March 2025

Are you a country music fan? Today American country music singer Reba McEntire turns 70. Image: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) She was born on March 28, 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Jacqueline and Clark Vincent McEntire. Named after her maternal grandmother Reba Estelle Smith, the music legend learned to sing and play guitar at a young age. Her father and grandfather were both champion steer ropers, so as a child, she… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Sunset Boulevard? On this day in 1899, legendary actress Gloria Swanson was born. Image: Gloria Swanson / Library of Congress Swanson was born on March 27, 1899 to Joseph Theodore Swanson and Adelaide Klanowski in a small house in Chicago, Illinois. Since her father was a soldier in the army, she moved frequently. She spent part of her childhood in Puerto Rico, where she learned Spanish and saw her first films…. Read the full story

Happy birthday to Diana Ross! Today the singer turns 81. Image: Diana Ross / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Ross was born on March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second child of Ernestine Moten, a schoolteacher, and Fred Ross, a former Army soldier. As a teen, she began singing with a group of friends and eventually, they formed the successful music group The Supremes. The group became the first all-female music group to have… Read the full story

Today we remember music icon Aretha Franklin on what would have been her 83rd birthday. Image: Aretha Franklin / Wikimedia Commons Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 at her family’s home in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father, Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, was a Baptist minster and civil rights activist, while her mother, Barbara Siggers, was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Franklin began singing at a young age and would accompany her father on his “gospel… Read the full story

On this day in 1874, illusionist Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary. Image: Harry Houdini / Library of Congress The legendary magician was born Erik Weisz to Rabbi Mayer Samuel and Cecilia Weisz. One of seven children, Houdini took on several odd jobs as a child. He made his public debut at the age of 9 as a trapeze artist and called himself “Ehrich, the Prince of the Air.” When he launched his career… Read the full story

On this day in 1806, Benito Juarez was born. Juarez was the President of Mexico and is today remembered as a national hero for his resistance of French occupation and victory in overthrowing Emperor Maximilian I. Image: Benito Juarez / Library of Congress Juarez was born to a Zapotec peasant family on March 21, 1806 in a small adobe house in San Pablo Guelato, Oaxaca, Mexico. He was an orphan by the age of three… Read the full story

Remember watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood growing up? Today we remember everyone’s favorite neighbor Fred Rogers on what would have been his 97th birthday. Image: Fred Rogers awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to James and Nancy Rogers. Rogers did not originally intend to pursue a career in television. After college, he studied to… Read the full story

Do you have outlaws or lawmen in your family tree? On this day in 1848, Wyatt Earp was born. An iconic figure of the American Wild West, Earp is best remembered for his involvement in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Image: Wyatt Earp / Wikimedia Commons He was born on March 19, 1848 in Monmouth, Illinois. An American frontiersman, gambler, and lawman, Earp moved constantly throughout his life. He eventually… Read the full story

On March 18, 1837, Grover Cleveland was born. He was the first U.S. President to serve non-consecutive terms, serving as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Image: Grover Cleveland / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 He was born Stephen Grover Cleveland to Ann Neal and Richard Falley Cleveland in Caldwell, New Jersey. The fifth of nine children, he was named Stephen in honor of the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church… Read the full story

We’re back from a wonderful trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, where we had an amazing experience at RootsTech 2025! This global conference never fails to bring together passionate family history enthusiasts, and this year was no exception. From engaging conversations with Geni users to unveiling an exciting new feature, our time at RootsTech was packed with some unforgettable moments. The Geni Booth The Geni booth had a steady number of visitors throughout the conference…. Read the full story

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! The holiday is observed on March 17, the day of death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Image: Saint Patrick / Library of Congress Kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16, Saint Patrick was held captive as a slave in Ireland for six years before escaping and returning home to Britain. He became deeply devoted to Christianity and eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary to spread the… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Albert Einstein! Today marks the 146th birthday of one of the most brilliant minds in history. Image: Albert Einstein / Library of Congress 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… Read the full story

