FTC_admin on Family Tree Circles

This sort of a difficult update to write, like when you let a problem with a friend or loved one go on for too long, and you can't even feel like you can bring up the subject any more.

I'm Sorry

So I'll start with an apology. I'm sorry for being absent, not responding to emails, and basically leaving this website to stand on its own. I owe a great amount of gratitude to the few people who have taken ownership of this community and kept it going. I'm not all surprised that things have kept on without me being around. This is an amazing community.

I have quietly been keeping things running, but I haven't had time to do much of anything else, including responding to emails and such. That's really bad. And I'm sorry.

FamilyTreeCircles has been operating for 10 or so years now, and very little money has been made at it. Up until a few years ago, that wasn't an issue. I had other things going on that allowed me to spend a lot of time here, keeping an eye on things, and building up the website.

And then I couldn't.

I considered selling it a few times, but never found a buyer that I felt would go in a direction that I'd like. So letting it sit until I could come back seemed like a better option to me.

Fixing That Problem

So I recently took on a sponsor, MyHeritage. You've probably seen them on the website. They are good friends, they have a great service, and I've been a customer there for a long time. Having them on the website is going to allow me to spend more time here, and make improvements.

I encourage you to use their search and sign up for their service. It'll make them feel that the sponsorship is worthwhile.

What's Next?

We're going to get more active again. I say "we" because this move also allows me to get some help. It's not going to be just me running things which should help when life gets in the way.

I'm going to start doing development again, adding some new features that I think will make it an even better and easier place for people to visit, post questions and content, and get responses from other family tree researchers.

So, with that, I ask you to please welcome our sponsor. And I ask for your understanding as I pick things up again while we reboot FamilyTreeCircles.

Thank you,

Scott and the FamilyTreeCircles team

More than anything, we love hearing the stories of what FamilyTreeCircles users have discovered about their pasts, whether or not they used FTC to uncover the stories. What genealogist doesn't love a good story?!

We know our community has some incredible stories. Will you share it with us? We'd love to feature it on the blog. Just reply to one of our emails, or post a journal and leave a link to it in the comments. You can also send an email to ftc@familytreecircles.com

Here's one we recently received from a member of the FTC community (and not just any member, a TRUE princess!):

My grandma was the first genealogist I ever knew. She didn’t design a database or keep files on ancestors. She was a story teller. The stories were full of color and details, and never skimped on drama or heartbreak.  One of my favorite stories was that I should never undervalue myself because I was an Indian (Native American) Princess.

Even as a small child, I took this story with a grain of salt. She also told me that if I pulled on the leg of a Granddaddy Longlegs spider, it would point to where my cows were. I knew I had never owned a cow in my life, so I figured that my realm was probably somewhere with the cows.  I loved hearing her stories, though. She connected me with long-dead ancestors by breathing life into stories of long-ago. She gave me an identity as a strong, capable woman because those were the kind of people I came from.

A few years after my grandmother died, a relative contacted us with information from genealogies that he was compiling. I went through the data eagerly, trying to connect the stories I had heard all my life with the family tree. As I moved back through one branch, I was shocked. A number of generations back, my family traced directly to Powhatan. The tribal leader who had another daughter. Nicknamed Pocahontas.  All these stories, and grandma was right. Awesome.  

Turns out grandma knew what she was talking about! Do you have a story? Please share!