Choosing a Software Program

Because I cannot have only text on a blog post.
It is against my rules.

There are several different ways to keep your family history information and organize and process it. There are also thousands of sites to gather information and sites to share it with others. I have found this to be confusing to most of us as we begin or begin again after years away. Genealogy Speak can be confusing at first. So here is an explanation of some of the differences. If I have already done a post on these I will add the url for viewing as needed.
1. Paper Files: These are organized and kept at home in a box or a file cabinet. These files include thing you have collected like original documents. i.e., a birth certificate or a letter from your great Aunt Susie, a photo, etc.

Note: You should still scan these and file electronically on your computer but you want to keep the original in paper form in these files. To see the previous post of this click here. http://tinyurl.com/7te9lqz

2. Electronic Files: These are files that you create and organized on your own computer which include scanned items you want to save electronically on a person, including photos, documents, newspaper articles, memorabilia, census records, ships' manifests, etc. I do this by creating surname folders and sub-files for what I have saved, i.e., vital records, photos, pedigree charts, family group sheets, obituaries, copy of census records, etc.

Note: These items can come from your paper files or can be copied from any number of online sites, from e-mails received, etc.

To see the previous post on electronic filing click here: http://tinyurl.com/89zrfqr


3. A Genealogy Software Program: This is a free or purchased program you download from the Internet to store and organize your personal information on your own computer. This is your personal, at home file cabinet if you will. There is the church based free download of PAF (Personal Ancestral File 5.2) discussed below. It can be found at familysearch.org. Look for it by clicking the green button that says "Go To Previous Site" in the upper mid-section of the home page on the right. This is where you can download 5.2 for free. Family Search is undergoing major changes right now so if that green button disappears just Google PAF 5.2 and download from there. When in doubt, Google!

Some examples of commercial software for your PC would be Legacy, you can view it at legacyfamilytree.com. There is also Ancestral Quest found at ancquest.com. You can Google: Choosing Software for Family History-Genealogy. You will find a lot more to compare and contrast before making a selection. A lot of them have a simplified, free version you can try first if you wish before purchasing.

For an iMac the program of choice has been Reunion found at www.leisterpro.com. However, new ones are being developed all the time and things are changing quickly so do your research first. Don't be like us and land up with PAF, Legacy, Ancestral Quest and Reunion before you know which one suits you best!
Once you choose the one you want to use, you enter your data on each person once into a template which then allows your software program to massage your information to produce important reports regarding your family, such as pedigree charts, family groups sheets, etc. It is a great way to store, save and use your information productively.

4. Another term you will hear tossed around is Genealogy Search Engines. These are the websites that are data bases full of information, documents, and often photos and other images to help you gather information only. You cannot add to these data bases but you can use what is on them. Some are free like familysearch.org and some are commercial like archives.com.

5. The last type of site to be give clarification to is what I call the Web-based Interactive Genealogy Sites. These are used for searching as well as for posting your information online or correcting what is already there. A perfect example of this is new.familysearch.org. This is a site where you may not only research but you may also add information of your own to the data base or change your information if you have submitted it and find something new or an error.
There is also ancestry.com that is primarily thought of as a search engine site but you can also add your own family tree to the Family Trees section of the site. This allows you to store your genealogy online. Research this before just jumping in. You also need to decide if you want your tree to be public or private. If you view other's trees that may be connected to you in some way, understand these trees can be full of errors. Never accept that that is your lineage because you see it in writing, until you check it thoroughly. Many people are barking up the wrong tree for doing exactly that.*

Another site like this is findagrave.org. It is a free site and one where you may be able to find photos of your ancestors' grave sites and you can also become a member and contribute photos of graves for other people to search. This is a volunteer organization and very thrilling to participate in as you contribute and help other genealogists make exciting discoveries as well.

Note: * Online should never be your only place to store your genealogy. You still need your own personal filing cabinet at home...your paper files, electronic files and your software program that only you and anyone you share it with will have access to use.

When I returned to actively doing our Family History and Genealogy there were some things that because issues regarding a software program. Somewhere between the paper era and now we had download PAF (Personal Ancestral File) free. This church based software is still something that many people use, in spite of the fact that it is no longer being updated.

It is a free program that allows to you to begin with yourself and systematically enter and preserve your data. You can record ordinance work and filter that out of what you might want to share. It has some very nice features like linking families to create pedigree charts, and family group sheets, a place to keep notes and sources citations, you can print out all kinds of reports, download photos and other documents, videos and even audio clips.

(Note: These images, video and audio files do not become a part of your gedcom file if you choose to transfer your information into a different program.)

PAF has all the basics of what you would need to keep your own personal records in order and easy to access. A lot of users that have thousands of family names already entered into PAF and choose to stay with PAF because they like the program and it works well for them. They have probably used it for years and see no need to make a change. This is a matter of personal choice. Some also have more than one program so they can do some of the fancy charts and trees that other programs offer as an example. The important things is the software program you use should meet your needs.

The PAF site will be maintained indefinitely, it will just not be developed further. Some people that are brand new should probably also use it for beginning their family history research and collecting information. Once the bug bites you and you are hooked on this fascinating endeavor, you may wish to add another program for more bells and whistles and one that interfaces with some other sites like Ancestry.com or new.familysearch.

The software you chose to install on your own computer is your personal file. To me this is the most important place to keep your records accurate and thoroughly sourced for yourself and your posterity.

When you look at a web-based site like Ancestry or new.familysearch for either records or trees you will probably find errors based on what you have proven through your own personal research. If you are satisfied that your records and documentation are correct, don't be overly concerned about errors you find in other records.

Use all other records beyond what you have proven to be accurate with sourced citations as...a guide or road map to your possibilities. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water and give up because you find conflicting information.

As genealogists we hate to see errors in print of something we know for a fact. We have to get over that. Just do your best to be sure your records are correct for now. It will all work out in the end if you do this and if you don't let this need for perfectionism lead you to discounting the clues others have provided. People contribute this conflicting information in good faith...we are all human and subject to making mistakes. Worry about what you record more than what others have misrecorded.
The one problem with PAF is that it is not compatible with the iMac operating system. It is just fine for a Windows based PC. We have an, iMac and PC desktop and a PC laptop. This presented a problem for me the minute I came back to this work. I had to learn how to set up electronic files on both systems, go back and forth on both systems and make sure that I updated both programs...it was mind boggling. I am a Mac girl, I freely admit that. I do not care for the encumbering, many extra steps for everything, required by a PC. I love the straight forward, user friendly, logical aspects of a Mac.

However, I struggled through it and learned it and I am happy about that even though I now have Drop Box storage "in the cloud" which has eliminated that problem for us. Now I can drop my files into either program with no problem. :-) from the site or from my iPhone. My genealogy records are now completely portable. Woohoo.

That is the nature of Family History and how quickly it is moving. We just have to hang on for dear life and go on the wild ride. As of today this is my understanding of the sites and how to use them. My disclaimer is that I too am just learning. I like to think that that may be an advantage for you as a beginner too. I can still remember that overwhelming feeling of can I ever learn all this? I haven't lost sight of that. I have a long way to go but one step at a time I am seeing a little more clearly finally. Tomorrow who knows what will come our way? It is exciting to watch it happen right here in our day and time. We must keep our pioneer spirit about us and just keep moving on with the company. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Alma 37:33

Peace be still...we can do this!
Point Lobos, San Francisco 3/8/12