FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2003

For Further Information Contact:
Elaine Fraim, Media Coordinator
(908) 963-1277

Genealogy Today (www.genealogytoday.com) announced the release of an enhanced version of their members' collection of tools designed to assist family historians with organizing their research projects. Membership to join Team Roots is free.

"Team Roots is one of the services that make ours unique among genealogy sites," explained Illya D'Addezio, creator of Genealogy Today. "The tools for our members are designed to keep track of clues and contacts (sometimes potential cousins) that researchers discover on sites around the Internet."

Family History Month was started in 2001 through a bill passed by Senator Orin Hatch in the Senate to nationally recognize the month of October annually. Hatch's resolution encourages the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month of October with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

"Researching ancestry is a very important component of identity. It can lead to long-sought-after family reunions or allow for life saving medical treatments that only genetic links will allow," Senator Hatch said in his 2001 announcement. "For all of these reasons, I encourage people across this nation to find out more about where they came from."

Team Roots, the free membership program at Genealogy Today, was also launched in 2001 to provide frequent visitors to the site with a collection of tools to enhance their experience while using the site. Bookmarks, a contact manager, surname profiles and an online notepad were just some of the initial tools available to members.

The 2003 edition of the service now includes an expanded book marking capability that allows visitors to track their favorites from any of the databases published on Genealogy Today - now if a visitor finds a possible ancestor in a database, they can mark that specific record and have an easy way to return back to it in the future.

"As we continue to publish more and more information, the tools we provide to our members make using Genealogy Today more effective," added D'Addezio. "In one quick glance you'll be able to see if any of the leads you've gathered have been updated - saving a significant amount of time and effort!"

Also included in this update are enhanced calendaring tools, including a reminder tool to help keep track of birthdays, anniversaries or other important events. On the member start page, the service will prompt the visitor 30 days prior to an upcoming event on their calendar.

"It is only natural that we want to find out more about our ancestors," Hatch continued. "What better way to bring families closer together than by discovering more about the story of their own family? Like it or not, who we are today is in large part, a product of our ancestors."

For more information about Team Roots, visit http://www.teamroots.com/ or http://www.genealogytoday.com/members/

About GenealogyToday.com
GenealogyToday.com has been serving a growing audience of genealogy enthusiasts since 1999 and earning accolades along the way. The site features original articles from several experienced genealogists and writers, along with unique databases and search tools.

Visit our "contact us" page for additional inquiries.

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