Branch out with tree-to-tree hints

2-3 minute read

By Daisy Goddard | December 20, 2022

Grow your family tree with the help of other Findmypast members' research.

As you build your family tree on Findmypast, you can benefit from research other members have done on common ancestors with a useful feature called tree-to-tree hints. These additional clues to your family history are available on all Findmypast family trees so get growing today.

Grow your family tree

Tree-to-tree hints - frequently asked questions

What’s tree-to-tree hinting?

Collectively, our trees contain millions of ancestors spanning hundreds of years. We can now use them to offer you tree hints. As you add more ancestors, we’ll compare them to all of our existing trees. When we think we’ve found one with common ancestry, we’ll send you hints with newly discovered ancestors.

What’s the benefit?

Many people, often unknown to each other, share common ancestors within a few generations. By joining forces and connecting this knowledge, we can all discover new parts of our family history – parts we never had access to before.

Is this common practice?

Yes, most major family history sites do this. It makes family history an even better experience for everyone, from beginners to expert genealogists.

Where does this information come from?

All the information in a tree-to-tree hint is taken from other members’ trees. They will have used Findmypast records and hints in their own research – so you are benefitting from both our records and other members’ work.

How do I accept tree-to-tree hint information for my own tree?

All of this can be managed via the normal hint review screens you see for other forms of hints.

Will I see the owner of the tree? Can I contact them?

Since the launch of our User Profiles, you can view the public profile of tree owners. This contains any information they've opted to share with others in the community. The user's name and profile image is displayed on the bottom right-hand side of a tree hint result. You can get in touch with them via Private Messaging to chat about your shared heritage.

Can anybody see my tree?

No, they can’t. No-one will be able to ‘browse’ or ‘search’ other trees on Google, or within the Findmypast site. It’s just the information on deceased relatives that can be shared as hints and even then, only to Findmypast members with common ancestry.

Will I see everybody on the other member’s tree?

No. We only offer information on deceased ancestors. Information on living relatives in members’ trees won’t be shared.

What information will be shared?

Shareable information from other trees will include:

Facts and events, together with sources and attached records
Timelines

Will photos be shared?

No. Many people may have more stringent privacy and ownership concerns around photos of their ancestors, so we do not currently share photos.

What do tree-to-tree hints look like?

Tree-to-tree hints appear in the same place as record hints and will be labelled as a hint from another tree. Accepting them follows the same experience as adding a record hint.

How are tree-to-tree hints generated?

Tree-to-tree hints are generated for anybody in your tree, whether you have worked on them recently or not.

How do you class someone as living?

We won’t share any information on anyone who’s still alive – they’ll stay private. We assume any relatives born more than 110 years ago are deceased and regard them as shareable ancestors.

How will I know if hints have been shared with someone?

We won’t tell you if your tree has been suggested to another user. If someone accepts a hint and merges ancestors from your tree into their own, they have the option to send your profile a message.

Have you got exciting family discoveries waiting in tree-to-tree hints? Grow your family tree now to find out.