On this day in 1855, astronomer Percival Lowell was born in Boston, Massachusetts. The founder of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Lowell’s research would form the beginnings of the work that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death. Image: Percival Lowell / Library of Congress Lowell was born to a wealthy and prominent New England family. His great grandfather, John Lowell, was one of the first Judges to be appointed by President George Washington,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Liza Minnelli! Today the legendary icon turns 79. Image: Liza Minnelli / Wikimedia Commons The eldest daughter of legendary actress Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, Liza was destined to become a star. She was born on March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California and made her film debut at the age of 3 in the musical In the Good Old Summertime, which starred her mother. As a teen, Minnelli left school to pursue… Read the full story

Today we remember Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming, who died on March 11, 1955. Image: Alexander Fleming / Wikimedia Commons Fleming was born in Ayrshire, Scotland on August 6, 1881 to Hugh Fleming, a farmer, and Grace Stirling Morton. He studied medicine before serving as a physician during World War I. In 1928, Fleming made history when he discovered the world’s first antibiotic, penicillin. He stumbled on this revolutionary discovery by accident. Upon returning to his… Read the full story

On this day in 1765, French inventor Nicéphore Niépce was born in Chalon-sur-Saône-et-Loire, France. He is best remembered as the inventor of photography and one of the most important pioneers of the field. Nicéphore Niépce / Wikimedia Commons The son of a wealthy lawyer, Niépce’s entire family fled during the French Revolution, but he returned to serve in the French army under Napoleon. After returning home to manage his family’s estate, Niépce developed an interest in… Read the full story

On this day in 1806, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born. During her lifetime, Browning was considered to be one of the most popular Victorian poets of the era. Image: Elizabeth Barrett Browning / Library of Congress Browning was the eldest of twelve children born to Edward Barrett Moulton-Barrett and Mary Graham Clark. The family had acquired their wealth as sugar plantation owners in Jamaica, but her father chose to raise his family in England. Educated… Read the full story

We’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to Geni’s family tree views – the fan chart! The fan chart view illustrates the family tree in a new and exciting way, offering a different perspective on your family history. With this new addition, there are now three options to view the family tree – standard view, pedigree view, and fan chart view. Similar to the pedigree view, the fan chart will include only direct ancestors, but… Read the full story

Do you have any Brazilian roots in your family tree? Today we remember one of Brazil’s greatest composers in history, Heitor Villa-Lobos, who was born on March 5, 1887. Image: Heitor Villa-Lobos / Arquivo Nacional Collection, Public Domain Described as “the single most significant figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music,” Villa-Lobos has become one of the most well-known Latin American composers to date. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Raul Villa-Lobos and Noêmia dos… Read the full story

Do you have Portuguese ancestors? On this day in 1394, Henry the Navigator was born in Porto, Portugal. Image: Henry the Navigator / Wikimedia Commons The third child of the Portuguese king, John I, Henry was noted for his early exploration and expansion of Portuguese trade. At the age of 21, Henry, his brother and father captured the Moorish port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. The site had long been the base for Barbary pirates, who… Read the full story

There’s just a few more days until we head to the largest genealogy event in the world! RootsTech 2025 will take place on March 6-8, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah and will be both in-person and online. This year RootsTech has some exciting keynote speakers including Emmy-winning singer Rachel Platten, Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall, and activist and author Ndaba Mandela, who is the grandson of Nelson Mandela. See… Read the full story

“Ahoy!” That’s the greeting Alexander Graham Bell first proposed for answering the telephone. The inventor and engineer was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Image: Alexander Graham Bell / Library of Congress The second son born to Alexander Melville Bell and Eliza Grace Symond, Bell had two brothers who would later die of tuberculosis. His mother was mostly deaf and his father was a phonetician and taught elocution to the deaf. Born just “Alexander Bell,” the… Read the full story