Family Tree Software Recommendations Sought

[GarethA]

Hi

I'm looking for recommendations for the best software - either on machine or in the cloud - to embark on a family tree exercise

Any wisdom on the benefits of using software independent from that offered by datebases such as Ancestry.com appreciated

What I would really like to prioritise is maximising the probability of linking up a branch with someone else that might, unbeknown to me, be doing the same thing from another branch of the family

Many thanks

[WilsonWilson]

Libraries usually have a licence/subscription to one of the sites, although you might need to central library (city/town centre one) rather than your local branch.

[caziques]

Mrs Caziques uses Ancestry.com.

The amount of information available is staggering, she has done Family Trees for a number of people so far, including her own which is anything but straightforward.

I often assist in tracking down obscure stuff via google - just be warned that many hours can go by whilst immersed in the past.

Just over the weekend I found an old road in London that no longer exists - looking through old maps and google street view is great fun - then you get diverted to looking at the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, and why a couple of stations in London were closed in 1916..........

[AJB88]

GarethA said:

What I would really like to prioritise is maximising the probability of linking up a branch with someone else that might, unbeknown to me, be doing the same thing from another branch of the family

Ancestry does this! my sister found a relative we didn't know this way and managed to fill in a massive load of the tree.

[GarethA]

Thanks folks - all helpful

[Robbo 27]

All a case of what you are used to perhaps. I had a months intro to Findmypast and found it easy to navigate. When I came to use Ancestry it didnt work quite like FMP so there were times when I couldnt readily find the information. There is a downloadable piece of software called Ancestral Author which allows you to export data from FMP onto Word etc, I dont think Ancestry permits this, may be wrong.

I ended up making my own tree in Excel which allowed me to post images along with certificates, notes, addresses and pretty much anything I wanted.

I dont know if you are new to family history research, I was until six months ago and found the process quite easy but be prepared to discover things that might have been better left undiscovered, at least you may find a how destinies have become formed.

Can I also suggest that you keep a good quality hand written journal to pass down to future generations which might give the basics of parents and children but also what they did for a living, where they worked, how they lived and even first hand accounts of conversations with older relatives. This is a great gift to be able to pass down the generations and made more real by being in your handwriting rather than Times New Roman 10.

[GarethA]

Thanks Robbo - yes new to it and it's not something that's been done at all despite a grandmother who was one of 7, with the other 6 going to the US. I am very interested just to find linkages to people, rather than go deep on each person's story per se.

Someone had mentioned Family Tree Maker to me - key thing is I don't have any data so want to maximise potential and ease for plugging into whatever public record office items have been digitised.

[Robbo 27]

GarethA said:

Thanks Robbo - yes new to it and it's not something that's been done at all despite a grandmother who was one of 7, with the other 6 going to the US. I am very interested just to find linkages to people, rather than go deep on each person's story per se.

Someone had mentioned Family Tree Maker to me - key thing is I don't have any data so want to maximise potential and ease for plugging into whatever public record office items have been digitised.

Good luck, its an enjoyable road made so much easier if you have a less common last name and if you can initially just keep to the paternal line. Victorian research may be the easiest with census records every 10 years, 20th Century records stop at 1911, need to wait another 4 years for 1921.

There is a very useful and helpful site called

https://www.familytreeforum.com/forum.php

Great place to ask for advice to get you started

and some good links from this BBC page

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_sta...

As has already been suggesed the Library service has free links to Ancestry so that you can look into this and find out whether the research will be an uphill task or straightforward

[DedraAsaDodo]

Pop into your local record office / archive and they should have a free subscription to one or t'other of the ancestry or findmypast.

They'll also probably have a leaflet or two to get you started on family history, and see if they've got any courses worth going on to get the most out of the sites.