Built for families,
by a family researcher
Roots started with a personal frustration — trying to piece together a Caribbean family history with relatives scattered across four continents, and no tool that let us work on it together.
How Roots began
I'm Howard Panton, and I've spent years piecing together my Caribbean family history — tracing relatives from Jamaica and across the diaspora, chasing records through church registers, ship manifests, and the memories of older family members before those memories are gone.
Existing genealogy platforms were built for individual researchers. They're powerful for one person working alone, but they made it nearly impossible to collaborate with my aunts, cousins, and parents — the very people who held the pieces of the story I was missing.
Every time I found something new, I'd email a screenshot or copy-paste into a shared document. Family members would make corrections with no way to track changes. Critical context — the stories behind the names and dates — lived in email threads and WhatsApp messages, not alongside the tree itself.
So I built Roots. A platform where the whole family can contribute, not just the dedicated researcher. Where stories, photos, and memories sit alongside the tree. Where your family history is truly collaborative.
Howard Panton
Founder & Developer — Roots Genealogy
Software developer and genealogy researcher, based in the UK. I started researching Caribbean family history and ended up building the collaboration tool I always needed. Roots is a solo project built with a deep respect for the families who trust it with their stories.
I believe every family's history deserves to be preserved — and that it takes more than one person to do it properly.
Our mission
To make collaborative family history research possible for every family — not just dedicated researchers working alone.
We believe the people who hold the stories — the aunts who remember the names, the cousins who have the photos, the parents who know what actually happened — should be part of building the family tree, not just passive recipients of it.
Our commitments to you
Family data is among the most personal information there is. Here's exactly how we treat it.
Your data belongs to you
We never sell, share, or use your family data for advertising. Your family history is private and will always remain yours.
Family-first, always
Every product decision is made with real families in mind, not growth metrics. We build features that matter to genealogists.
Security by design
Family data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Strict access controls mean only the people you invite can see your tree.
Built by a genealogist
Roots was built by someone who has spent years researching family history. Every frustration you feel, I have felt too.
Get in touch
I read every message personally. Whether it's a feature request, a bug report, or just a question about whether Roots is right for your family — I'd love to hear from you.
howard@getroots.ioBuilt by Howard Panton · United Kingdom · getroots.io
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