Banyan is a private family tree — built so relatives near and far can see how they belong to one another, in a clear and human way.
The idea comes from Sheldon James, founder of S.J Consulting Group Asia, and the developer and creator of this application. His parents are originally from Trinidad and Tobago and later made a life in Canada. Like so many Caribbean and immigrant families, that move opened doors — and it also stretched the family map across countries, cities, and generations.
As years pass, people move for work and study. Some lose touch. Some pass away before younger relatives ever learn who was connected to whom. Names live in memory, WhatsApp groups, and old photographs, but the full picture is hard to hold. With encouragement from his Aunt Lenette, who inspired him to make this happen, Banyan was created to help close that gap: to bring close and distant family members onto one private tree, and to make those links visible — so a child can see a grandmother’s line, a cousin overseas, or a branch that was never written down before.
Seeing the connections
Family is not only a list of names. It is a pattern of parents, partners, brothers and sisters, and the titles that grow from those links — mother, uncle, cousin, in-law. Banyan keeps the tree private to the people you invite, then shows those relationships in a way that is simple to explore: on a tree you can zoom, turn, and switch the picture — the whole family, descendants, an hourglass, a pedigree, or a fan — in a list you can search, and on each person’s card in words that make sense once someone marks “This is me.”
The goal is not a cold archive. It is a shared place where a family can recognise itself — with photos, countries, short stories, and the quiet pleasure of seeing how everyone fits together.
For families everywhere
This story began with one family’s journey from Trinidad to Canada, but the need is familiar around the world. Diaspora families, blended households, and relatives who have never met in person all benefit from the same thing: a private tree that one leader can start, then grow by invite — without putting the family on a public directory.
Whether your people are in the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, or somewhere in between, Banyan is meant to help you keep the living story of the family in one place the next generation can open.
A small yearly charge, not a product for profit
Banyan is offered with a short trial, then a modest yearly plan — US$25 a year for up to two family trees you lead — not a monthly subscription. That fee is there to keep the servers, hosting, and security running so private trees stay available. It is not designed as a high-margin product. Invited members and people who only appear on a tree without signing in are not charged.
If you lead a family and care for its history, that yearly support helps keep the lights on for everyone who belongs on the tree.
Who builds Banyan
Sheldon James is the developer and creator of Banyan. The application is owned and operated by S.J Consulting Group Asia.
Help with Banyan: [email protected]
Payments and your plan: [email protected]
Operator website:
https://sjconsultinggroup.com/en
General contact: [email protected]
With thanks
Special thanks to Aunt Lenette, whose inspiration and encouragement helped bring Banyan from an idea into a working family tree for families to use.
For how we protect family data, see the Privacy notice. For how to use the tree, see Help.