Genes Reunited Blog

Recently we carried out some extensive Market Research. One of the main points that cropped up quite often was that our newer members would start their tree and then did not know what to do next. We also had feedback from our older members who felt under-valued. We wanted to have an area where we could point members in the right direction for help with their research. We also wanted to express our gratitude to our members who kindly volunteer to do look-ups for people. Over the years they have broken down a lot of brick walls!

When you're starting out it can be difficult know where to go next once you've researched two or three generations in your tree. You can find so much information online these days. Members sharing their trees. Databases full of names. Different records to search. It can all be very daunting when you're new to it and especially if you're not that confident with computers. In our Help Clinic you can come along and post messages and speak to real people!

The Help Clinic - it's a place where all members can go. Everyone gets stuck at some point with their research either when you're just starting out or even if you've been researching your tree for years. We all know how frustrating family history can be. The Help Clinic page explains about our Genes Reunited Community in greater detail. We have three different help boards, each with a different role.

There is the Trying to Find board where you can post the name of an individual you are looking for. It might be someone you've lost touch with or a distant ancestor that you're keen to find out more about.

On the Records Office board this is where our members kindly help with look-ups. One of our members may be going to their local archives in an area that interests you and they might be happy to look up some of your family names. Or maybe you've found your ancestors in the 1861 and 1881 census but you just can't find them in 1871. Sometimes having that extra pair of eyes can be a real bonus.

On the Tips Board, this is a place for more general genealogy related chat. We all know how addictive this hobby is and what better place to chat about it than here with new friends.

Our Community area is quite unique and definitely worth looking at. Some of our members kindly devote their spare time to helping others. You might find someone who specialises in military look-ups and another one who enjoys helping with Scottish history. Maybe after a while you might even want to start doing some look-ups yourself!