On January 1, 1997, Infobases' parent company, Western Standard Publishing, purchased Ancestry, Inc. The website was a publisher of "Ancestry" magazine and genealogy books. The website was founded in 1983 by John Sittner. Originally, the website was a newsletter about genealogy. The "Ancestry" magazine had been launched in January 1994. Western Standard Publishing's CEO was Joe Cannon. He was the main owners of Geneva Steel. In July 1997, Allen and Taggart purchased Western Standard's interest in Ancestry, Inc. That same month, Ancestry, Inc., purchased Bookcraft, Inc., a publisher of books written by leaders and officers of the LDS Church. By this time, Allen and Taggart began operating Ancestry, Inc. independently.