Are you searching for your American Revolutionary War ancestors? You may want to check out the American Revolutionary War genealogy project on Geni! Image: Library of Congress Collaborate with others in Geni’s friendly and knowledgable community of researchers to discover the Patriots in your family tree. The Shot Heard ‘Round the World On April 19, 1775, battle broke out at Lexington as British forces and American colonial militias fought for the first time, marking the beginning of… Read the full story

We love hearing about stories from the Geni community about their journeys to uncover their family history. Today we’d like to share Anne Brannen’s story. A recent addition to Geni’s team of dedicated volunteer curators, Anne shares her family stories and the path that led her to tackle the medieval lines of the World Family Tree. After 22 years of working in Pittsburgh teaching at Duquesne University, Anne is now living a semi-retired life while… Read the full story

Now that spring is officially here, it’s the perfect time to do a little genealogy spring cleaning. Take a break from your research to reorganize, refresh and get yourself in the best shape before tackling your next genealogy hurdle. Image: Nationaal Archief, Flickr Here are some quick tips to get started on your genealogy spring cleaning: Time to scan old documents and photos! Do you have a pile of old documents and photos that you’ve been meaning to… Read the full story

World War I was an interesting time for women. As millions of men were off fighting in the Great War, women back home entered the work force in droves. It was the first time in American history that many women began to take on the jobs traditionally held by men. Before the U.S. entered the war, women were relegated to the home or to domestic work. In 1914, when World War I broke out in Europe, the traditional… Read the full story

Did you know you can customize how names are displayed on Geni? Since Geni’s World Family Tree is shared by everyone, it’s important to provide you with ways you can personalize how names are displayed without infringing on the preferences of others. These name preferences apply to the family tree, lists and the rest of Geni. You can customize your name preferences in your Account Settings. Select Name Preferences to customize how names are displayed on Geni… Read the full story

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! In celebration of the holiday, we take a look at some famous faces in Geni’s World Family Tree with surprising Irish ancestry. Barack and Michelle Obama Image: Peta Souza / White House The Obamas each have surprisingly deep Irish connections. The President’s Irish ancestry can be traced through his maternal lineage. His third great grandfather, Fulmoth Kearney, was born in Offaly, Ireland in 1830. He would later immigrate to the United States along with… Read the full story

What’s in a middle name? Not everyone has one and its significance varies between different cultures. If you come across someone with a middle name during your genealogy research, a closer investigation may give you fascinating insights into family traditions, your ancestors or even clues to missing branches. While the concept of a “middle name” has been around since the Middle Ages, it was not until 1835 that the phrase “middle name” first appeared in the Harvard University… Read the full story

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, which recognizes the past and present achievements of women all around the world. In honor of the the day, here are some of the remarkable women throughout history found in Geni’s World Family Tree: Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) Image: Wikimedia Commons A gifted mathematician, Ada Lovelace wrote the world’s first computer program nearly a century before the first computers were built. Lovelace envisioned a day when a single machine could be programed for… Read the full story

Are you having trouble searching for your female ancestors? Documentation for women is often difficult to come by in the historical record. Often times, name changes and omissions in favor of male relatives make it difficult to track down your female ancestors. Image: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archives The month of March is designated as Women’s History Month. In honor of the month long celebration, here are some ways you can uncover the maiden names of your… Read the full story

Today is Leap Day! Why do we have leap days? Because it actually takes about 365¼ days for the Earth to orbit the sun. To account for this, an extra day is added every four years to the Gregorian calendar. This occurs every year divisible by four, with the exception of century years, unless it is divisible by 400. Here are some interesting facts about leap day: 1. You can thank Julius Caesar for leap year. The… Read the full story