How do I start a tree for someone I am not related to?

Create the person as a child of yourself and then detach the profile from you. Make sure you "follow" it so you don't lose it. If you need help, let one of us know. Also, if the person has been dead for a hundred years, are you sure that he/she is not already in the tree? I can do an Advanced Search for you if you want first.

Thank you! Yes, I think I am sure that the person is not in the tree. His name is Karl Julius Hall, born 1856, Norway.

Great, I hope you are able to create the person. He will show up in newfeeds which will amuse your family. I created a "son" Ibn Khaldun (the father of history and sociology who lived 1200 years ago in North Africa).

I did this nd creating the person s my sister. How do I detach them?

go to tree view, click "edit" click "relations" tab click the check box of the parents you would like to detach from the profile

thanks Jason. i finally figured it out. is there any way for me to avoid having all my updates of this new tree showing up on my own family tree updates?

http://www.geni.com/account_settings/recent_activity

you can change what you want people to see you doing here

Adam, make sure the person is not listed as a family group member. then only those following will get the updates.