After tackling our first online genealogy service review, we were on a roll. Star Reviews found a unique site called Kindred Konnections that we just had to share with you. With such a fun name, how could they disappoint? We were a little intimidated by their busy and text-laden user interface, but we braved the waters anyway. See what we experienced below.
What’s New?
- Social Security Death Record searches--Find out if one of your distant relatives has passed away and where.
- Purchase customized family tree charts.
- Free access to subscription services if you upload a family tree including at least 15 families and 60 individuals.
Star Reviews Favorite Feature:
Search by country—Includes the UK, US, Canada, and New Zealand. This unique feature truly separates Kindred Konnections apart from their competition, as no other genealogy service offered listings from New Zealand. Talk about diverse!
Kindred Konnections Features:
- Free Legacy 6.0 software to research your roots
- Ability to upload your existing family tree
- Family Access service-Give your family members a password to see – but not change or add to – the family tree you’ve been creating.
- Ellis Island Genealogy
- Genealogy Surname Browse
Navigating the Kindred Konnections website:
When you first arrive at the site, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. You might be a little overwhelmed at first, but once you get a hang of the site, it’s not terribly difficult. Useful tabs like ‘Search,’ ‘Resources,’ and ‘News’ take you to helpful information like viewing your family tree, customizing your family tree, date converters and expert genealogist advice. When we pulled the page down, we were a little caught off guard by the categories of ‘Search your ancestry,’ ‘Build your family tree,’ ‘Share your family tree,’ and ‘Search extracted genealogy records’ because of the enormous amount of text below each. If you’d like to get building your family tree quickly, it may be difficult to wade through so much information beforehand.
Finding Family on Kindred Konnections:
Our team did a record search from the main page using the pull-down menu (marriage, birth, or death records), set a date range, and entered our last name. If you wish to take a quick look at how many results come up for a particular surname, you can search the genealogical databases for the UK, U. S., Canada, and New Zealand by selecting one of those links. Through these searches, you will see a list of results, including the person’s name and usually a date and/or location, but to get more information you’ll need to register with the site.
You can, however, search the Social Security Death Index for free. This option is available as a link under “Search” on the main page. You simply enter a person’s name and a date range, then you’ll see a number of results that you can view. Although this service doesn’t provide much information, it may prove to be useful as you begin your search for information about particular ancestors.
Under ‘Resources’ is a link to download the free software which includes some useful features. Although, looking at those features may be daunting to the novice user. You can also download free forms, including checklists and pedigree charts, to help you keep your materials more organized.
Signing up on Kindred Konnections:
Kindred Konnections offers two types of membership. The free option only allows you to upload your family tree and to use MyTreesOnline in order to build your tree. If you prefer a paid subscription, you’ll receive that benefit, plus you can view and download the family trees of other users, contact other members regarding their family trees, and search all of the databases.
Registering for the site’s services, however, can be a challenge. The only links to the registration pages pop up when you try to access information requiring registration, and one which you access by scrolling down on the main page. The registration link should be more visible than it is. To register, you have to complete a lengthy form where you select whether you want the paid or the free service. If you pick the free service, then you also need to select how you plan to use the service.
Pricing:
Kindred Konnections offers four payment options for their subscription services. You can choose to pay for 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year at a time. By choosing a longer term, you end up saving more money. For example, the 10 day subscription costs 70 cents per day while the yearly subscription ends up being roughly 24 cents per day.
- 10 day subscription - $7
- 1 month subscription - $15
- 3 month subscription - $35
- 1 year subscription - $100
Customer Support:
Customer support at Kindred Konnections is limited. Unlike similar genealogy services, the site does not appear to have a list of FAQ’s available for easy and convenient browsing. The “Contact Us” page does explain what a GEDCOM file is (a common type of file used for family trees), but that’s the only FAQ we came across.
Telephone support is only available if you have technical problems with the site or if you need to pay for your subscription. However, you can send questions via email. When we sent our question, we received a friendly, very detailed response in less than 24 hours. Overall, we felt that customer support could be improved, especially since genealogy services aren’t the easiest to decipher.
Upside:
Lots of subscription plans to choose from. Good customer support by email. Free software download.
Downside:
No phone support for general customer service. Some important parts of the site, such as registration, are not easily accessible for site visitors.
Summary:
Overall, we felt the Kindred Konnections online genealogy service is worth your time if you wish to unearth your hidden family history. Ok, so even if you simply wish to create a family tree and have no clue where to begin, this site can definitely assist you. We would have liked to see a free trial offer and were a little surprised to find a 10-day subscription costing $7. Still, there were some pretty unique features offered through their service. We admired the Legacy software program, Social Security Death Index, and Family Access function. We would have liked to see telephone customer support and a FAQs database, but email support did answer our question in full. In conclusion, we liked what Kindred Konnections provides for its customers, but we don’t necessarily recommend their service to inexperienced Internet users.