<p><p>@mich@el in cases like this, your best bet is to contact help@geni.com and ask them to first delete your existing tree. BUT this might NOT be possible, if you have already started merging with data that OTHER people have entered, as some of your profiles will have been combined (so "their" tree is now also depedendent on some of your profiles).
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<p>Thank you, I try that.......regards, michael
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Just letting the forum know that an email to help@geni.com had in problem fixed within 24 hours.......thanks Geni!!!

This is actually working out really well for me. I've been more successful recruiting new family members through facebook than the traditional way. Cheers!

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo celebrates Women's History month by helping you find your elusive female ancestors.

Do you have an elusive female ancestor that you just can’t seem to find?

She may be the one listed as Mary (blank) in your pedigree chart because you are unable to identify her maiden name; or the first wife of your great-grandfather who seemed to just “disappear” after the 1880 census, but you are unable to locate a death record or burial plot, or the great aunt who supposedly came to the U.S. in the early 20th century but fails to turn up in any online passenger list records.

There’s no question that finding our female ancestors can seem a difficult and seemingly impossible task when compared to their male counterparts. This is due in part to the fact that most genealogical records prior to the 20th century focus on men since they typically owned the property, controlled the government, businesses, etc. Few women left diaries or letters, especially immigrant women who spoke little or no English. But sometimes the problem isn’t that the records are not available, but rather how thoroughly we investigate the sources presented to us. However, with a solid research strategy, carefully honed sleuthing skills, the ability to be open to possibilities and take risks, and a good dose of patience and persistence, you can fill in those blanks. Here are a few quick tips to get you started:

1. Check all records for her husband, especially tax, property, and naturalization records. Also check records for siblings. Look for clues in photographs, newspapers, yearbooks, bridal books, employment, convent, military, and other records.
2. Note the possibility of more than one marriage and multiple burial markers.
3. Learn naming practices and patterns and note regional, cultural, and religious influences. Investigate different suffixes for female surnames (e.g., -ova; -datter, etc.) and add these to a woman’s name when searching databases.
4. Pay attention to spelling variations, and handwriting/transcription errors when searching census, immigration or vital records.
5. Create a timeline to place the woman’s life in historical context. Geni.com provides customizable free timelines for each ancestor you include in your tree. If you don’t have a Geni account, it takes just a few minutes to create one.

March is designated as “Women’s History Month.” Consider using this month to focus your research on your female lines. With some extra sleuthing you just might be able to erase the blanks from your pedigree chart, to find those missing pieces and break through the silence to tell your female ancestors’ stories.

Author, instructor, and lecturer, Lisa A. Alzo teaches the “Finding Your Female Ancestors” course for GenClas

If you enjoyed this Genealogy Tip by Lisa please join us again in a couple weeks for more. In the meantime, get out there and interview your family members and preserve your family history on Geni.

UPDATE: We're back!

We need to perform some quick maintenance, we'll be back real soon.

From any list, select My Cousins to view the list of your cousins on Geni. Use the new "hide" filters to find the cousins on Geni that you haven't met yet - this is a great way to find new Geni users to collaborate with on your family tree. From this list you can easily invite them to your Family Group, view their tree or profile, and more.

View Your Cousins List

UPDATE: We're back.

We need to perform some quick maintenance. We'll be back in a few minutes!

Connecting your Facebook account to Geni is the fastest and easiest way to add relatives from Facebook to your Geni tree.

Connecting is as easy as clicking a button. Then use Facebook's standard invite tools to invite your relatives to join your tree. Connecting also allows you to post your Geni activity on your Facebook newsfeed.

You can also invite your friends to Geni, where they will be able to view your profile and view (but not edit) your tree. Who knows, as they build out their tree, you may find that some of your friends are actually distant cousins!

Connect with Facebook