We will get your family tree started at WikiTree
What is a Quick Start Tree?
Sometimes, getting started is the hardest part of any task. We’ll start your tree for you at WikiTree (plus Ancestry if you choose) with as many generations as we can complete in one hour.
How This Works
- You will need to create a free account at WikiTree. Next, upgrade your account from guest to full family member (which is also free) and sign the honor code. This is required before anyone can start building a tree.
- If you would also like your tree built at Ancestry.com at the same time, open a free account there.
- We will send a request to be on your trusted list at WikiTree and will ask for you to give us editing access at Ancestry before getting started.
- We will ask for as much family tree information as you know to get us started.
- We will discuss privacy preferences before beginning the research.
- We will build a starter tree with the main couples in each generation as far as we can go in one hour. This might be up to your grandparents or your great grandparents, depending on how easily available the records are.
- Once the tree is finished, you can purchase additional research hours to complete your tree at a 10% discount, or you can continue your tree on your own. You will be given information on how to take advantage of WikiTree’s free community resources.
- This service is not for breaking down brick walls (in other words, you already have a tree, but are stuck in your research).
Why WikiTree?
- WikiTree is 100% free!
- WikiTree is a one-world tree. This means everyone descended from the same ancestor share and work together on one profile for that ancestor. Because we are all connected in this way, WikiTree has a feature called the Connection Finder which allows you to see how you are related to anyone in the tree once you are connected to it.
- Because of the collaborative environment of WikiTree, families (and even strangers!) help each other further their family research. And did we mention this is all free?
- For African-American families, WikiTree has an active US Black Heritage Project that is actively expanding its work everyday. That means the chances of them coming across your tree and adding new information is good.
- There is oversight at WikiTree. That means people can’t blaze through the website and make a mess of profiles, add bad genealogy to your family profiles, or undo the work we’ve completed. Or if they do, they will be reprimanded and the changes can be reverted back to the original content with the click of one button.
- WikiTree has several privacy options for all profiles for family members up to 150 years old.
FAQs
This starter tree is $29 for up to one hour of work. Additional hours of research can then be purchased at 10% off the regular fee of $59 an hour.
Payment can be made through Paypal or Credit Card.
Our goal is to get your tree started at WikiTree plus one additional website if you choose that option. How far we can go in your tree depends on how easy it is to find records for your family. We hope to add grandparents and great grandparents to your tree.
We will leave that for you to do. As often as possible, we will add links to documents so you can look at them yourself and write a biography from the information they contain.
Yes! However, you will need to open a free account at WikiTree and be the first person in the tree. Your family members can also open free accounts and connect their profiles to your tree.
Family Tree Privacy Options
I use three privacy options at WikiTree you can choose from. Please note that when a tree has a higher level of privacy, it inhibits collaboration and sharing with family members. For more information about each of the privacy levels for profiles at WikiTree, please see their privacy help page.
Privacy Basics:
- All living family members at the websites (WikiTree and Ancestry) will be unlisted and unviewable to anyone but you.
- All people who were born more than 150 years ago or died more than 100 years ago will by default have open privacy on WikiTree. This means they are fully viewable and can be edited by other members who have signed the honor code.
- To make your profile more private on WikiTree, you can leave your biography blank and add only your name when you open your account. Additional fields about you (such as birth date and location) are not required.
- To make your profile even more private, you can anonymize your name on WikiTree by using a first initial instead of your full first name. Nicknames are discouraged.
Privacy Options:
Option A – Most Open Privacy
- Your profile will be yellow privacy locked which means no one can edit it, but they will be able to see your name and any biography you choose to write about yourself. Exact dates and locations will be hidden. Although deceased parents, children, and siblings are viewable on yellow locked profiles, spouses are not. Your family tree is viewable to the public.
- See this example of a yellow locked member’s profile and this example of a family profile that is yellow locked.
- All living family members are unlisted by default.
- All other profiles of deceased family will be open privacy which means they can be fully viewed and edited by other WikiTree members.
Option B – Medium Privacy
- Your profile will be yellow privacy locked.
- All living family members are unlisted by default.
- Deceased parents and siblings of living family members will be yellow privacy locked.
- All other profiles will be open privacy which means they can be fully viewed and edited by other WikiTree members.
Option C – Most Private
- Your profile will be peach locked, which is the same as yellow locked except relationships and the biography section will not be viewable. Your family tree will be viewable.
- All living family members are unlisted by default.
- Deceased parents of living family members will be peach locked.
- All other profiles will be open privacy which means they can be fully viewed and edited by other WikiTree members.
Let us show you what's possible!
