by Fred Allen, Chair,
Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG)
Golden Triangle PC Club (GTPCC)
March 2001
One of
the great things about a good genealogy program is it’s ease of use, and
the ability to get back the
information once it has been entered. With
Family Tree Maker, data entry, reports, research, and publication tools are all centered in a
tightly integrated program.
Like
most traditional genealogists looking for their ancestors, I originally kept all my
information on 3x5 cards, on sheets of paper in three-ring binders, and in filing cabinets. Since the mid-1980’s when I discovered the
desktop computer, I just knew there had to be a way of using this machine to keep
track of all this information that I had accumulated.
In 1994, I discovered Family Tree Maker. I
have tried several other programs over the years, but I always end up coming back to
Family Tree Maker. The great thing
about this program has been the ability to work with the regular release
of new versions, each providing more features than the previous version.
With this latest version 8, Family Tree Maker really shines.
How To Begin...
Once installed,
you click the File menu and choose New Family File. Then, you name your
file. A common way to do this is to use your last name
(e.g., Allen.ftw), and click OK.
The
new Data Entry Wizard in Family Tree Maker will
help you begin recording your family history. The
first screen prompts you to enter names (you, your parents and
grandparents). Then, click the Next button to enter birth and death
dates and locations. The Data Entry Wizard does not have to be
used, and by
clicking Cancel you will go directly to a blank family page.
Once
you’re finished with the Wizard, your information will be put into a Family Page. You can move between generations by clicking on a
person’s name on the side-tabs. These
side-tabs make the program easy to use and there is no confusion about how to move from
one level of the tree to another.
At this
point and while you are entering names and dates, I would like to suggest that now is the
time to also enter the documentation that indicates the source of the information you are
entering. I had to learn this important principle the hard way, as many of
us do. After several years I had to backtrack because I could not remember where I had
retrieved particular information on a certain relative. Kory Meyerink, in an article,
"Why Bother? The Value of Documentation in Family History
Research," says that you should always document the sources for your
entered information for three reasons.
1.
Documentation will make your research
easier and faster.
2.
Documentation helps prevent duplication
of research.
3.
Documentation gives others confidence
in your research.
You
should record enough information so that another researcher can determine what you have searched.
Note that it is not enough to merely say,
for example, "U.S. Census" as your source. This is not specific
enough. I suggest you use something like "1860 U.S. Census, Pickens
County, Alabama, page 289."
While you
are in the field that was just entered, press Ctrl+S and enter the source
for a new entry, or find one that was previously used. Family Tree Maker keeps track of all this information along with the sources
for each.
Another
feature of Family Tree Maker, the Research Journal, will help you keep track of
things. Everyone should use some sort of research log, because the log serves as the beginning of documentation and helps
fulfill the three reasons mentioned above for documentation.
With a simple Ctrl+T keyboard command from within any screen,
the Journal will pop up and you can remind yourself, for example, that the next time you go to the
library or court house, you need to get Uncle Henry’s death date. This
is a great way to keep track of your family
to-do list, and you can go back and see what items you have already accomplished.
This also helps you keep track of what you are
researching and what you have already researched and completed. So, the
keyboard commands, Ctrl+S and Ctrl+T go together.
Each
person entered has three buttons next to their names: More, Scrapbk and Spouses.
The
More has Facts, Address, Medical, Lineage and Notes.
The Facts page has 49 fact names, from Adoption to Will, along with a date
field and a comment/location field. You can
also record conflicting information, such as two different birth dates found in different
sources.
The Address section can be used to
enter a person’s address and phone number, and can even be used to print labels if
maybe you are the person responsible for organizing a family get together.
The Medical section has height and weight
information, along with cause of death, and another field where medical comments can be
entered.
The Lineage page has a Title (Dr.,
Rev., etc.), also known as "aka," and this
person’s relationship with their mother and father (Natural, Adopted, Foster,
Unknown, Step, etc.).
The Notes screen is my
favorite page. Here, I enter Civil War
stories, my uncle’s service record or my father’s Army career.
This Notes area can be used for most explanations or stories
you want.
