* Extended Y-Chromosome Haplotype
* X-chromosome
* Autosomal STR
* Y-chromosome SNP

http://www.genetree.com/specialty_testing

Anyone in the area is welcome to join us this Friday February 18 for a free genetic genealogy class at 1 pm in the Family History Library in downtown Salt Lake City.  The speaker is Dr. Ugo Perego, Senior Researcher at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and one of our consultants. We hope to see you there!

Show your interest in genealogy with this fun shirt! We have offered our “I Seek Dead People” t-shirts at conferences in the past year, and they have been a big hit. Now we are excited to announce that you can order one online. Look for it the apparel section of our product list. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

William Holland, a genealogical researcher from Atlanta, dances to the left of Fon Angwafo III, the king of the Mankon tribal group in Cameroon, during a ceremony

When William Holland traveled from Atlanta to Cameroon to dig into his family roots, the quest succeeded beyond his wildest dreams: A blend of genetic testing and genealogical
sleuthing connected him with one of the West African nation’s royal families. The king of Mankon, a region in Cameroon, embraced Holland so completely that the American was ceremonially given the name of the king’s father.

read more:http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/01/5916155-family-roots-get-tangled-up-in-africa/a>

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we bring you a love bird special: mitochondrial DNA kits are buy one, get one half price, through February 14, 2011. Whether for you and your sweetheart, your parents, or another special couple in your life, you’ll save $89.50 when you buy two together.

Mitochondrial DNA traces maternal origins of both men and women, so both people can learn where in the world their ancient maternal ancestors lived. Plus, you get a set of DNA markers to look for distant relatives in our database. You can also see if you match your special someone: are your ancient maternal ancestors from the same continent? Or do you hail from different areas of the world?

Explore the world of genetic genealogy with the one you love! Get started here, and let us know what you find!

We’re going to be at the Salt Lake Family History Expo on August 27 and 28. Are you? Even if you weren’t planning on it, the exhibitor area is free, so if you’re in the neighborhood you can stop by and see us!

We will be in Booth D, and you can meet our consultants, enter to win a free DNA test, and get your own free, 10-minute personal DNA consultation. Ask your genealogy questions and tell us your family stories and we will tell you more about how DNA can help you.

Those of you who register for the conference can attend classes on a variety of topics, with options for genealogy beginners, genealogy experts, and everyone in between. Genetree researchers will be teaching two classes on DNA and genealogy, so be sure and watch for those.

For more information on the Salt Lake Family History Expo, including registration and the Expo class schedule, see the Family History Expos website. See you there!

Did you know we’re on YouTube? Go see our new ad, Connecting With the Past, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNadOOjxfnU.

And while you’re are there, check out our other videos -  how-tos, news stories, and more!

How can we help you connect with your past?

Yep, love’s the theme for February.  And what a great time to discover (or re-discover) your ancestor’s legacy of love..

Doing genealogy is relatively  new to me and because most of my ancestors are from Ireland, it is, at times, challenging.  But one thing sticks in my heart (another Valentine reference?) is how, back to whenever, we are all here because of 2 people

{images from http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/vintageresources.html)

Now, while looking for our histories, there are times when a wonderful discovery is made..a photo or a story, a document or  even a tall-tale.

And to have a place to save them is wonderful (read: GeneTree’s Family Tree, where you can upload photos, documents and write your own story..)

However, there are also times we do not find the obvious links..no photos, missing documents, no stories to share with the up and coming generations.

Those two people that fell in love left us a far more telling document of their lives and times and those of their parents, and their grandparents, and back through the pages of time.

That is, of course, their DNA.  And because it is within all of us, it’s a gift we can now easily discover and leave for future generations.

Share Your DNA

While scrapbooking, blogging, Facebooking and Tweeting  are the daily journals of our lives, DNA give us much, much more.

We can trace the very foundation of our family; where we started, how we migrated and who we are related to in real time.

And, from now until the end of February, GeneTree is offering  two very very special Valentine’s promotions – and what a significant Valentine’s Day present this would be!

Offer 1:

$30.oo off of the the regular price of a Y46 DNA kit (male) or the mtDNA kit (male or female) or the Combo kit (males only – both YDNA and mtDNA tests)

Offer 2:

When you purchase our  Full Service Consultation package, you’ll receive a 5-hour consultation consisting of in-depth research and a full written report with a DNA expert, using YOUR results,  for the prices of 4 hours !  A savings of $49.95

Offer 3: Choose BOTH!  With a combined savings of $79.95

You will need to call in and ask for the Blog Special.  Our Customer Service team will process this over the phone.  Just call toll-free 866-740-6362

This is a wonderful month to give those you love the keys to unlock their own stories..

