Legacy Tree Genealogists is celebrating 20 years as a professional genealogy research firm. We want to thank all the clients who have trusted us over the years to help them discover more about their families and where they came from. We are honored that so many of you have enlisted us on your journey, and we are the company we are today because of all of you!
Every year, we have the opportunity to help over 1,500 clients living in over 30 countries, whose research is completed by our 70 in-house employees and through our worldwide network of onsite researchers. We've helped people find family in Kazakhstan, meet cousins in China, and find their biological parents.
From days in the library to microfilm to DNA analysis at our fingertips, we've seen the most exciting advancements in the genealogy field, and we can't wait to see what's next.
Legacy Tree began with dial-up Internet and an obsession with genealogy. Read on to hear how Legacy Tree Genealogists has grown into the world's most trusted genealogy firm.
YouTube Video “Legacy Tree Genealogists: Celebrating 20 Years!”
STARTING A GENEALOGY FIRM
When Jessica Taylor, founder of Legacy Tree Genealogists, discovered that a Family History degree was an option at her university over twenty years ago, she did not hesitate to sign up for a field of study that combined English, History, and sleuthing through documents in libraries and archives. She started working in the field as a genealogical library assistant, shifting microfilm and organizing books to ensure that call numbers were accurate for library visitors.
As a fresh college graduate with her Family History degree in hand, Jessica landed herself a dream genealogy job working full-time for two individuals to verify and expand their family trees. After two years that project came to an end, but Jessica found she had a passion for continuing to work as a professional genealogist. She learned how to build a website, recruited a handful of colleagues to join her, and branded the group as “Legacy Tree Genealogy.”
The new team members spent hours in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (now known as the FamilySearch Library) before many records were available online. During this period, they made meaningful connections with other professional genealogists and historians worldwide.
REFINING THE GENEALOGY RESEARCH PROCESS
The group quickly learned that it was good practice to always have a second set of eyes on each genealogy report before sending it to the client. They also discovered that some genealogists were better at researching while others were more skilled at communicating with clients, and the distinctions between researcher, editor, and project manager began to unfold.
To keep costs low, the team was remote from day one–renting out filing cabinets of corporate offices in downtown Salt Lake City to store and swap documents. Regular “swap” meetings formed as researchers gathered to discuss clients and research methods as their young children played with Barbies on the floor.
EXPANDING THE GENEALOGY TEAM WORLDWIDE
While things were going along just fine, Jessica knew the company could be refined, and she hired an experienced manager to help her organize and expand Legacy Tree's potential. The timing of this hire was even more valuable as she and her family soon moved to Macau (a Special Administrative Region of China) for two years. This international experience gave Jessica critical insight, and she resolved more than ever to build a reputable genealogy firm that was trusted worldwide.
Through new online tools, they began connecting more than ever with genealogists around the world. They also began attending more industry-related conferences, including RootsTech. Conferences became a great way to attract new customers seeking to find their ancestors and to expand their team with experienced and qualified genealogists as their strong reputation in the industry grew!
LEGACY TREE GENEALOGISTS TODAY
In addition to attracting top-tier talent, Legacy Tree Genealogists is the recommended family history firm for a robust affiliate network that includes MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, genealogy societies, and professional genealogists worldwide.
Legacy Tree continues to grow with 70 employees in over 23 states and contracts with onsite researchers in over 100 countries worldwide. For the past two years, Legacy Tree Genealogists has received the “Best & Brightest Award” as one of the best companies to work for, and continually strives to provide an environment of growth and excellence.
Legacy Tree Genealogists serves over 1,500 clients annually with over 50,000 project hours.
YouTube Video “What's It Like To Work With a Professional Genealogist”
WHAT'S AHEAD? GENEALOGY CLIENTS ARE OUR PRIORITY!
At Legacy Tree we C.A.R.E. about our clients and treat each other internally with the same spirit of generosity.
C.A.R.E. is a set of core values we practice daily and review at regular staff meetings. It stands for:
Cooperation–the heart of our culture. We build strong relationships and partnerships by listening, mentoring, appreciating, and meeting needs.
Accuracy–the core of our service. We focus on targeted client goals, high-quality genealogical research and documentation, and data-driven decisions.
Respect–in everything we do. We respect our clients, their ancestors, and each other and reflect this by valuing feedback and the need for quality results, timeliness, and connection.
Efficiency–how we tackle challenges. We seek better, faster, and more cost-effective ways to provide best-in-class genealogical services that are inclusive for work-life balance.
So when people ask us if we've ever considered diversifying our product offerings into software development or other deliverables, we always return to what we do best: working with individual clients to deliver the best research possible.
THANK YOU!
Again, we could only have done this with our clients. Thank you for trusting Legacy Tree Genealogists for twenty years! Here's to many more years of assisting you in discovering who you are and where you come from.
We'd love to work with you. Please fill out the form on our website to request a free quote for your family's genealogy project, and one of our client solutions team members will contact you.
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