genealogy software

[eb]

As a family tree addict who has just been sucked back into the hobby after a several years break, I am catching up the latest developments, and am amazed at how much things have moved on in the last few years with web sites et al.

Not content with researching one family, I am actually tracing about 7 at the moment, and am using software to try and keep track of all my research. Unfortunately the programme i bought some time ago is not compatible with Windows XP and keeps crashing out on me, so it looks like I need to buy a new one.

Anybody got any particular favourites/recommendations - and if so why?

 

[arreis]

Hello. I am also addict of family history, except I cannot seem to find anyone before great grandparents. All I know are their names. This is the same with both sides of my family. Its pretty hard to keep going on 0. I know that my great grandfather was born in England. Thomas Staton was his name. Its neat really since I have always had a fascination of the country. Anyway since you seem to be having more luck then me maybe you can give me alittle advice? I really need it. Sierra Staton

 

[admin]

Hi eb,
Glad to see that you have returned to research your family! :laugh:

It all depends on what you need.
Over the years I have tried loads of programs to help my reseach, but settled on Family Tree Maker . It has served my main purposes for some time - good charts and analysis. But I wanted to "publish" my details on the web for all to see especially family and friends, but I thought FTM was weak here at my online FTM site

So I searched everywhere tried gedcom converters and loads of other programs (again!!), then I found a program that answered all my prayers and looks great on the web - it is what I use here! http://tree.familyhistory.uk.com/.

It allows me to fully change the whole site as I need.
I will be allowing a certain amount of users to add their own trees (shortly) where they can edit and change their family details, and allow their family and relatives to add information and view all the family details, where guests can only view certain information!

Let us know how you get on,

All the best,
Admin 8)

 

[admin]

Hi Arreis,
Have you tried Free BMD:
http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/

I did the following search, it could be better, but you did not mention where he was born or around what date.
Anyway, look at the following - maybe there is something here?
Or try Free BMD!!
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1838
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Basford 15 426

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1838
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Henry St James Westminster 1 85

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1842
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Chesterfield 19 436

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1843
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Francis Leeds 23 386

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1845
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Bolton 21 116

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1845
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Basford 15 415

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1848
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Bethnal Gn. 2 52

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1849
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Loughbro\' 15 150

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1853
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Wolstanton 6b 73

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1860
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Belper 7b 401

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1863
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Newcastle L 6b 57

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1864
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Bolton 8c 248

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1865
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Bolton 8c 331
Staton Thomas Victor Newton A. 5b 148

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1868
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Wolverhampton 6b 542

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1871
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Chesterfield 7b 617

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1872
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Boston 7a 402
STATON Thomas Bolton 8c 402

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1874
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Henry W.Derby 8b 434

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1874
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Bolton 8c 403

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1876
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Congleton 8a 324

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1877
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Edwin Sheffield 9c 469

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1879
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Loughbro\' 7a 130

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1879
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Sydney Lambeth 1d 470

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1880
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Bolton 8c 395

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1884
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Derby 7b 599

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1885
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Alfred Chester 8a 408

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1886
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Rotherham 9c 662

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1887
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Hunslet 9b 256

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1887
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Victor Wandsworth 1d 597

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1888
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Leigh 8c 274

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1889
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas George Plympton 5b 213

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1889
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Derby 7b 520

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1890
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Stoke T. 6b 172

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1892
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Gainsbro 7a 668

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1892
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Stoke upon Trent 6b 186

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Sep 1892
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Arthur Ecclesall B. 9c 395

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1892
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas George Northampton 3b 51

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1893
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Allen Doncaster 9c 784

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1898
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Sheffield 9c 663

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1901
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Salford 8d 129
Staton Thomas Norman Stoke upon Trent 6b 239

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1901
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Derby 7b 623

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1901
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Edward W. Derby 8b 395

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1903
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Nottingham 7b 355

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1903
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Edward Wolstanton 6b 104

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1904
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Clarence Basford 7b 268

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1905
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Sheffield 9c 604
Staton Thomas Laurence Darlington 10a 33

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1907
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Bolton 8c 458

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1908
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staton Thomas Philip Neath 11a 1031

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Mar 1910
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATON Thomas Ecclesall B. 9c 440

****************************************************************
All the best,
Admin
B)

Post edited by: admin, at: 2005/02/03 00:15

 

[KeithS]

Hi,

I am brand new here, having registered today. I first began my research into Family History way back in 1978. My interest was sparked beause of a family tradition that the surname had been changed at some time, supposedly to Anglicise it. It was believed to have been Germanic in origin. Unfortunately, the relative who \"knew\" the story had died ten years earlier.

Getting started was a big mistake. I had no idea back then how addictive the hobby is. :laugh:

Anyway, my opinion on computer software for doing your researches is as follows:

The software is certainly becoming more sophisticated all the time. I, however, will never use a computer for the work. Even though I am so heavily involved in computers and the web. In life, you never learn to drive a car before you have learned to walk. My philosophy is \"get out of your chair and get out there to do the work with a hands-on approach\". Don\'t keep your records on a computer, keep them in a handwritten folder. I developed a simple system many years ago, which has been copied by quite a few people since. You can keep the records on one persons life on two facing pages, and it will always show you what you need to do next. The other beauty is, it\'s mobile. You can take it with you wherever you go. It also allows you to learn the mechanics behind researching far better than any computer programme can do.

