Family Tree or Genealogy Software

Genealogy Software – As you learn more about your ancestors and family history you will start to feel the need of saving the specifics of their lives as carefully as possible. The more advanced amateur genealogists -as well as professional genealogists- help themselves with downloadable genealogy software besides other tools available at genealogy websites.

A little bit of history:

1. The first genealogy software available to the public (1979) was “Genealogy: Compiling Roots and Branches, by John J. Armstrong”. It was written in Microsoft BASIC for the TRS-80 by Radio Shack.
2. Another genealogy software -PAF Version 1 – was released in 1984. It was written in BASIC for the IBM PC (also Microsoft) and did not include GEDCOM.
3. Commsoft’s Roots II came out in May of 1984 for the IBM PC.
4. Just in 1986 PAF 2.0 was released and it was the first genealogy program to include GEDCOM exchange.

 

• Genealogy software makes research, data organizing, source citing, document transcribing, conclusion making, proof arguing, report writing, and chart making easier, minimizes paper storage and saves a lot of time.
• Genealogy software allows online research by accessing websites, capturing document images, adding source citations, etc.
• Genealogy software also facilitates the creation of your genealogy web pages.
• Most of the software will let you print out charts of ancestors, descendants, family trees, and more.
• Some genealogy software offers integrated sources that can match members of your family trees and automatically add information you confirm to your tree. Others require you to copy and paste data, and some don’t link to sources at all.
• Most genealogy software links directly to popular genealogy sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.
• Last but not least, genealogy software allows for the export of data in the GEDCOM format (short for GEnealogical Data COMmunication), that is a standardized format that enables to easily upload all or part of a family tree data in a way that is compatible with other genealogy software and therefore allows to share this information and facilitates collaboration.
• More advanced features include:

1. The ability to restrict the information that is shared, usually by removing information about living people out of privacy concerns;
2. the import of sound files
3. the generation of family history books, web pages and other publications
4. direct access to public census records, but as of now, you can only search records up to 1940, so you may need to build several generations before you find anything relevant.
5. the ability to handle same sex marriages and children born out of  marriage.
6. In general, the most thorough programs also let you run reports to help you figure out what you’re missing, and they can flag inconsistencies and duplicated people, as well.

Since many programs perform the essential functions and the best choice for you often depends on personal preference and what Operating System you using, Windows or Mac. Web-based programs are obviously compatible with all platforms.

What family tree genealogy software is available?

At present, the top family tree downloadable software available is:

• Legacy 8.0 Family Tree.  This is probably the best family tree software available at present.  It has an in-app browser that allows you to research your family online directly from the software, and when you find new information, the program can import it directly to your family tree. Legacy creates appealing charts and reports that help you visualize your family line and share your research with others.  Last but not least, it has an excellent quality/cost relationship ($29.99 U.S.) and is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download available at: http://purchmarketplace.com/pc-software-legacy-family-tree-deluxe-8-0-download?&ICID=ttr-cid|48|pid|452|pos|

• Family Historian 6. This genealogy software helps you to find information easily and quickly: it has automatic internet data matching, a map window that maps locations of places and a timeline to register events such as birth, marriage, divorce and death. The lack of background templates and aesthetic tools make the software’s charts best for online publishing and record keeping. While it allows GEDCOM import/export, it doesn´t allow direct import from other programs. There is a standard version that is free but doesn’t include many of the best features. Of course you can always download its full version – just for Windows- at $49.95 U.S. at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q8VI7YG/?&tag=ttr_genealogy_soft-20&ascsubtag=[site|ttr[cat|48[art|NA[pid|457[tid|NA[bbc|NA

• RootsMagic 7. This genealogy software is very easy to handle: the search fields in the browser are simple and only ask for a given name, surname and a date range. Features include, searching the web directly from Rootsmagic and publishing the results to your web page or CD etc. You can also search directly through the software on general search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. Download is available for Windows and Mac at $29.95 U.S. at: http://www.rootsmagic.com/download/rootsmagic-7

