March 2024

On this day in 1790, John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States, was born. Tyler succeeded to the presidency after the death of President William Henry Harrison, who passed just one month into his presidency. Image: John Tyler / Library of Congress Tyler was born to a prominent and influential Virginian family on March 29, 1790. His father, John Tyler, Sr., was a wealthy planter and judge. He served as the 15th Governor… Read the full story

Happy birthday to country music legend Reba McEntire! Today the popular singer turns 69. Since getting her start singing on local radio shows in high school, McEntire has become one of the best-selling artists of all time. Image: Reba McEntire / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28, 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Clark Vincent McEntire and Jacqueline Smith. Her father and paternal grandfather were both champion steer… Read the full story

Today we remember Estonian poet Marie Under, who was born on this day in 1883. Considered one of Estonia’s great poets of the 20th century, Under has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature multiple times, but has never won. Image: Marie Under / Wikimedia Commons Born in what is today Tallinn, Estonia, Under learned to read at the age of 4 and began writing her own poetry by the age of 14. She first… Read the full story

On this day in 1874, American poet Robert Frost was born. Awarded with four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry during his lifetime, Frost is remembered as one of the most celebrated and popular poets of the twentieth century. Image: Robert Frost / Library of Congress Although best known for his depictions of rural life in New England, Frost was actually born in San Francisco, California. His father, William Prescott Frost, Jr., was a journalist and editor of the San… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Elton John! Today the music icon turns 77. Image: Elton John / Nationaal Archief, CC0 John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England to Stanley Dwight and Sheila Eileen Harris. A gifted piano player from a young age, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 11. At the age of 17, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. During… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Reese Witherspoon! Today the actress turns 48. Image: Reese Witherspoon / Wikimedia Commons Witherspoon was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon on March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana to John Draper Witherspoon, an otolaryngologist, and Mary Elizabeth Reese, a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University. She attended Stanford University, but left before finishing her studies to pursue a career as an actress. After earning critical acclaim for her roles in Election and… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Matthew Broderick! Today the actor turns 62. Image: Matthew Broderick / Photo by Shawn Miller, Library of Congress, Public Domain Broderick was born on March 21, 1962 in Manhattan, New York to a creative family. His mother, Patricia Blow, was a playwright, actress and painter, while his father, James Broderick, was an actor best known for starring in the television series Family. While researching his ancestry, Broderick discovered that his second great grandfather,… Read the full story

Do you have Norwegian ancestors? 196 years ago today, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway. Referred to as “the father of prose drama,” Ibsen is often regarded as one of the greatest playwrights since Shakespeare.  Image: Henrik Ibsen / National Library of Norway, Flicker Ibsen was born on March 20, 1828 to Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg in the small Norwegian costal town of Skien. Although once a well-to-do merchant family, the family was faced with hardships… Read the full story

Today marks the 176th birthday of lawman Wyatt Earp, who is best remembered for his involvement in the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Considered one of the most famous shootouts in the history of the Wild West, the 30-second gunfight resulted in the death of three outlaws. Earp was the only person to emerge from the shootout unharmed. Image: Wyatt Earp / Wikimedia Commons Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born on March 19, 1848 in Monmouth,… Read the full story

Today we remember Grover Cleveland, who was born on this day in 1837. Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Image: Grover Cleveland / Library of Congress He was born Stephen Grover Cleveland on March 18, 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey and was the fifth of nine children born to Richard Falley Cleveland, a Presbyterian minister, and Anne Neal. He was a third cousin thrice removed of Moses Cleveland, who founded the… Read the full story

Today marks the Ides of March. The famous date is remembered as the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. His assassination was the result of a conspiracy by many Roman senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who plotted to kill the Roman dictator in an effort to restore the Roman Republic. Image: The death of Julius Caesar / Wikimedia Commons Considered one of the greatest military commanders… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the birth of genius physicist Albert Einstein! Image: Albert Einstein / Library of Congress Einstein was born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany on March 14, 1879. His father, Hermann Einstein, was a salesman and engineer. He founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current. His mother, Pauline Koch, ran the family household. While on a visit to the United States in 1933, Einstein elected not… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the birth of Percival Lowell, the astronomer who initiated the work that would lead to the discovery of Pluto. Image: Percival Lowell / Library of Congress Lowell was born on March 13, 1855 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a prominent and wealthy family. His second great grandfather, John Lowell, was a judge and delegate to the Congress of the Confederation. His maternal grandfather, Abbott Lawrence, was a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and founder of… Read the full story

Happy 78th birthday to Liza Minnelli! Image: Liza Minnelli / Wikimedia Commons The legendary performer was born on March 12, 1946 in Hollywood, California to actress Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli. With famous parents, it was not a surprise that Minnelli would follow them into show business. At the age of 3, Minnelli made her first film performance in the musical In the Good Old Summertime, starring her mother. Minnelli won her first Tony award at the age… Read the full story

On this day in 1899, Frederick IX, King of Denmark, was born in Sorgenfri Castle, near Copenhagen. Image: Frederick IX of Denmark / Nationaal Archief Frederick IX was the eldest son of King Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the fourth Danish monarch of the House of Glücksburg. When he was baptized in April 1899, he had 21 godparents, including his great grandfather Christian IX of Denmark, Nicholas II of Russia, and the Prince of… Read the full story

Do you have any Polish ancestors? On this day in 1822, Polish pharmacist Ignacy Łukasiewicz was born in Zadusxniki, Poland. A notable inventor and philanthropist, Łukasiewicz is perhaps best remembered for the invention of the modern kerosene lamp. Image: Ignacy Łukasiewicz / Wikimedia Commons The youngest of five children, Łukasiewicz was born to an impoverished noble family. To help support his family, he began to work as a pharmacist’s assistant in a pharmacy. During this time, he… Read the full story

We’re back from Salt Lake City, Utah, where we just spent a few fun-filled days at RootsTech, the largest genealogy conference in the world. We had a busy booth throughout the conference. Geni curator Benjamin Schoenbrun helped to staff the booth and he had great luck connecting attendees to the World Family Tree. The conference was bustling with people eager to learn the latest in genealogy. The Geni booth was often packed with people wanting… Read the full story

Do you have French ancestry? On this day in 1765, French inventor Nicéphore Niépce was born. Credited as the inventor of photography, Niépce developed heliography, a technique used to create the world’s earliest known permanent photographic image. Image: Nicéphore Niépce He was born Joseph-Nicéphore Niépce on March 7, 1765 in Charlon, France to a wealthy family. After serving in the French military, Niépce shifted his focus to pursue his scientific interests. Working alongside his brother, Claude, Niépce developed the… 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

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

On this day in 1954, actor, director, and producer Ron Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. Image: David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY 3.0) Howard was the eldest son born to Rance Howard, a writer, director, and actor, and Jean Speegle Howard, an actress. His father was born with the surname “Beckenholdt,” but changed it to “Howard” when he became an actor. With both parents working in show business, Howard made his first on… Read the full story