The other factor of course is that your researches will take far longer than the expected life of any computer. Many things can go wrong with them and, if you haven\'t got back ups of your work on a removable system (floppy or CD) it is quite feasible you can lose the lot. Especially if what happened to my computer just over twelve months ago happens to anyone else. The registry fell over but, before it did so, the hard drive became corrupted and all files on it were permanently lost. To back up your files means doing it at frequent intervals. And that can result in boxes full of floppy discs or CDs. None of this can happen with my system. And it gets me out of the house rather than vegetating in front of a computer.

I am perfectly happy to show anyone who wants it, how my system works.

Anyway, that\'s my opinion and, no doubt, there are as many opinions as there are people partaking of the joys of this hobby. B)

KeithS

 

[jena333]

Hi,

As a newbie to genealogy i am interested in your system of keeping records. I have been looking into Family Tree software and was a bit scared to download any as l am still new to computers, so your system really appeals to me and i will not have to worry about anything going wrong, looking forward to hearing from you....

Kind regards.........Jena

 

[KeithS]

Hi Jena,

My system, although simple to use, takes a little bit of explaining. As it happens, I have just started writing up how my system works for the new forum I have established as a support forum for Family History Research. It is partly aimed at the beginner. So, there is enough there to get you going.

If you would like to come to my forum to see what is already available, you will need to register to gain access to the boards. This only takes a few seconds. You will then receive an automated email with a password. Use that to login and you are ready to go. My forum is at: http://fhrsf.proboards42.com

I should point out that you will get very valuable support here as well. So, keep coming back here and reading the messages. You will learn a lot by doing so.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,
Keith.

 

[admin]

Hi,

As a newbie to genealogy i am interested in your system of keeping
records.

KeithS, how about letting us all know how you record your genealogy. I would be willing to put your comments here on the site, together with any forms you use - if you are interested in sharing it with us all!! :laugh:

Please let me know - here or by email,

Cheers,
Dave,
Admin B)

 

[KeithS]

Hi Dave,

I would be delighted to share it with you and all your members, if you deem it worthy.

Ideas and experience are two things which, if not shared, are worthless.

As there is still some way to go in writing up the final parts, it could take several days to complete.

If it is okay with you, I will start a separate thread for it and put everything in there. I would be pleased to answer any questions about putting it into practice people may have.

The images of my record pages are hosted, so I would simply be linking to them here. No point in chewing up your bandwidth unnecessarily. :laugh:

One thing you will note from my posts is that I believe in minimising the cost of research wherever possible.

Many thanks,
Keith.

 

[eb]

I went to the family history fair at Bracknell last weekend, and the concensus of those I asked seemed to be in favour of RootsMagic, so that\'s what I bought. I\'m pretty impressed with it so far, but obviously as with any software if you put rubbish in you get rubbish out!

I am also pretty meticulous about making backups of my data, and also having paper files to back everything up as well, so if the worst comes to the worst you can start again from scratch. I have a lever arch file with an individual (acid free) wallet for each person, where I can also store print outs of census info, and a list of the outstanding queries I have for each person. You can get a real buzz out of ticking the list off when you find an answer - which normally leads to adding at least another 3 or 4 questions to that person, but I find it helps to keep me motivated.

 

[eb]

Just to close this thread, I ended up buying Roots Magic, version 2, UK edition, and so far I am very impressed and pleased with it. It seems very stable, does what I want it to do, and is clear, simple and easy to use....

elizabeth

 

[KeithS]

That\'s one of the great things about Family History Research, there\'s always more questions than answers. :laugh:

I\'ve heard that Roots Magic is coming out with a very good reputation. This is good to hear, especially when you think of the number of other packages which have come and gone over recent years. A good, stable software programme is exactly what is needed if computerised record keeping is going to have a future.

But, a very wise move to keep hardcopy back-up. It doesn\'t hurt to do so and could save an awful lot of heartache in the future.

Keith.

 

[joyceawood17]

I actually purchased my family tree maker from ancestery.com, when I added a name ect... if there is more infor in ancestery.com I can add that right in as I do it. Yes I do have a tree on my family website and in ancestery but i wanted something that I could use to make had copies too, that is why I purchased the program

 

[gem_man]

Hi Eb

After all this time I dare say that you are now sorted out. But for the benefit of those looking at your thread for answers now, I am responding.

My recommendation would be Family Historian. http://www.family-historian.co.uk/

My initial reason for buying it was that it handles ALL the gedcom fields not just the main ones. I took this to mean if I ever needed the gedcom to work with another program or website I wouldnt have any issues.

Since using it, I must say I am impressed. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy to use but it may take a bit of practice to find all it's functions.

I am also impressed with the developers willingness to introduce new features and listen to their user's suggestions.

Hope this helps

 

[familyman]

your doing 7 ,well my max is 5 that is my wifes 2 sides of her family ,my morthers 2 husbands familys & my mothers own family but yet still trying to get my harper & jackson lines properly off the ground