• Ancestral Quest 14. This is one of the easiest and most versatile genealogy programs to use. It is perfect for the beginner and powerful enough for the advanced genealogist. Easy data entry, keyboard shortcuts, scrapbooking, and sourcing capabilities. A good thing about Ancestral Quest is that it has several tools for calculating relationships and searching for individuals in a huge database. However, the program does have issues with catching errors and design. Download is available from $29.95 U.S. for Windows and  $38.95 U.S. for Mac at: http://www.ancquest.com/orders.htm?url=http://www.ancquest.com/orders.htm&affiliate=Ropelato&merchant=gaylonfi

• Heredis 2015. This genealogy software is very user friendly.  Combines its software with a genealogical database which can help you research and create your family tree, lineage charts and entire books to map your family If you work closely with online sources and share your research often, Heredis is a good choice. This genealogy software has Wi-Fi and USB syncing, as well as web capabilities that sync your material to another PC, Mac or other iOS device. It also has a knack for recognizing different devices that plug directly into your computer. The most important feature is undoubtedly the search tool for online Archives as it gives you access to departmental and municipal archives, military records and libraries all around the world. Heredis also connects to its own genealogy search, Heredis Online, in addition to popular genealogy search sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry and MyHeritage. However, it has a “but”: is not compatible with DNA test results. Download is available at $49.99 U.S. for Windows at: http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-2015-for-windows/ and for Mac at: http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-2015-for-mac/  A demo version is also available for download.

• Family Tree Heritage™ Platinum 9. The strength of this genealogy software lies with its organizing and sourcing tools. Besides this, it brings access to billions of records. Features include one-click searches for records, organizing findings into custom lists, creating a family reunion contact list and publishing a family book. Even if it covers the must-haves of ancestry software it has room for improvement with its customizing and publishing features. Download is available for Windows only at $24.99 U.S. at: http://purchmarketplace.com/family-tree-heritage-platinum-9-download/?&ICID=ttr-cid|48|pid|59884|pos|

• Brother’s Keeper. This genealogy software is not for beginners but for serious genealogists who want to build an accurate family tree, keep a research log, and create extensive charts and reports, as even if charts on Brother’s Keeper are basic they can fit up to 1,200 nodes for a pedigree chart. The outdated look of this program makes it hard to navigate. However, research and recording is unlimited, and it has room for up to 100 million people in the genealogy database. Download  is available for $45.00 U.S.  just for Windows at http://brotherskeeperstore.sotres.yahoo.net/brotkeepforw.html

• Genbox family History. This user friendly genealogy software has all the best software features: family tree charts, genealogy research reports, search, media, full source citations, and much more. You can add parents, spouses and children to an ancestor with only a few clicks. In fewer than 10 clicks, you can also export or import a GEDCOM file. Most genealogy software either produce great graphical charts or offer useful tools for organizing your family history but not both: this is not the case of Genbox as it handles both things properly. If you want a basic genealogy program that allows you to chart, organize, and build a database quickly Genbox can be your choice. However, be aware that there is not a problem-spotting tool in this program, leaving Genbox unable to catch obvious mistakes.  Download is available for $29.95 U.S. at http://www.genbox.com/  Before making up your mind you can download a free trial that remains available for 30 days.

• Win Family 10 edition 10.0.2.0 (feb 2015) is one of the easiest genealogy programs to work with. As beginners get the quickest start into the world of genealogy, professional genealogists find all the functionality they expect. WinFamily puts the focus on each individual in the family tree, allowing you to create a highly detailed profile for each person. This program is tricky to navigate, but data entry features like custom categories allow you to tailor your database the way you prefer. Unlike other programs, there are no web search options, in-app browsers or web hints available in this software. Of course, you can still use a browser of your choice to look through genealogy sites; however, you can’t import the information you find into WinFamily directly. You have to cite them in the program as you come across them. Download available just for Windows for $87.00 U.S. at:  http://winfamily.com/?page_id=2    A demo version is also available for free with full functionality for 21 days.

Conclusions:

• Ease of use is crucial when it comes to software. Those just getting started on their family-tree research will likely fare better with Web-based software which generally offers a more-attractive, less-overwhelming interface. In this sense ancestry.com and www.myheritge.com would be smart choices. ‎However, some of the downloadable resources mentioned above might be considered by beginners (WinFamily, Genbox, AncestralQuest14)

• On the other hand, professional genealogists and the more advanced hobbyist genealogists looking forward to organizing it all, will find in the downloadable software mentioned above a better way to fill their needs.

By, Carmen Vazquez Sibils