at a very young age; her mother died when she was 3 and her father passed when she was 13. After her father’s death, she was sent to live with an aunt, who died of heart disease only six months later. At 17, she… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Gene Kelly

Posted August 23, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Remember watching Singin’ in the Rain? On this day in 1912, star Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Image: Gene Kelly / Wikimedia Commons Eugene Curran Kelly was born on August 23, 1912 to James Kelly, a phonograph salesman, and Harriet Curran. At the age of 8, his mother enrolled Kelly and his siblings in dance classes. As a young man, he often created dance routines with his brother to earn prize money in local talent contests… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Ray Bradbury

Posted August 22, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Do you remember reading Fahrenheit 451? On this day in 1920, author Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois. Image: Ray Bradbury / Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) He was the son of Esther Moberg, a Swedish immigrant, and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, a power and telephone lineman. His seventh great grandmother was Mary Bradbury, who was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. She managed to escape… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Benjamin Harrison

Posted August 20, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments
Profile of the Day: Benjamin Harrison

Are you related to the U.S. President? On this day in 1833, Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States was born. Image: Benjamin Harrison / Library of Congress Harrison was born to a prominent political family. His paternal grandfather was William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. Harrison was only 7 years old when his grandfather was elected president. Unfortunately, his grandfather would only serve for 31 days before dying of pneumonia…. Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Gene Roddenberry

Posted August 19, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Are you a Star Trek fan? On this day in 1921, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas. Image: Gene Roddenberry / NASA As a young man, Roddenberry became interested in aeronautical engineering and earned a pilot license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. During World War II, Roddenberry enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and flew an estimated 89 combat missions. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross…. Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Aretha Franklin

Posted August 16, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Today we remember legendary singer Aretha Franklin, who passed away on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76. Dubbed the “Queen of Soul,” Franklin is regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time. Image: Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. Her father, C.L. Franklin, was a Baptist minister, and her mother, Barbara Siggers, was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Her parents… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Napoleon Bonaparte

Posted August 15, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Image: Napoleon Bonaparte / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 On August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. In 1804, he became the first emperor of France and established hegemony over most of continental Europe. In what would be called the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon’s drive for military expansion changed the world. After being forced into exile on the island of Elba, Napoleon was able to regain power of France temporarily before… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Steve Martin

Posted August 14, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Happy birthday to Steve Martin! Today the actor turns 79. Image: Steve Martin / David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Martin was born on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas to Mary Lee Stewart and Glenn Vernon Martin. When he was young, his family moved to southern California. As a teen, he became a cheerleader in high school and got his first job at Disneyland selling guidebooks and performing magic tricks. In 1977, Martin got… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Annie Oakley

Posted August 13, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Are you related to the famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley? On this day in 1860, the Wild West star was born. Image: Annie Oakley / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey in a cabin near Woodland, Ohio. Oakley honed her remarkable sharpshooting skills as a teen hunting game to support her mother and siblings. She met her husband Frank Butler, a marksman and performer, after beating him in a shooting competition…. Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Cecil B. DeMille

Posted August 12, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

On this day in 1881, pioneering film director Cecil B. DeMille was born. Considered to be a founding father of the Hollywood film industry, DeMille’s films were distinguished by their epic scale and groundbreaking special effects, which attracted vast audiences. Image: Cecil B. DeMille / Wikimedia Commons DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in a boarding house on Main Street in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where his parents had been vacationing for the summer. He was… Read the full story

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Geni is Heading to IAJGS 2024

Posted August 9, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Soon Geni will be heading to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the 44th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. The conference will take place August 18 – 22 with a jam-packed schedule every day. Come find us at the Geni table in the conference exhibit hall. We’ll be eager to chat and help answer any questions you may have about Geni. The IAJGS conferences are one of our favorites because we get to spend lots of one-on-one… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Whitney Houston

Posted August 9, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Today we remember legendary singer Whitney Houston, who was born on this day in 1963. Image: Whitney Houston / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey to John Russel Houston, Jr. and Emily “Cissy” Drinkard. Her father was a Newark city administrator and theatrical manager and her mother was a successful gospel singer and a backup singer for several notable artists such as Elvis Presley… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Dustin Hoffman

Posted August 8, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Happy birthday to Dustin Hoffman! Can you believe the actor turns 87 today? Image: Dustin Hoffman / Wikimedia Commons Dustin Lee Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California. He was the second son born to Lillian Gold and Harry Hoffman, who worked as a set decorator at Columbia Pictures. He was named after stage and silent film actor, Dustin Farnum. Hoffman comes from a Jewish family of immigrants from Ukraine, Poland, and Romania. After dropping… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis

Posted August 7, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

On this day in 1813, American abolitionist and suffragist Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis was born. An early supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, Davis was also a prominent lecturer on women’s health, anatomy, and physiology. Image: Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis / Library of Congress Davis was born on August 7, 1813 in Bloomfield, New York to Ebenezer Kellogg and Polly Saxton. In 1817, her family moved to the frontier near Niagara Falls, however, after the… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Lucille Ball

Posted August 6, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Today we remember actress Lucille Ball, who was born on this day 113 years ago. Image: Lucille Ball / Wikimedia Commons Lucille Désirée Ball was born on August 6 ,1911 in Jamestown, New York. After her father died of typhoid fever in 1915, the family moved in with her maternal grandparents. She and her brother were later cared for by their step-grandparents after her mother remarried. As a teen, Ball attended the John Murray Anderson School… Read the full story

Featured Project »

Featured Project: Paris 2024 Summer Olympics

Posted August 2, 2024 by Amanda | 1 Comment

Have you been watching the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics? Athletes from all around the world have come together in Paris, France to compete for the gold. In celebration of this year’s Olympic games, we’re highlighting the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics genealogy project. You can bring your love of genealogy and your enthusiasm for the Olympics together and collaborate with others to build the family trees of this summer’s Olympic athletes. Collaborators have been hard at… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Elisha Gray

Posted August 2, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

On this day in 1835, American inventor Elisha Gray was born in Barnesville, Ohio. The co-founder of the Western Electric Manufacturing Company, Gray is perhaps best remembered for the controversy surrounding the invention of the telephone. Image: Elisha Gray / Wikimedia Commons Gray was born into a Quaker family in Ohio and grew up on a farm. An electrical engineer, he held over 70 patents and is often considered the father of the modern music synthesizer. On February… Read the full story

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Profile of the Day: Maria Mitchell

Posted August 1, 2024 by Amanda | 0 Comments

Today we celebrate the 206th birthday of pioneering astronomer Maria Mitchell! Mitchell is best remembered for discovering a new comet, which became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” She is often recognized as the first professional female astronomer in the United States. Image: Maria Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons Mitchell was born on August 1, 1818 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The third of ten children, Mitchell grew up in a family of Quakers. Her father was a school teacher… Read the full story