We’re excited for the 47th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree taking place on June 3-5, 2016 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. Jamboree has always been one of the most fun genealogy events of the year. A short drive from the Geni office, Jamboree is a great opportunity to reunite with old friends and meet new faces. This year’s theme is “Giving to the Future by Preserving the Past.” Presentations will be held on a… Read the full story

Do you have royal blood? On this day in 1819, Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in London. One of the longest reigning monarchs in British history, Victoria’s strategic marriage of her nine children to royal and noble families across Europe earned her the nickname, “the Grandmother of Europe.” Image: Library of Congress In honor of her birthday, here are some interesting facts about Queen Victoria: 1. She was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke… Read the full story

Have you found any funny or unusual names during your genealogy research? Naming trends change and evolve over time, so what may seem odd-sounding to us today, may not have been so strange at the time. Nevertheless, we still get a good chuckle when we come across one of these names as we think to ourselves, “what were they thinking?” Check out some funny and unusual names we found in Geni’s World Family Tree! 1. Experience Bliss 2. Fanny Rash 3. Honest… Read the full story

As any genealogist will say, documents are vital to doing good genealogy research. It’s important to remember to upload your documents to your family’s profiles on Geni and add sources to ensure the family tree is as accurate as possible. What happens when you have a document with multiple people in it? Records such as the census or passengers lists may hold the names of entire families. Instead of uploading the document to every profile, you can simply tag… Read the full story

Do you have immigrant ancestors? Here’s an interesting video from Metrocosm depicting immigration to the United States from 1820 to 2013. Watch the changing immigration patterns in the U.S. over a period of nearly two centuries. The data comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Office. In this colorful animation, the country’s brightness corresponds to its total migration to the U.S. at any given time, while each dot represents 10,000 individuals. It’s interesting to see how immigration patterns have… Read the full story

We had a great time meeting everyone at the NGS 2016 Family History Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida! Between May 4-7, genealogists and family historians from all around the country gathered at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Boward County Convention Center to enjoy a fascinating array of genealogy lectures and learn more about what’s going on in the world of genealogy. The Geni booth at NGS 2016 before opening day At the Geni booth, we welcomed many people interested in… Read the full story

It was reported recently that a Northern Idaho family has finally broken their 100 year old streak – the Underdahl family finally welcomed their first baby girl after 101 years. The record was finally broken when Scott and Ashton Underdahl welcomed Aurelia Marie Ann on April 12. The couple have a son, Archer, and had been hoping to finally bring a girl into the family. After a century-long streak of boys, baby Aurelia was born at 8lbs 3oz…. Read the full story

Next week Geni is heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the NGS 2016 Family History Conference. From May 4-7, genealogists and family historians from all around the country will come together at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center to learn more about the latest in genealogy. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from over 150 lectures on a wide range of topics. The theme to this year’s conference is “Exploring the Centuries: Footprints… Read the full story

While the world celebrated the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death on April 23, today marks the day the Bard was baptized. Image: Wikimedia Commons Although the exact date of William Shakespeare’s birth is unknown, we do know the day he was baptized thanks to his baptism records. He was baptized at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-on-Avon on April 26, 1564. Since a child’s baptism generally takes place just a few days after birth, it is… Read the full story

We were shocked to hear of the sudden padding of legendary musician Prince today. A musical genius and innovator, Prince was one of the most significant figures in the music industry. A pioneer of Minneapolis sound, Prince combined multiple genres – rock, R&B, jazz, funk, pop, disco, soul, hip hop, and psychedelia – to create his unique sound. Image: Penner, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)  In honor of his memory, we look back on some interesting… Read the full story