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

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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.

Addition of New Test Means GeneTree Participants Can Now Conveniently Tap into the World’s Largest and Most Diverse Databases of Linked DNA and Family History Information Using Both Y-Chromosome (Paternal Line) DNA and Mitochondrial (Maternal Line) DNA Profiles.

SALT LAKE CITY, Jul 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — GeneTree, a DNA-enabled family history-sharing networking Web site designed to help people understand where their personal histories belong within the greater human genetic story, today added a Y-chromosome DNA testing option allowing participants to search for paternal line ancestors in the world’s largest and most diverse genetic genealogy databases. Providing a Y-DNA testing service along with its existing mitochondrial DNA testing means GeneTree participants can now conveniently research both paternal and maternal lineages using DNA profiles.

Popular Genealogy Magazine Names DNA-Based Family Networking Site to List of 101 Best Family History Web Sites. Genetic-Genealogy Tools Provided by GeneTree Represent New Option for Ancestry Exploration and Unique Way to Discover and Connect with Family Members Around the World

SALT LAKE CITY, Jul 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — GeneTree.com has been named by Family Tree Magazine to its annual list of the 101 best family history Web sites in its Sept. 2008 issue. GeneTree is unique because it combines powerful social networking and digital media technologies with the world’s most comprehensive genetic genealogy database created by the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. With these resources, GeneTree helps individuals further understand their place within the human family.

GeneTree Family History-Sharing Web Site and Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Collaborate to Offer Sorenson Database Participants Deeply Discounted DNA Profiles for Use on GeneTree Site

Participants in the Foundation’s DNA Database, the World’s Most Diverse Collection of Correlated Genetic and Genealogical Information, Can Receive the Mitochondrial DNA Profiles from Their Submitted DNA Samples for an Introductory Price of $19.50 Through GeneTree

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GeneTree, a DNA-enabled family history-sharing Web site designed to help people understand where their personal histories belong within the greater human genetic story, and the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), a non-profit scientific organization currently expanding the world’s most diverse collection of genetic genealogy information, today announced a special offer that enables participants who have contributed DNA samples and genealogical pedigree charts to the SMGF Database project to receive deeply discounted DNA profiles in order to take advantage of the resources available on the GeneTree family history social networking site.

“SMGF has not been able to provide individual DNA results back to study participants,” said Dr. Scott Woodward, executive director of SMGF. “The collaboration with GeneTree allows us to return results in a compelling, confidential way and we’re pleased to be able to offer this exceptional opportunity to those individuals who have participated in helping build the SMGF database. Many SMGF participants have expressed the desire to make greater family connections and collaborate on family history research using DNA tools; SMGF’s arrangement with GeneTree enables this.”

In order to be eligible for this special GeneTree/SMGF offer, participants must have ordered an SMGF participation kit prior to October 23, 2007 and returned the properly completed DNA kit, postmarked no later than December 31, 2007, to SMGF.

SMGF participants who meet these criteria will be able to access their mitochondrial DNA profiles (genetic information passed from mothers to all of their children) along with their SMGF-submitted pedigree information through the GeneTree Web site, generally within two weeks of their request. These profiles can be used to search for and connect with potential genetic relatives on the GeneTree site.

In 2000, SMGF began collecting DNA samples to build the Sorenson Database, the world’s most comprehensive and diverse collection of genetic information correlated with genealogical records. Currently, the database contains nearly 100,000 DNA samples and over six million corresponding genealogical records from participants in more than 170 nations throughout the world, and the Foundation continues to accelerate the growth of the database.

The GeneTree site, launched October 23, 2007, has licensed the SMGF database to further the family history research and social networking purposes of its members. A basic GeneTree membership is free. In addition, GeneTree offers cost-effective mitochondrial DNA tests. A $99 GeneTree test provides genetic sequence information collected from one of three major mitochondrial regions; a $149 test provides information from all three regions.

“GeneTree’s DNA testing services are extremely cost-effective, but we wanted to reward the people who chose to participate in the SMGF project before the advent of GeneTree, to help them take advantage of all the opportunities for social networking and collaborative family tree building available on that site,” said Matt Cupal, president and COO of GeneTree. “Providing participants with their genetic profiles for only $19.50 is the best way we could think of to say, ‘Thank you for participating in this project to connect the world’s individuals and families.’”

Additional information and instructions for obtaining SMGF DNA profiles for participation in GeneTree is available at www.genetree.com/dna/unlock_smgf

Thank You to Fox 13’s Nineveh Dinha for the great story. Last night Fox 13 news did a 2 part story to put GeneTree to the test. The story was titled “Know Your Roots”.

Here are links to the stories if you’d like to go see them.

Click here for “Know Your Roots Part 1″

Click here for “Know Your Roots Part 2″

Not signed up for GeneTree yet? Sign up now!

Tracing Lineage With DNA
Genetic Testing Helps People Discover Ancestry, Dispels Notions of Genetic Purity

Watch

By MARTIN BASHIR
Dec. 4, 2007 —

“Where are you from?”

It’s one of the first questions we ask one another. But even though national identity has been used to divide people for generations, nationalities may be more closely connected than we ever imagined. Genetic science is beginning to create a new understanding of human ancestry.

Scott Woodward, chief scientific officer of Sorenson Genomics in Salt Lake City, is now giving people the chance to trace their lineage by using their DNA.

Formerly specializing in paternity testing, Sorenson spent $40 million building the largest DNA database in the country. Over the last seven years, it’s collected 100,000 samples of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, considered the purest form of genetic inheritance because it barely changes through the generations.

New samples are continually being added to the database, which was conceived by 86-year-old entrepreneur James LeVoy Sorenson. He doesn’t give interviews, but “Nightline” spoke with his son James Lee who is in charge of the company.

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