A recent survey by Genes Reunited, the UK's largest online genealogy and ancestry website, has revealed that tracing the family tree is turning into a national craze that spans generations. The site has become so popular that two million names are being added every month, with families being connected every 52 seconds.
Of more than 2000 respondents to the survey posted on the Genes Reunited site, the age of those researching their family trees was spread evenly between 26 and 65 years old. The majority began their search out of curiosity and over a quarter have traced their ancestry back more than three centuries, while 15% of respondents have gone as far back as 1600 and beyond.
The recent surge in interest has seen nearly six million names added in the last three months alone, taking the number of listings to over 18 million. The result is that Genes Reunited is now connecting families at the rate of one every 52 seconds.
With the start of the BBC2 series, 'Who do you think you are?' that follows ten celebrities as they discover their ancestry, the nation's thirst to find out who they are and where they come from is growing rapidly. Internet technology has created millions of 'cyber detectives' who are harnessing the web's incredible resources and unlocking the secrets in their family tree.
Anthony Adolph, an expert genealogist who has studied family ancestry for over fifteen years, says: "The number of people interested in the subject is growing far faster than anyone had ever anticipated. The fact that half of those surveyed have only just begun mapping their family history is astonishing and Genes Reunited's contribution to this phenomenon has clearly been considerable.
"I'm fascinated to see that the traditional goal of trying to find a link to royalty hardly features in the scale of people's motivation for tracing their family trees, instead the majority are simply driven by a curiosity to know where they have come from."
Deborah, 42, Dublin Deborah registered on Genes Reunited and just days later was contacted by a sister she didn't know even existed. After being in regular contact through the site, they met for the first time six month's later when her older sister, adopted at birth, made the journey to Ireland. For Deborah it has been a dream come true finding and getting to know a family she never knew she had.
Nick, 30, Somerset Nick found his daughter, Alisha (now 12), within hours of logging onto Genes Reunited and after making contact with her mother has been emailing her every day since. When he was 18, his girlfriend became pregnant, but his family wanted him to have nothing to do with her and they immigrated to the US. Nick subsequently lost contact with Alisha's mother and has been longing to meet his daughter ever since. They are soon to meet face to face for the first time.
Patricia, 53, Farnborough: With the help of Genes Reunited, Patricia has traced her family roots to Rob Roy McGregor. After eight months of research on the site, she discovered that her great, great grandmother Janet McGregor, was directly related to the famous 17th century Scottish soldier.
Tina, 39, Huddersfield: When Tina and her husband first married they bought a small cottage in Hepworth, a village neither was familiar with. Despite not having a connection to the area they both felt as though they had 'come home'. Tina was then delighted to discover upon researching her family tree that not only did her paternal line originate in Hepworth but her husband's also traced back to the tiny village.