About Genlighten

What does Genlighten do for me?

If you're a genealogist looking for source documents, Genlighten connects you with local researchers who can retrieve them for you quickly and reliably. If you're an experienced genealogical researcher with convenient access to local records, we make it simple for you to offer lookups online and earn extra income in the process.

There are so many genealogy websites out there. How is yours different?

We're different in four basic ways:

Instead of posting records online for you to search, we help you find documents that are only available offline.
Our "search capability" is human-powered, relying on the skills and experience of local researchers who know their community's records first-hand.
Genlighten's lookup marketplace lets our providers earn added income by doing something they love - helping you solve genealogical puzzles. As a result, Genlighten is not a free service.
Because our providers are paid for the work they do, they expect to be held accountable for the quality of that work. Customer ratings and feedback help you judge the reliability and the responsiveness of our providers before you place your order.

How much do you charge?

Our lookup providers set their own fees (typically $10-$20) based on the types of records they can search, their level of expertise, and the expenses they incur. We add a handling charge of 10% to cover the cost of secure electronic payment processing. We also receive a commission from our providers on each lookup they complete. There's never a fee to browse our providers' lookup offerings or to create lookup listings on Genlighten.

How did Genlighten get started?

One of our co-founders created a Cook County Illinois lookup website back in 2003. Her customers responded enthusiastically to her fast, reliable service and her affordable prices. Many asked her if she knew of similar sites for other counties and states. Others expressed interest in offering lookups from their own local records but didn't want the hassle of building their own e-commerce websites. To meet these needs, we decided to create a comprehensive online marketplace for genealogical lookups. Genlighten.com is the result.

Can I Contact You?

If you have questions or need to reach us, please use one of the following options:

Send us an e-mail. Our address is support (at) genlighten (dot) com. We'll respond within 24 hours or less.

Call us at (302) 566-5871. This number will forward to the management team's cell phones when we're available. When we're not, you can leave a voice mail and we'll get back to you promptly.

Write us at the following address:

Genlighten.com
PO Box 893
Wilmette, Illinois 60091

Visit our blog by clicking on the link above.

We look forward to hearing from you!