The
Scrapbook (Scrapbk) section is a place to compile pictures or documents you’ve
scanned, photos taken with a digital camera, even home video clips. Once your pictures are scanned and imported into
Family Tree Maker, you can print the Scrapbook page to include in family books, in family
trees or frame as a gift.
The
Spouses button will pull up a window where additional mates can be entered. Whether the previous spouse died or was divorced,
this information can be tracked, and of course, any additional children they may have
had.
Variety of Trees and Reports
The first
tree is the Ancestor Tree, that can be worked with in either a standard, fan or vertical style.
From
the Format menu, you can customize everything about your family tree, from the colors and
styles of boxes and borders, to the fonts used and the information included in the
boxes. A picture can even be included if available.
The
Fit-to-Page Ancestor tree can be formatted to fit six (6) generations on a page. This tree style was a popular request from users
who wanted to see more information on a single page. Each time you make a change to the tree, Family Tree Maker automatically
reformats it with your specified options.
The
Descendant Tree can be worked with in either fan or standard style. You have the option in all Tree styles to add custom
backgrounds, and you can also use personal photos, scanned images, or
pre-packaged clip art that comes with the program. You
can time and date-stamp your printout, color boxes by generation, or color code males
and females in the tree.
Hourglass
Trees are a popular style of tree that is exclusive to Family Tree Maker. The
Hourglass includes both the ancestors and descendants of
the primary person, a nice feature, since most other trees show one or
the other, but not both. All the options for the
other trees are also available for this style.
Another
popular tree style is the Family Tree Maker exclusive, All-In-One tree
style. Unlike the other trees, the All-In-One tree allows you
to view everyone in your family file at once, including siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins, and even unrelated individuals in your family file. Again, this style contains all the formatting
features to personalize your information.
The
Genealogy Report is the one report that I really use. This report will take the facts you’ve input and weave them into a
narrative, either in Ancestor or Descendant order (depending on which genealogy-style you
use). I like to use it for the missing
information that I need to get. The great
feature of this report is that I can either include the source information as endnotes, or
as inline notes. This is the report that I
carry along with me when I go to the library or on trips. As a matter of fact, I carry it with me at all
times. You never know who you
might run into.
You can also
create a variety of other reports, such a Medical, Kinship, Birthday, Address and much,
much more. Plus, you can combine any of the
facts you’ve entered into a Custom Report.
Publishing Center
The Publishing Center is the central
location for Family Tree Maker’s Home Page and Family Book publishing tools.
Here you can create a comprehensive Family Book,
including a choice of trees and reports assembled into one document. The program automatically numbers the pages and
creates a Table of Contents and an Index.
You
also have the ability to create your own User Home Page. With Home Page Wizards,
with a few simple steps you can produce your own
fully integrated home page, complete with an index, family tree, genealogy reports, and
links between all the pages.
This report
provides details about immediate family members, relatives, important events, dates, and
locations. In order to assure family security, all the information about living relatives can be
privatized with the simple click of a button. What
is even better is that you can have your family information on the internet, for free. Having my own home page has resulted
in receiving several requests for information, and has helped to fill in a number of blank areas.
Features in 42-CD Collector's Edition
42 CDs packed with immigration and vital records data and family histories
Sophisticated research tools
Wide variety of heirloom-quality printouts
Easy to use home page wizards
Family Finder Index of 250 million names (4 CDs)
Social Security Death Index (2 CDs)
Mortality Records Index: US 1850-1951
US and International Marriage Records Index, 1560-1900
INS records, passenger and immigration lists, naturalization records
Military records, Confederate soldiers
Military records, US soldiers, 1784-1811
Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s -1900s
Local and county and family histories
Land records
Free 4-month access to Genealogy Library
More than 50,000 actual family histories
Easily store and organize information
Powerful search tools
Share findings with others
Find and Replace
Customized search
Customizable ancestor and descendent trees
Recommendation
If you want
a genealogy program that
is good for a beginner, intermediate or advanced user, one that is easy to get around in
and has good research assets, then Family Tree Maker is the program of choice.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best,
then 10 it is. As mentioned at the
beginning, I will continue to use this program and look forward to new features and
enhancements.
