Finding Family News and Interesting Cousins with Google Alerts

You’re probably wondering how I find family news to post on our genealogy website. With thousands of Genetti descendants living throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Australia – it’s not easy. Sometimes family members send me email updates, other times I see newsy posts on FaceBook from relatives I have “friended”. Another technique I like to use for “staying in the know” and discovering new Genetti cousins is Google Alerts. Through my Google account, I’ve set up an “Alert” for the word “Genetti”. When Google searches the web and finds current news or relevant publications containing the word “Genetti” in the text, I receive an email with a link to the online story. If I think the information is newsworthy and it also pertains to a Genetti descendant, I’ll pass it on to you in the form of a blog post.

That’s how I found this interesting article, “Tiny Houses, Big Plans” about LightWorks, a community-based company created by Frank Genetti. The Google Alert for this article showed up a few days ago in my email inbox. I won’t go into details, since you can read the article for yourself, but here’s the gist of it: Frank Genetti has a plan to help the homeless and change the world – one tiny house at a time. I love this concept and the mission he has created for addressing positive, self-sustaining and lasting social change. That’s why I’m sharing it with you today as a blog post. Without going into my own personal philosophy, I believe it’s important to give back to the community and Frank is doing just that.

But before I could post this article, I needed to find out – who is Frank Genetti and is he related to our family? I had not heard of this gentleman, so it was necessary to find a few clues before beginning the investigative process.

The article states: “A former golden boy running back at Cal-Berkeley who then went into business and lived the high life in California, Genetti eventually came back to earth. With a thud. Personal and family issues nearly consumed him. Cancer coursing through his body almost killed him. But through it all, he’s emerged a deeply spiritual man whose focus is squarely on others.” Wow – that was an amazing, short description that told me a lot about Frank. But was he actually related to the Genetti clan from Castelfondo, Italy?

I knew exactly who to contact. Five years ago I met a fellow genealogist through Ancestry.com named Alexandra Genetti. Her husband, Michael, is a descendant of the Genetti family who originally emigrated  from Castelfondo to Wyoming. His family then moved on to California. If you look at the original family tree pictured here, you’ll find the branch of the Wyoming Genettis in the lower right corner. I knew Alexandra was an amazing genealogist who had thoroughly researched her husband’s family and had shared information with me in the past. If Frank was related to the California Genettis, Alexandra would know. I sent her an email request for info and within a day I had my answer.

Yes, Frank Genetti was related to the Wyoming/California branch of the Genettis. His grandfather was Francesco Giacinto Genetti, brother to Michael’s grandfather, Enrico Genetti. Their family patriarch was Angelo Genetti (1859 – 1946 ) born in Castelfondo, Austria (Italy). Frank and Michael share great-grandparents, Angelo and Teresa Marchetti, making them 2nd cousins.

Unfortunately, I have yet to research this branch of the Genettis and their information still needs to be added to our online family tree. They trace their roots back to the very first main branches, where our tree splits between two brothers: Pietro (born 1594) and Andrea (born 1597). My ancestors originate through Pietro’s branch and the Wyoming Genetti clan are descendants of Andrea Genetti. I certainly have it on my to-do list to tackle this large section of our tree! Particularly since I have also found at least two intermarriages between this branch of the family and mine. (Many thanks to Alexandra for her meticulous research.)

And so we would like to welcome cousin Frank Genetti and applaud your vision for creating a better world! I hope we hear from you soon, along with more information about your uplifting endeavors.

To read the article “Tiny House, Big Plans” – click here!

Remember to “like” our family page on FaceBook – click here!

Learn more about Alexandra Genetti: artist, author and expert on the Tarot – click here!

And if you are a Genetti descendant and would like to friend me, I can be found on FaceBook under the name “Louise Genetti Roach”.

You can order your own copy of the original Genetti Family Tree at our online shop – click here!