We’re Related – a new app from Ancestry.com

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A few days ago, I got a note from Matthew Deighton announcing that a new program from Ancestry.com was available. It’s called We’re Related – and shows how you might be related to “famous folks.” Not that most of us care, but this kind of thing is attractive to the crowd out there who currently may have no interest in family history at all. If you can show them how they are related to Lady Gaga, then genealogy might hold an interest that wasn’t there before. Ancestry uses their public databases to assemble the trees to show the connection. The FamilySearch Discovery Center uses this same concept, compiling from the millions of name in their linked database.

The following is from Matthew:

The new We’re Related app is aimed at getting the next generation involved. The App will help your family members to discover what friends or famous people they may be related to! With about 2000 celebrities in the database, you’ll quickly begin seeing what celebrities you’re connected to.

As family historians, sharing our discoveries with family can be difficult. Now as the next generation downloads the app, they will start connecting with famous people and the app will show you how you are connected. It’s at this time that you can share who these people are and what you’ve learned about them.

Main Points:
· Don’t need an Ancestry account to sign up
· You will use your Facebook account to sign up, thus allowing anyone to use the app
· It will use your Facebook relationships to find you in the Ancestry system and allow you to connect with celebrities and friends
· If you don’t have a tree, you can start one or ask a family member to get it started for you
· Use the “Nearby” tool to see who is related to you within 500 ft. They must have the functionality on as well
· Share your new connections through social media

This is not a standalone research tool, but a fun and light-hearted way to get your family engaged in your family history work.

Following are connections it put together for me:

  • Demi Lovato – 8th Cousin 2x Removed
  • Lady Gaga – 7th Cousin 3x Removed
  • Miley Cyrus – 6th Cousin
  • Britney Spears – 8th Cousin 2x Removed
  • Johnny Depp 8th Cousin 2x Removed
  • Marilyn Monroe – 9th Cousin

Interesting… I can click on the tree symbol, and see exactly how a tree is made up relating me to any of the listed celebrities. I’ll admit that it’s pretty interesting. Having a lot of colonial ancestry, I figure I’m related to tens of millions of Americans – I just don’t know how. But with the continual building of these massive family trees, maybe one day my grandchildren will have the capability of knowing how they’re related to EVERYBODY.

About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

7 Replies to “We’re Related – a new app from Ancestry.com”

  1. We’re related will not connect me to my daughter. How can I get help with that?

  2. So far i’ve actually used it to connect to fellow users on facebook who are literally related. I really thought this was useful, as a few lines in my family I don’t need DNA to know i’m related. So if you’re a Stephens, Haldeman (my birth last name is Haldeman ) etc- Yea that’s my family for ya! Somervilles are my stepdad’s line, and as an adult i’ve chosen to use mainly my stepdad’s last name for personal reasons.

  3. I am getting an “Authentuication Error” (unauthorized) after pressing Get Started.

    What user information is We’re Related using to sign in to Facebook?

  4. I have tried downloading the app onto my ipad, and on my desktop. Neither of them function! I have deleted and reinstalled the oneon the ipad at least five times now. It says get started, i say ok, tt says give access to Facebook friends list, I click ok….and neither has ever gone further! It will not let me select friends, sign into my ancestry account, or anything. With almost 40,000 people in my main tree on ancestry, and over 600 friends on Facebook, surely there would be connections! I am so disappointed!

  5. So far I have found that the paths from the supposed famous person to the mutual relative are incorrect. I wish there was a way to specify where the error is. I have found cases where the father is 9 years old when his child is born. Not too useful. It has found some of my known cousins, but not my daughter or brother.

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