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• New GeneTree Products and Services Focus on Making Genetic, Family History Information Comprehensible and Meaningful to Users
• As a wholly owned subsidiary of Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, GeneTree is able to Leverage the World’s Most Comprehensive Collection of Correlated Genetic and Genealogical Information on Behalf of Users
• Re-Designed Web Site Includes Enhanced Content and Features

SALT LAKE CITY (March 31, 2010) – GeneTree today announced that the company has launched a new product offering of integrated genetic and genealogical services unique in the marketplace for its ability to expand users’ knowledge of their genetic and family history connections. The company also announced it has significantly revamped its Web site, www.genetree.com.

GeneTree’s comprehensive new service offering focuses on integrating two essential sources of human identity: quality genetic tests and industry-standard family history consulting services. In contrast to providers that focus exclusively on anthropological deep ancestry, GeneTree’s product and service offering is designed to help people discover near-term family connections in the last six to ten generations as well as deep ancestral connections.

The company has developed a diverse array of genetic and genealogical consultation services to provide users with a rich sense of their family trees. These services range from providing instruction and support for people who want to make sense of their own research, to comprehensive services for those who prefer that GeneTree conduct research for them. GeneTree’s highly qualified, professional genetic genealogists provide individualized assistance about users’ family trees and how DNA results can help them in their search for connections.

Genetic information informs family history efforts in two primary ways. First, it helps to ensure the accuracy of the genealogical record, by validating family connections and identifying potential errors. Second, genetic analysis expands the universe of connections available to individuals and families for whom written genealogical records have hit a dead end.

GeneTree helped Lueda Thomas of Omaha, Neb., affirm the identity of her ancestor Josiah Sims, correct inconsistencies in two pedigree charts she was studying, and expand her family tree. “I have spent seven years trying to link Josiah Sims into another pedigree chart,” said Thomas. However, there was a 10-year discrepancy between the birth dates attributed to Sims on the two respective pedigree charts, though each reported the same name.

Thomas found two potential living relatives and worked with GeneTree to obtain DNA tests for each of them. Both tests yielded a perfect match and confirmed that the Josiah Sims on both of the pedigree charts she was studying were in fact the same person. In addition, a search in GeneTree’s database revealed another perfect match, providing Thomas with a third newly discovered living family member. “I had exhausted all of my resources and knew that DNA was the only way I could find an absolute answer to this question,” said Thomas.

GeneTree offers a series of DNA tests that can be tailored to the goals of users ranging from individuals to major family history research projects. The company’s genetic testing services, certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), include both Y-DNA (genetic information passed from fathers to sons) and mitochondrial (mtDNA; genetic information passed from mothers to all their children). GeneTree customers can use their DNA results to verify and significantly expand their family trees.

GeneTree’s revamped Web site features a complete redesign, together with practical insight about DNA testing and genealogy. A revised shopping cart contains products and services that enable users to take advantage of the synergies between genetic and genealogical information. In addition, GeneTree’s dynamic DNAvigator online map allows users to trace the geographic connections and migration patterns of their genetic ancestral groups.

“The popularity of shows like Who Do You Think You Are? demonstrate that there is a genuine hunger for people to know who they are fundamentally—what is their genetic legacy and how they fit into the larger family history picture,” said Jeff Wells, CEO of Genetree. “GeneTree is uniquely qualified to help people answer these questions.”

GeneTree clients will also benefit from the relationship with its parent, the non-profit Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), which has developed the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of genetic information correlated with multi-generational genealogical family pedigrees.

“Our relationship with SMGF enables GeneTree to combine sophisticated DNA analysis with traditional genealogical research to provide our customers with the most complete picture of human identity available anywhere in the world,” said Wells. “The extensive, complementary insights GeneTree customers can obtain through this process are without parallel in making genetic and family history information understandable and useful.”

About GeneTree

GeneTree (www.genetree.com) is the leading provider of genetic and family history services that unlock peoples’ ancestral legacy. Powered by the world’s largest, most comprehensive repository of genetic and genealogical information, GeneTree’s best-in-class genetic testing, genetic genealogy consulting and family history research enables individuals and extended families alike to dramatically extend their family trees.

Press Contact

Jacob Moon

GeneTree Public Relations

801.520.2960

jacob@methodcommunications.com

While you’re in Ireland, you should take some time to visit the places your ancestors lived. You can walk the same path they would have taken to school, visit the church they were married in, and if you’re lucky, you can see the home they lived in. I had the opportunity to visit Ireland a few years ago to see where my great great grandmother came from. She was born in Edenvale in County Antrim. My sister, mother, grandmother and I spent 3 days driving around the area. We were able to do things like walk around the local cemeteries and visit the pastor’s home to search the record books for our ancestors. We were even able to find the house that may have been our ancestral home (unfortunately, we have not been able to prove or disprove the family story).

