Ancestry buys French company

Ancestry, a Lehi-based family history and DNA analysis company, has acquired Geneanet, a leading French genealogy company. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

With a European base of 4 million members, Geneanet is available in 10 languages and more than 25 countries. Combining Geneanet’s free family tree platform and engaged community with Ancestry’s global subscriber base and historical records will enable family history discoveries and connections for even more people around the world, Ancestry said in announcing the transaction.

Ancestry already has a large collection of European records and is investing in digitizing and indexing a national collection of French historical records, including the complete French census and birth, marriage and death records which will be available soon, the company said.

“We are thrilled to welcome Geneanet to the Ancestry family and look forward to working together to grow our global community so that more people can easily discover, craft and connect around their family story,” said Deb Liu, Ancestry president and CEO. “Ancestry is committed to continued investment in Geneanet’s free tree-building platform and the volunteer spirit of its community.”

“This is an exciting next step for Geneanet and for our community,” said Jacques Le Marois, founder and CEO of Geneanet. “We will preserve our business model and continue to focus on what we do well: building a highly engaged community of passionate users. Our members will greatly benefit from Ancestry’s vast record collections and global network as they build their family trees and connect with new relatives and share their family stories. I am delighted to build the next chapter together and look forward to the opportunity to play an active role in the company’s future.”

Upon closing, Geneanet will operate as an independent business in the Ancestry portfolio of companies. Le Marois will remain in his role as the head of the Geneanet website and community.