And to one day hear, “this is what I learned about US..all because two people fell in love”

GeneTree’s Free Family Web Site Now Out of Beta with New Interface, Rich Features

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GeneTree today announced its free family Web site has completed beta testing and now offers those who sign in a simple, intuitive way to regularly communicate with their extended family and to securely share and store family contact information, personal profiles, photos, video and ancestry documents. Advanced features now available through GeneTree’s redesigned graphic interface include GEDCOM file-format import for family tree collaboration, paternal line genetic genealogy and an all-new family tree building tool.

“We are very pleased to provide families with this fun and easy way to regularly connect and stay close to each other regardless of how scattered they may be geographically,” said GeneTree President and COO Matt Cupal. “GeneTree has the most complete set of features available for sharing family stories, but we go further by fully integrating genetic genealogy options for those who would like to use family DNA to search for living relatives and ancestors.”

A new Y-DNA genetic test enables individuals to research paternal line connections of a male relative, and complements GeneTree’s existing maternal line mtDNA test. Y-DNA results show ancestry and connections to DNA cousins within the past few hundred years.

The opportunity to find and connect with “lost” or unknown extended family members through the world’s most extensive correlated genetic genealogy database is a compelling GeneTree feature. “My 82-year-old mother was almost in tears when I told her we had found a branch of our family through GeneTree that we had lost touch with long ago,” said Rosemary Totton, of Auckland, New Zealand. “Now we are back in contact and I’m excited to learn one of my cousins has old family photos to share with us. In the future we may look at our family’s Y-DNA, as well. This has opened a new door for me.”

Another powerful new GeneTree feature promotes collaboration on ancestry information by allowing the upload of GEDCOM files. GEDCOM is the most common genealogy file format used by all major family history Web sites and software applications. The all-new family tree builder allows an individual to choose a preferred layout, create trees of more than 2,000 relatives and to invite others to join the network and view the chart.

Powerful photo- and video-sharing tools organize a family’s digital media into albums and allow them to be seen by others. Family members can collaborate on identifying people in photos, and photo tagging allows a person easy tracking of all photos in which they appear. Tagging photos automatically sends out invitations to people named.

A new GeneTree family news feature keeps relatives continuously in the loop. Family members update their own news daily and at the end of the week, a digest is automatically emailed to others on their list. A birthday reminder automatically sends out a birthday greeting on the morning of a relative’s birthday. In addition, a feature unique to GeneTree allows users to record a biological relative’s DNA profile as their own for purposes of searching for DNA cousins and to extend their own genealogy chart. Families can divide the cost of testing one member and then share results.

“We believe every family should take advantage of our free Web site,” said Cupal. “This is the best way for relatives to stay connected, share memories, build family trees and securely share and store documents. With GeneTree, it is easier than ever to build a lasting legacy for your own family.”

About GeneTree

GeneTree (www.genetree.com) is a free family Web site enabling relatives to easily communicate on an everyday basis; to securely share contact information, personal profiles, photos, video and other family documents; and to build family trees. GeneTree also provides individuals with the option to integrate industry-leading DNA testing into family history research for a scientific window into their ancestry and to find living relatives for whom no paper records exist. GeneTree users are linked to the world’s most extensive correlated genetic genealogy database.

Your Own Personalized Home Page
After logging in to your account, you will be sent to your new personalized homepage. The home page consists of a newsfeed that will track what you and the people in your network have been doing at GeneTree. It will post on your newsfeed when someone has added photos or videos, posted a message, or made a change to their profile.

On the right of your homepage you will see a column with quick action links. This allows you to go anywhere you need on the site easily from your homepage. In this column you can also invite your family and search for your friends on GeneTree. Sign in today to see your personalized homepage.

Updated Media Tools
You are going to LOVE the updated Media section! We have updated the format so that it is more user and viewer friendly. Sharing your photos and videos has never been easier! You can also add descriptions and tags to share the details of your precious moments with your family and friends. Don’t forget, you can also visit your family and friends’ media rooms to comment on their photos and videos. Log in and start uploading your photos and videos.

Fabulous Forum
Do you have questions about different aspects of family networking, DNA testing, or just genealogy in general? Or do you have wisdom to share with others on one of these topics? We need your questions, comments, and knowledge to be shared on the new and improved forum. Visit the forum today to start sharing your comments.

Don’t Forget! Birthday Reminders
The GeneTree system will automatically send you an email reminding you of the birthdays of all your family members that you have added into the Family Tree Builder. This makes it easy to remember even extended relatives birthdays. So make it easier on yourself, upload your entire family to your GeneTree family tree, then leave the remembering to us. We will give you a heads up when the time comes. Click here to start adding family and their birthdays.

Visit www.genetree.com today to see the changes and use the new capabilities.