Best Genealogy Software?

[Katsmeow]

DH used to do a lot of genealogy, but got out of it several years ago. He is now getting back into it. The preferred program he used to use was The Master Genealogist. However, that program is no longer going to be updated and he doesn't know how long it will continue to be supported.

He also found out that Family Tree Maker is going to be discontinued as well.

So he is looking for a desktop alternative. He has an account at ancestry.com and uses software there, but he prefers to have desktop software as well.

He is not up to date with what has happened with genealogy software in the last several years.

Does anyone have any suggestions? His computer uses Windows 10. He is looking for something that has not been discontinued.

 

[Texas Proud]

My mom used the program that you could get from the Mormon Church... it was free and pretty good....


Since they are big into genealogy I would think that they update it... I hope someone gives an answer since I would like to get my mom's work into a program so it is not lost....

 

[Senator]

Use something on-line. That way, all her hard work will not go wasted after you may be gone. The links are used by others to make for their tree add-ons.

 

[braumeister]

I'm a Mac guy, so no help to the OP, but I've used Reunion for years. Very powerful and user friendly.

 

[Taxman59]

I have been using Family Tree Maker for years. The linking to Ancestry.com is a great feature. However, they have announced that the link will be cut after this year, taking away the best feature. I have also used Brother's Keeper, and I actually prefer it except for the online link. BK is also cheaper, so after this year, I expect that I will switch back.


Have the day you deserve, and let Karma sort it out.

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[RonBoyd]

Yes, TMG was "discontinued" in 2011. because as the developer Bob Velke said, "After 20 years, this program is a good as it is ever going to get." (Which is another way of saying that annual updates were serving no other purpose than to keep people employed.)

However, this doesn't mean that the program is not being supported. There are several User Groups that are very active -- for instance, The ROOTS Users Group of Arlington, VA.. This is primarily because Mr. Velke was correct. This program is still heads above all other genealogy programs to date... and it doesn't appear that it will be overtaken anytime soon.

Now, having said that, there are no new copies available (and it needs a registration code). However, if the OP can show previous ownership, then that registration code is available.

FWIW, I have used TMG for most of those twenty years... and since.

 

[mpeirce]

I tried a few different applications, but settled on Ancestry.com They continue to improve it over time.

I'd say the best feature of it is the easy access to lots of online sources like census data and immigration data.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

My mom used the program that you could get from the Mormon Church... it was free and pretty good....


Since they are big into genealogy I would think that they update it... I hope someone gives an answer since I would like to get my mom's work into a program so it is not lost....

That program is called "Personal Ancestral File", and has been discontinued and is no longer supported. You can read in your existing files (.paf) into Ancestry.com, and reconcile any differences. As Senator said, it is very powerful to link into work that others have done. If you don't link in, your effort could be wasted, if it's not available online for anyone else. I helped my dad do this last year with his .paf files, and he found a lot of discrepancies. I also helped him scan and upload some old photos of his parents and relatives, which he annotated them with names & dates. I was fascinated by the stories he told, as he talked about each photo. Someday, not far off, this information will be gone, so I'm trying to capture as much as possible.

 

[steelyman]

I'm very glad you started this thread. I'd been thinking about this lately and assumed there had been discussions of genealogy before on e-r.org, but hadn't yet done a search. Recent opinions and suggestions will be useful to read.

 

[Hermit]

My sisters have been doing geneology for many years. They used to use Brothers Keeper but have moved to ancestory.com. They even talked me into a DNA analysis and have used that to make more links. Its all integrated in ancestory.com and they have a free version that worka well.

 

[Jackanory]

As I'm from 'over there,' I keep my records on: Discover your ancestors - Genes Reunited. It's mostly free, but you can optionally pay for access to various premium sources. You have the choice of keeping your records private, or selectively publishing them.

 

[braumeister]

They even talked me into a DNA analysis and have used that to make more links.

Another good point.

I've found a couple of second cousins I would never have known about through my 23andme results. I never expected that, but it does work.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I didn't' know that the Mormon software was no longer supported. Glad to see this thread; I'll research options for my data.

Be careful with Ancestry.com, and other on-line sources that are simply data posted by unknown users (including the LDS data). My family tree has some pretty glaring errors that continue to perpetrated by well-meaning but ill-informed users. Try to get references to source documents whenever possible.

 

[GrayHare]

For anyone who prefers privacy, note that ancestry.com will make public the data you enter, if not directly then via third-party, and will do so even if you choose the option to keep your family tree private.

 

[Katsmeow]

DH does use Ancestry.com and has trees there. But, he does most of his work in The Master Genealogist. He likes having a desktop version because he sometimes may want to do work in the database when he doesn't have easy Internet access (for example, doing work away from home where WiFi is not available).

He also feels, I think, that what you can use on Ancestry isn't as good as what he is currently using (TMG). RonBoyd - I think he happy with TMG but has concern that at some point it won't work well particularly with some new OS in the future.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Ack, I was mistaken. I tried using familysearch.org, not ancestry.com. I'm new to genealogy, but I found familysearch to be pretty user-friendly. Here's a comparison between familysearch and ancestry- apparently they are sharing geneology data now. I noticed discrepancies in dates in some cases in my family when I read in my dad's ".paf" file, so part of the problem is to track down what's accurate. There's a place to provide "sources" for each person, so hopefully if there's problem you can see where the data is coming from. For me, it was cool to see some of my ancestor trees show up, as soon as I searched for a couple of names.

 

[RonBoyd]

RonBoyd - I think he['s] happy with TMG but has concern that at some point it won't work well particularly with some new OS in the future.

That is a legitimate concern and one that is in the back of most of our (user's) minds. However, it doesn't represent any immediate danger -- TMG works just fine in Windows 10 and, I suspect, that Microsoft will, as usual, support that version for another 10 years. (This is probably as reassuring as any prediction of future events. <grin>)

In any event, Terry Reigel has an excellent article that explains it more fully. Terry's TMG Tips - The Future for TMG Users

There are a number of other resources that may be useful to that discussion. Among which are:

Wholly Genes Community
RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: TMG

 

[Walt34]

DW was an active user of Family Tree Maker a few years ago and after some initial struggles did okay with it. I wasn't that impressed with the software when she asked for help with it but admittedly I didn't spend much time with it.

 

[mpeirce]

For anyone who prefers privacy...

On the other hand, ability to share all the info I'm accumulating was one of the big draws Ancestry.com had for me. I share the info with anyone who's interested in the info there. This is certainly a case of a type of data that is more valuable the more it's shared.

Someone mentioned bad data. That's always an problem with genealogy. Even with data with rock solid sources like the census is sometimes flawed because of naming issues and just simple mistakes. The more you can corroborate data the better. To me it's fine to bring in data from various sources, just don't place your trust in them without verifying.

And finally, I love their mobile app for access. More than a few times I've been chatting with relatives and something comes up that I know can be answered by consulting the family tree. Since the phone is always connected, I can quickly bring up whatever I was thinking of.

 

[spud99]

This wiki chart might help you find a new package that has the features you are looking for and is actively updated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_genealogy_software

I have used a package called RootsMagic in the past and I have liked it. I think they have a free version with some limits on features.