September 2020

On this day in 1924, author Truman Capote was born. Image: Truman Capote / Library of Congress Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. When he was four years old, his parents divorced and he was sent to live with his mother’s relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. A lonely child, Capote spent much of his time reading and writing. He became best friends with his neighbor and future author… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Christopher Reeve on what would have been his 68th birthday. Image: Christopher Reeve / Jbfrankel, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 in New York City, New York to Barbara Pitney Lamb, a journalist, and Franklin D’Olier Reeve, a teacher and poet. Through his mother’s branch of the family, Reeve was a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger William Bradford, who served as Governor of the Plymouth… Read the full story

Beloved Muppet creator Jim Henson was born on this day in 1936. Today we remember him on what would have been his 84th birthday. Image: Jim Henson / Library of Congress Henson was born on September 24, 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi to Paul Ransom Henson and Betty Brown. He had a close relationship with his maternal grandmother, who was an avid painter, quilter, and needleworker. She encouraged Henson’s artistic passions and creativity. Henson rose to… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Bruce Springsteen! Today the Boss turns 71. Image: Bruce Springsteen / Takahiro Kyono, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Beach, New Jersey to Douglas Frederick Springsteen and Adele Zerilli. He was raised in a working class household. His father worked various jobs from bus driver to mill worker while his mother worked as a legal secretary. Springsteen fell in love with rock and roll… Read the full story

On this day in 1791, English physicist and chemist Michael Faraday was born. Considered one of the greatest scientists in history, Faraday’s work significantly contributed to the understanding of electromagnetism. Faraday was born on September 22, 1791 in Newington, Surrey, England to James Faraday, a blacksmith, and Margaret Hastwell. While growing up, his father was often ill and incapable of maintaining steady work. As a result, the family struggled to put food on the table…. Read the full story

We always love to hear stories about how Geni has helped to bring families together. Today we wanted to share with the community a story from Roberto Bastidas Buch, who after years of research, was finally able to reunite his family after decades apart. Arenys de Mar, 2017 family reunion / Photo courtesy of Roberto Bastidas Buch It was around the year 1978, six years after coming back to Colombia, South America, from the States, where… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the life of Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, who was born on this day 115 years ago. Image: Greta Garbo / Library of Congress Greta Lovisa Gustafsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden on September 18, 1905 to Anna Lovisa and Karl Alfred Gustafsson. The youngest of three children, Garbo dropped out of school at the age of 13 to care for her ailing father. He would die in 1920 when she was 14…. Read the full story

On September 17, 1923, country music’s first superstar Hank Williams was born in Butler County, Alabama. Best known for his hits “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” Williams is regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time. Image: Hank Williams / Wikimedia Commons He was born Hiram Williams in Mount Olive, Alabama to Elonzo Huble Williams and Jessie Lillybelle Skipper. Born with spina… Read the full story

Today Mexico celebrates Independence Day! On this day in 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued the Cry of Dolores, a call to end Spanish rule in Mexico, triggering the start of the Mexican War of Independence. Image: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla / Library of Congress As the parish priest in Dolores, Guanajuato, Mexico, Hidalgo promoted economic activities, such as introducing new methods of agriculture, to help the poor and rural members of the… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Prince Harry! Today the Duke of Sussex turns 36. Image: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex / Wikimedia Commons Harry was born on September 15, 1984 at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, England. He was baptized Henry Charles Albert David at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The second son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Princess Diana, Harry is currently sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. Harry was… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly, who passed away on this day in 1982 at the age of 52. Image: Grace Kelly / Wikimedia Commons Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to John B. Kelly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist for sculling, and Margaret Katherine Majer, a physical education teacher and first coach of women’s teams at the University of Pennsylvania. Despite her parents’ disapproval, Kelly… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Harry Connick, Jr.! Today the singer turns 53. Image: Harry Connick, Jr. / bg_nh2014, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. was born on September 11, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana. From an early age, Connick exhibited a talent for music. He learned the piano at the age of 3 and began performing publicly by the age of 5. He learned to develop his talents under the tutelage of… Read the full story

Today we remember English actress Diana Rigg, who has passed away at the age of 82. Best known as secret agent Emma Peel in the classic 1960s television series The Avengers, Rigg had found a new generation of fans as Lady Olenna Tyrell in the HBO fantasy drama, Game of Thrones. Image: Diana Rigg / Wikimedia Commons Rigg was born on July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England to Louis Rigg, a railway engineer,… Read the full story

Do you know what occupations your ancestors held? If you haven’t been paying attention to what your relatives did for a living, you may want to start now. Knowing what occupations your relatives held can give you better insight into their everyday lives, their social status, education level, or even their migration patterns. Image: U.S. National Archives Occupations can also give you clues for new areas of research. Below are a some places where you… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Beyoncé! Today the music superstar celebrates her 39th birthday. Image: Beyoncé Knowles / Wikimedia Commons Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé first catapulted to music stardom in the female R&B group Destiny’s Child. Since launching her own solo career, she has become one of the top selling female performers of all time with over 100 million records sold worldwide. Beyoncé is also the most nominated female artist in Grammy history, with… Read the full story

On this day in 1189, Richard I of England was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. Image: Richard I of England / Wikimedia Commons Born on September 8, 1157, Richard was the third of five sons born to King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard the Lionheart for his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. During his reign, Richard spent the majority of his time outside of England…. Read the full story

On this day in 1948, high school teacher Christa McAuliffe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. McAuliffe made history when she became the first American civilian to be selected to go into space. Sadly, she died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Image: Christa McAuliffe / NASA In 1985, McAuliffe was selected to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project and become the first teacher to go to space. The purpose of the program was… Read the full story

After 72 years on the throne, King Louis XIV of France died on this day in 1715, just four days before his 77th birthday. Image: Louis XIV / Wikimedia Commons Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638 to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Before his birth, his mother had experienced four stillbirths, and so he was named Louis Dieudonné, which was French for “Gift of God.” When he was four, Louis’s father passed away, leaving the… Read the full story