Genealogy Software + Ancestry

Does any one use genealogy software (ex. Family Tree Maker), in addition to ancestry? I currently don't have software but am feeling the need to invest. (Hate having all my information in only one place). If you use software in addition to Ancestry, what do you use / recommend?

Thanks

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Russ Worthington on August 14, 2009 at 7:26pm

Mavis,

I have Family Tree Maker as well as Ancestry.com. If you have a Member Family Tree at Ancestry.com now, when Version 2010 of Family Tree Maker is released later this month, you will be able to Download, images and all, from your My Family Tree directly into Version 2010.

There is also a Family Tree Maker Fans, here on Genealogy Wise.

Just a thought.

Russ

Permalink Reply by Alaine Keisling on August 14, 2009 at 7:42pm

I've used a couple different programs over the years; for the last several, Legacy, which I generally like. I just joined here last night, so I'm not familiar with many groups, but I know there are user groups for Legacy, Family Tree Maker and a couple other softwares.You could check out the groups and see what people say is good and bad about the various software.

Offhand, my least favorite Legacy quirk is its inability to handle same-sex couples. You either have to put one of the partners in with a false gender, or trick the program by modifying a gedcom and put up with error messages every time you run exception reports. It doesn't come up all that often, but it's very annoying when it does. FTM was more accepting of same-sex couples, but obviously it had other issues that I wasn't thrilled with. I just don't remember what they were at the moment. The programs that I used before that is lost in the mists of time.

Permalink Reply by Beverly J. High on August 14, 2009 at 7:54pm

Hi Mavis, I haven't used Ancestry.com to download my family tree on...I have been using 'Legacy' (Deluxe Edition) for almost 10 years now and am very happy with it. Haven't used any other. Their support group have been helpful too.
Here is the URL: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/
At their website you can download their 'Standard Edition' for free right now, if you would like to check it out.
Good luck. -Beverly

Permalink Reply by Clifton Cann on August 14, 2009 at 7:54pm

I have used Legacy for years and am very happy with it.

Permalink Reply by C. Clinton Hawthorne on August 14, 2009 at 7:58pm

Legacy has a Standard Software that you can download frim their web site. I have five different genealogy program that I use. Each has future that I like that is not in any of the other programs. For example the Parson Family Origin you can show five generation or family tabs. And Family Treasures has a spreadsheet style, where an Id number is added to the individual under being enter in the data base. And there is a spread sheet from each married, when a child that is in the individual data base that number in place in child 1. field of the marriage. That only two example of the different genealogy software. Family Tree Maker is the most mention software talk in genealogy chat rooms.

Permalink Reply by Mavis Jones on August 14, 2009 at 8:36pm

Thank you for the replies and input. Will have to check out the features of the ones mentioned and determine which is the most important feature to me to have in the software.

Permalink Reply by Paul Wm Metzger on August 14, 2009 at 8:48pm

I use Family Tree Builder, from MyHeritage.com, and Ahnenblatt www.ahnenblatt.com. I also have Family Tree Maker 5.0 SE, though I don't use it much. These are all free programs, and all of them can import gedcom files. I do the main editing work on my tree online in Ancestry.com, then download it to my computer as a gedcom, and import it into one or more of the above programs. I find I am able to view it more quickly, and in a more thorough manner offline using my programs than I can online in ancestry.com, even with a DSL connection.

Paul

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Brown on August 14, 2009 at 9:24pm

I use Legacy by the Millenium Corporation. The great thing is if you want to try it before you invest any money; their standard version is FREE. You can use this version forever and enter as many individuals as you want but it does not have all the bells and whistles of the Deluxe Version. They have great training videos and a manual which are extra but I find them well worth the money. Just google Legacy Family Tree.

Permalink Reply by Linda Sue Hollingsworth Robbins on August 14, 2009 at 9:25pm

There are several websites that I recommend for choosing a software program, as well as getting others' opinions:
1. http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ I don't know if this website is unbiased or not, but I used it in 2008 to choose my software program. The reason I chose Legacy Family Tree at that time was that I used Windows 2000 and Legacy Family Tree would operate in that system where other software programs had already deleted Windows 2000 as an option.. Be careful to choose a program that matches all your needs and your computer's capabilities.
2.http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/top-10-genealogy-software/
3. http://www.consumersearch.com/genealogy-software
4. http://genealogy.about.com/cs/genealogysoftware/a/software_2.htm

Permalink Reply by Mavis Jones on August 17, 2009 at 7:30pm

Linda,

Thank you for the additional sites to check out comparisions. I usually like to have that type of information and couple it with what others recommend.

Permalink Reply by Debbie Gibson on August 14, 2009 at 9:38pm

I use Legacy now but have used Family tree. have been trying to download my Anc. tree and put in legacy but comes up with errors and wont do it. so am doing it manually

Permalink Reply by Paul Wm Metzger on August 14, 2009 at 9:53pm

Debbie,

What kind of errors are you getting? Do you mean when you try to export and download a gedcom file? I use this method at least once a day to download updates that I have made in Ancestry to my computer to view on my own software.

Paul