"Ancestral home" in the 1950s

"Ancestral home" in 2001

While in Antrim, we were also able to visit the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, which is located in Cultra, Northern Ireland. Historical buildings from around Ireland have been relocated there and you can see demonstrations of activities your ancestors may have participated in, like printing and making crafts. Even if your ancestors didn’t come from the area, you can still get a feel of the way your ancestors would have lived. There are also smaller museums in other counties, along with historical monuments and buildings that have been preserved, that you can visit to learn more about your ancestor’s life.

May the luck of the Irish be with you!

If you can’t find your ancestor online or just want an excuse to take a vacation, a genealogy trip to Ireland can be worthwhile. Before booking your ticket, you need to know at least the county your ancestor was from, an approximate date of birth, and a name. Additional information that can be helpful is the name of your ancestor’s parents and spouse and their religion. Some examples of where to find their place of origin can be found in our previous posting.

If you haven’t found that information yet, another option would be to look at records for their friends or people that lived near them in the U.S. Immigrants commonly travelled with or settled near people they knew in their homeland. One of these friends might have left their posterity more information about their origin than your ancestors did. If you discover the origin of your ancestors’ friend you might just discover your ancestor lived next door to them in Ireland.

There are two main sources for records in Ireland: public record offices and libraries. Some of these locations are listed in our previous posting and additional locations can be found in the brochure at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/trip/index.html. This brochure also contains books on genealogical research in Ireland and other sources that may be useful in your research. Each office or library has different hours, procedures, and records so you’ll want to research them before your trip.

If you know which church your ancestor attended, you can contact the current pastor or minister and see if they have access to any of their parish records. When I was in Ireland a few years ago, the pastor was storing the record books at his home and he let us view them there. We did not find any of our direct ancestors in those books but we did find many of our other relatives.

Doing research is not the only reason you should travel to Ireland. Being able to visit the places your ancestors lived can be a wonderful experience and can help you have a better insight into their life. To read more about this, make sure to read our next posting…

For Irish-American heritage month (March) and St. Patrick’s Day, the U.S. Census Bureau released some facts about Irish-American heritage. In 2008, 36.3 million U.S. residents reported having Irish ancestry. That works out to be around 12% of the total population. For those who are included in that 12%, doing research in Ireland can be difficult. In 1922, the Public Records Office in Dublin burned, wiping out the records held there. Luckily, not all records were housed there so some have survived. How do you go about getting a hold of these records? 

If you aren’t able to travel to Ireland to do research, there are a number of resources you can use at home. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed many records and a listing of their holdings can be found here. You can also visit a Family History Center where they can assist you or order microfilms for you.

If you can’t make it to one of these places, there are many websites (some fee-based) you can use from home either for doing research or for education. Some of them are:

FamilySearch online classes   ▪   https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Ireland ▪   www.irishgenealogical.org/default.asp   ▪   www.groni.gov.uk   ▪   www.proni.gov.uk   ▪  www.irishgenealogy.ie   ▪   www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy/centres.html   ▪   www.groireland.ie   ▪   www.cyndislist.com/ireland.htm   ▪    www.ellisisland.org   ▪    www.eneclann.ie   ▪   http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor   ▪   www.irishorigins.com  ▪     http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/#Archives  ▪   http://www.brsgenealogy.com/  ▪  www.irishroots.com

A quick google search can also help you find various records scattered around the internet. You can also look at records created in the U.S. – naturalization records, passenger lists, court records, passport applications, census records, biographies, newspapers, land records, vital records, etc. to check for information about the origin of your ancestor.

A widely overlooked tool for tracking your ancestors is your DNA. Search within your immediate and extended family for a relative who inherited your Irish ancestry directly on their paternal or maternal line and get them tested. Search for matches on GeneTree or other databases. If you find an exact match on that direct Irish line, look to see if they have that line traced back farther than you do. You can also compare your DNA results to the results of others who share your Irish surname or search the internet for a surname study.

To learn about doing research in Ireland, stay tuned for our next posting…

1. What does “Erin go bragh” mean? (For extra credit: What language is it?)

“Ireland Forever” in Galic

2. In the song “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” what can you hear in the lilt of Irish laughter?

You can hear the angels sing. The lyrics are: “When Irish eyes are smiling, sure ’tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay. And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away.”

3. Before baking Irish soda bread, why is a cross traditionally slashed in the top of the loaf?

To scare away the devil.

4. What type of meat goes into a traditional Irish stew?

Lamb or mutton chops.

5. What are the colors of the Irish flag and what do they represent?

Green representing Roman Catholics, orange representing Protestants and white in between

6. What is a Claddagh?

Irish symbol where two hands embrace a heart, topped by a crown. The

hands symbolize faith, the heart, love, and the crown, loyalty and fidelity.

Commonly seen in a claddagh ring.

7. During which years did the Irish Potato Famine take place?

1845 to 1849

8. Who was the first High King of Ireland?

Brian Boru

9. The Titanic was built at which Irish shipyard?

The Belfast shipyard

10. Which actress played the part of Mary Kate Danaher in “The Quiet Man”?

Maureen O’Hara

11. In which town in Co. Roscommon is the Irish Famine Museum?

Strokestown

12. What does the circle in the centre of the celtic cross represent?

Circle of the Celtic Cross is a symbol of eternity that emphasizes the endlessness of God’s love as shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

13. By legend, one who kisses the Blarney Stone receives what?

The Gift of Gab

14. In Irish surnames, what does “Mac” mean?

Son

15. What about O’?

Grandson

16. Waterford, Ireland is popularly known for making what?

Crystal

17. What is the “profession” of the leprechaun?

A cobbler or shoemaker.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours..

