September 2017

This may be a familiar sight to you – you have old photographs of your ancestors but no one is smiling! It’s not often you will find 19th century photographs of a smiling subject. While photographs provide us with a glimpse into who our ancestors were and what they looked like, don’t assume that no one is smiling because they were perpetually unhappy. c.1885 / Library of Congress Long exposure times? During the 19th century,… Read the full story

Happy 33rd birthday to Prince Harry! The second son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana, Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne, behind his nephew, Prince George, and his niece, Princess Charlotte. He will soon be bumped to sixth after the birth of his brother’s third child. Harry was only 12 years old when his mother died tragically in a car crash. Recently, the Prince has spoken publicly about how he struggled to come… Read the full story

We’re excited to announce a new feature to help you create an unconnected family tree branch on Geni. If you want to build the family tree for a person not yet on Geni and you don’t know how the person is related, you can now easily start an unconnected branch of the tree and work towards finding its connection to the World Family Tree. There are many times when you may have information about a person or family, but do not yet know… Read the full story

Love chocolate? On this day in 1857, confectioner Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, was born in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. The Hersheys were members of Pennsylvania’s Mennonite community. The future confectioner grew up speaking Pennsylvania Dutch on his family’s small farm and didn’t receive much schooling beyond the 4th grade. By the age of 14, he became an apprentice to a master confectioner with the aim of opening his own candy shop. In… Read the full story

Carole Forsman was born a twin in Omaha, Nebraska on October 7, the anniversary of the hospital. To celebrate, the hospital gifted the all the mothers who gave birth that day no hospital bill. And she even got her picture in the local newspaper! Carole Forman A writer, a board member for the Danish Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska and a member of the local Danish Club, Carole’s path to genealogy began after she became interested… Read the full story

Happy 50th birthday to Harry Connick, Jr.! The singer and actor was born Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. on September 11, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both of his parents were prominent lawyers in New Orleans. His father, Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Sr., was the district attorney of Orleans Parish and his mother, Anita Frances Levy, served as a judge in New Orleans and later a Louisiana Supreme Court justice. They encouraged their son’s early… Read the full story

We’re back from the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2017 National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From August 30 – September 2, genealogists and family historians from all around the country gathered at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for a wide variety of sessions held by numerous genealogy experts. The exhibit hall entrance before opening day Many attendees also had the opportunity to visit a wide variety of vendors in the exhibit hall. The Geni booth was the perfect place for… Read the full story