Launched in May 2003, Genes Reunited has become the UK's largest family tree, genealogy and ancestry site, with over 7 million members worldwide. Internet technology has created millions of 'cyber detectives' who are harnessing the web's incredible resources and unlocking the secrets in their family tree.
A recent survey from Genes Reunited found that more than a third of Britain's population is interested in learning more about their family tree. Tracing family roots is already the second most popular hobby in the United States, according to the National Genealogical Society*¹ and visits to lifestyle family sites in the UK have increased by 44% in the past year. According to internet research specialists Nielsen//NetRatings much of this growth has come from the increasing popularity of Genes Reunited.*²
Genes Reunited is the most recognised family history website, with almost two-thirds (63%) of all GB adults having heard of Genes Reunited.*³
*¹ - Source Fox News 8th December 2004Genes Reunited is the sister website of Friends Reunited and works by connecting members with their extended family through the sharing of information. It enables users to graphically build their own family tree, explore their family history and potentially connect with living relatives, and search millions of census, birth marriage & death records.
Members first have to register, which is free of charge, by entering their personal email address and password. This then allows them to:
Similarly to Friends Reunited, members can then choose to upgrade to full membership for the current annual fee of £9.95 for 6 months. This then allows them to:
(If the member has already started a tree elsewhere they can transfer the information to the site using GEDCOM, a specialist feature which allows people to recognize and share information across different family trees)
These are just a small sample of the many success stories we hear from our members on a daily basis. If you would like further information on these or any others, please contact Carolynne or Victoria on 01883 717468 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
You can also view members' stories on our Success Board. If you see any here you would like to learn more about, please contact Carolynne or Victoria as above.
Tracey's parents, Majorie and Derek Pinney split in 1974, just before the birth of Tracey's younger sister Barbara. Derek stayed out of their lives and Majorie went on to marry again to John. In 1989 when John made enquiries into adopting both Tracey and Barbara, they discovered that Derek had also remarried and had three more daughters, Nicola, Joanne and Lisa. For years, Tracey remained curious about her siblings, but did not know where to start looking for them. On 20th May 2005, Tracey entered the surname Pinney into Genes Reunited and found a message from Nicola, also looking for her half-sisters, Tracey and Barbara. Within a week the five siblings were reunited.
For nearly 30 years, Lynette knew she had another brother, but didn't know where to start looking. Even though she already has 10 siblings, she was determined to find her half-brother, Alan, with whom she shared the same dad. In May 2005, Lynette registered on Genes Reunited and within days of putting a message on the site, she received an email from her long-lost half brother, Alan, now 54 years old. The following day, September 11th, Lynette and two other siblings met with Alan for the first time. Alan still has to meet five of his siblings, but is taking his time as he has gone from being an only child to having 11 brothers and sisters.
A stroke of luck whilst using Genes Reunited put Keith back in touch with his mum who had given him up for adoption at birth, 38 years ago. Keith's wife located the website and put in his mum's name on the 7th February 2005. Seconds later his mum's name appeared and at the same time they received an email from another member, Russell, based in the USA asking them details about their family. Keith and his wife explained who they were and who they were looking for and when Russell replied he said he was in contact with Keith's mum's sister - Keith's aunt. Russell emailed the aunt on their behalf and Valentines Day 2005, Keith and his mum had an emotional reunion at his aunt's house a few days later.
Kat and Leonie's dad had been searching for his daughters since suffering a heart attack and coming close to death in 1989. He had lost touch with them both after splitting from their mum 17 years ago. Kat had been searching for her dad since she was 18, but with no luck until she registered on Genes Reunited. As soon as she put his name in to the site, it popped up and she emailed him. He responded straight away and on December 9th 2005, the sisters met with their dad for the first time in 17 years. They are now looking forward to marking their first Father's Day together.
It took Anna, a receptionist, just five minutes on Genes Reunited to end a 16 year search for her dad. Broadband finally reached her village of Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire just before Christmas 2005, and so with her new computer, she logged on to Friends Reunited to see what old classmates were up to and then saw the link to Genes Reunited. She put in her dad's name, but got the spelling wrong. However, the site suggested several other possible matches for her dad in it's 'name variants' and there, at the top of the list was her dad's name, birth place and date. Anna emailed the member whose tree had her dad's name in it and it turned out to be her half-brother. A week later, December 17th 2005, Anna was reunited with her dad.