The work is scheduled to take approximately 8 hours. During this time you will not be able to access your account online. We apologize for the inconvenience.

It’s Women’s History Month…

The Ides of March…

Dr. Seuss’ Birthday…

Alexander Graham Bell’s Birthday…

Albert Einstein’s Birthday and let’s not forget…..

….it’s National Noodle Month !!…

And on top of all that,  we have St. Patrick’s Day..

So, while 50% of us can celebrate Woman’s History Month, probably none of us are too keen on the Ides of March..

And although my favorite author, my favorite genius and my favorite inventor  (I love my cell phone, Mr. Bell, thank you!)  all have birthdays, and while we could celebrate each of them…that much birthday cake is not good for anyone…

However, anyone can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day..it’s the one day a year that everyone is a wee bit Irish..or wishes they were

So with that said, GeneTree wants to know, just how Irish are you?

We’ve decided to have a little trivia contest.

The person who gives the most correct give the answers in the blog comment section on Tuesday, March 16, will win a special Irish gift from GeneTree!

So, use your “Noodle” and answer these 17 trivia questions:

1. What does “Erin go bragh” mean? (For extra credit: What language is it?)

2. In the song “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” what can you hear in the lilt of Irish laughter?

3. Before baking Irish soda bread, why is a cross traditionally slashed in the top of the loaf?

4. What type of meat goes into a traditional Irish stew?

5. What are the colors of the Irish flag and what do they represent?

6. What is a Claddagh?

7. During which years did the Irish Potato Famine take place?

8. Who was the first High King of Ireland?

9. The Titanic was built at which Irish shipyard?

10. Which actress played the part of Mary Kate Danaher in “The Quiet Man”?

11. In which town in Co. Roscommon is the Irish Famine Museum?

12. What does the circle in the centre of the celtic cross represent?

13. By legend, one who kisses the Blarney Stone receives what?

14. In Irish surnames, what does “Mac” mean?

15. What about O’?

16. Waterford, Ireland is popularly known for making what?

17. What is the “profession” of the leprechaun?

The Luck ‘O the Irish be with ye..now, let us know the answers. In case of a tie, the winner will be picked by random drawing..

…and if you’re just not sure how Irish you are…why not purchase a DNA kit and find out where your ancestors came from?

Knowing their deep origins probably wouldn’t have changed how they felt about each other, although they would have learned more about each other. The technology wasn’t available to them, but it is to us. And, because we carry the DNA of our ancestors, we can learn more about them after they are gone.

 People who are closely related to us genealogically can quite different from us genetically. Most people find that their own mtDNA haplogroup is different from their father’s and their grandfather’s. On the flip side, you might find out that your genetics are more alike than you thought. We know of one couple who discovered that their mtDNA was identical, meaning they probably share a maternal ancestor about 2000 years ago.

Our friend Anna started a new pedigree chart mapping out the mtDNA haplogroups of her family to see how genetically different some of her closest ancestors are. Take a look below to see how she did this. When asked why she made a new pedigree chart, Anna responded “I did this to show my parents the larger picture of how DNA works. It is fun to see where deep ancestry takes each of us in our whole pedigree chart rather than just the individual lines. I have also tested all 3 of my brothers-in-law and their mtDNA has all been from haplogroup H. I joke with my sisters that they have all been fishing in the same genetic pond.”

“So, what’s your haplogroup?” might not be the next catchy pickup line, but it can make for an interesting conversation. Whether you are testing yourself and your own sweetheart, or exploring the relationship of another couple in your family tree, you’re discovering a piece of history that hasn’t yet been written down.

Although you want to have as many genetic lines as possible to add to your family tree, you don’t need to test all your relatives! If you have had an mtDNA test, you already know your mother’s DNA. And if you are a male with Y results (or if you have a brother with Y results) you already know your father’s line.

But you can’t be tested for your father’s mtDNA or your maternal grandfather’s Y or mtDNA. If they are alive, have them take a DNA test. If they are no longer with us, it’s usually possible to find a relative who can take the test instead. (We can help you with that if you need it.)

When you are tracing the family of one ancestor, it is also a good idea to know the DNA of their spouse. Chances are you can learn more about grandpa through exploring grandma’s records and connections.

Each DNA test you add to your genetic family tree gives you a better picture of your family. And it preserves your family’s DNA, genealogy, and legacy of love for generations to come.

 (images from http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/vintageresources.html unless otherwise attributed)

And don’t forget our February special! $30 off a kit, $49.95 off a 5-hour consultation, or both (see http://blog.genetree.com/2010/02/all-because-2-people-fell-in-love-and-a-wonderful-money-saving-offer/ for the details)