Price
Family Tree Maker 8.0 comes in four
(4) flavors.
$99.99 - the Collector’s Edition with the 42-CD set
$79.99 - the Deluxe 35-CD Set
$59.99 - the Deluxe 24-CD Set
$19.99 - the Program Only Disk
Whenever
new versions are made available and you are a registered owner of Family Tree Maker, an
upgrade is anywhere from $14.99 (as it is right now) to $19.99.
Minimum System Configuration Requirements
Pentium
90 or better processor (P 166 recommended)
Windows 95 or newer
16MB RAM (32 MB RAM recommended)
100MB free hard-disk space
2x CD ROM Drive
Monitor capable of 640 x 480 and 256 colors
Note: 50MB of program files will be copied to your hard disk, while the rest of the data will
remain on the CD-ROM disks that are accessed during program use
Optional requirements
Printer support - works with most popular printers (monochrome and color) supported
by Windows
Internet connection must be separately established
Additional
options that you might want to consider include an optional scanner for digitized graphic images, a
digital camera, and a video capture board and sound board for saving video and audio clips.
Of course, as with all Windows programs, a faster
processor, more RAM and more free disk space will enhance performance.
About Genealogy.com
Although Genealogy.com's current
development efforts focus on genealogy software and Internet products,
former President Kenneth L. Hess actually founded the company (then called
Banner Blue Software) with a different product line: Org Plus. Hess
bootstrapped the company in 1984 to develop Org Plus, a product that
automates the tedious task of creating and editing corporate organization
charts. The product was a hit and, over a decade later, was still #1 in its
market.
The Banner Blue team found that many customers were using Org Plus to create
their family trees, so after further research, Family Tree Maker was born as
a DOS product in 1989, and it was an immediate best-seller. It maintains its
position as the #1-selling genealogy software program with annual upgrades
that take advantage of new technologies, while at the same time reflecting
the needs and desires of the customers.
In late 1994, Banner Blue acquired Automated Archives, Inc., then the
leading provider of genealogical data on CD-ROM. The two companies joined
forces in order to increase quantity and quality of genealogical CD-ROMs
available. Adding Banner Blue's financial strength, programming
capabilities, and mass market distribution to Automated's genealogical
expertise has helped accomplish this goal. Automated maintains its location
in Provo, Utah.
In May 1995, Broderbund Software, Inc. acquired Banner Blue Software.
Broderbund, a leading publisher of consumer software, recognized that Banner
Blue's products made an excellent strategic match with its other
"personal productivity" titles. As a Division of Broderbund
Software, Banner Blue continued to apply its unparalleled expertise in the
field of genealogy software, developing a collection of over 150 CD-ROMs to
help researchers and hobbyists alike. Also during this time, Banner Blue
made its first move into the Internet arena, creating FamilyTreeMaker.com,
In August of 1998, Broderbund Software, Inc. was purchased by The Learning
Company, Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Learning
Company is one of the country's leading developers of consumer software for
the entire family. The company publishes some of the best-known education,
reference, personal productivity and family entertainment brands in the U.S.
In May of 1999, The Learning Company was purchased by Mattel, Incorporated.
In the fall of 1999, A&E Television Networks, Hearst New Media and
Technology, The Learning Company, Thomas H. Lee Company, and Weston Presidio
announced a joint partnership to back a brand-new company called
Genealogy.com, LLC.
In February 2001, A&E Television Networks (AETN) acquired Genealogy.com,
LLC. With this acquisition, AETN extends its diverse historical and
biographical line-up by adding family history to the list and enabling
Genealogy.com to leverage the company's most recognized brands, including
A&E, Biography, and The History Channel.
Contact
Customer Questions and
Contacts
Genealogy.com
39500 Stevenson Place, Suite 204
Fremont, CA 94539
P.O. Box 7865
Fremont, CA 94537-7865
800-315-0672
FAX 877-849-9541
www.genealogy.com
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Family Tree Maker v.8