Genealogy Chat

I've now got FTM thanks to Matthew... as I've not got a morrisons near me so went onto Play.com. Thank you!!! I'm just about to upload it as a GEDCOM now, there is defintley an option to tick not to show info of alive people isn't there?? (for here and Tribal pages) Can wait to get started on some real researching now, setting up takes so much time! Thanks all again x

Cherry I started off here on GR and then Gedcom'd it to Ancestry where it is very easy to build your tree direct from the Census and BMD lists. With a growing tree my intention was to upload tree info regularly from Ancestry and download again to Genes for the contacts value. However, I have now discovered that it is not possible to transfer info from Ancestry. Their system just does not cater for uploading. I also bought the FTM from Morrisons before learning that I couldn't download from Ancestry. I am now in the position of having to update my Genes tree bit by bit and it's taking me hours. When I've got that back up to date I can get on with using my FTM..... Patience is needed!! Good Luck Jo

Hi Cherry, Just one word of warning - see below Jo

Hi, I would recommend getting FTM 2005 for £6 from Morrisons, like some people have said. It is a very good, much better than using the genesreunited online one. If you can't get to Morrisons, you can buy it online for £7.99 including delivery at www(.)play(.)com - remove the brackets. They have repackaged FTM2005 as 'Who do you think you are' - so you will have to search under that name, but it is basically the same thing. Matt

I keep my main tree in family tree maker. I have also been using the personal tree on ancestry which I think is good as you can link census records. I have been getting a couple of contacts a week. The main drawback is at the momment you can't download it though they have promised to change that soon. I have also added a tree to tribal pages which is very good for displaying photos and other people can view it free of charge if they don't have a genes or ancestry subscription. Once you create a tree most sites let you download it as a gedcom so you can transfer it between sites quickly. Which ever site you use you should use the hide living people option and avoid displaying personal or potentially embarassing information about recent people - remember they may be someone's mother or grandmother. Anne

The one thing about having a family tree software package is that you don't need to worry about an internet connection or rely on other sites as the only place to view/edit your tree. With a programme like FTM you can also export a gedcom of your tree in less than a minute and upload it to any site (or e-mail it to someone). The important thing to remember though is you have total control of your tree and if you wanted to reveal just part of it to someone then you can, unlike most of the sites where it is all or nothing. Add in the reports and books etc plus the free website that you can have and FTM makes really good value. Glen

Sarah if you have bought the family tree maker program - yes you must use it! The free copy that came with some mags cant use all facilities but you can buy a proper copy for as little as £6 in Morrisons or £12 for the 2006 program on S and N Genalogy web site. It is brilliant and yes it is easy! It even makes your own home page web site for you just by clicking next a few times!

thank you all sooooo much for your help n tips.... found some more info tonight, its so exciting!! from what i see i need to get a family tree programme and to also back it up!! christmas pressie i think!!!! thank you, i can see im going to make lots of friends on here!!

i have family tree cd on my pc is it a good idea to put information on it and is it easy to use i have my tree on paper as well so i dont loose my info

Helena, the internet storage is well worth having. You just click on the internet back up tab every time you add extra information. I know its lazy, but human, not to get out the cd, put it on and back it up every time. To back up to cd, just click on file, back up and then cd and it does it all for you.

I'm glad you posted this, I've picked up a lot of useful tips, I've been doing it for about 2 months but hadn't backed it up, but will now. This sites good for hearing what others are up to and I now have contact with a 4th cousin from Cananda (I'm in Scotland) that would never have been possible without the site. If your looking for Scottish relatives Scotlandspeople site is the one I've found best but it costs money Good luck with your search Helena

I have the family tree maker program - you can buy it for about £12 on S and N Genealogy. I only wish Id had it from the start. When I look at some of my early work on there I realise that I didnt make enough notes to identify sources etc. All the detail you mention above is covered and you can bring up reports etc. with ease. Plus add photos, graphs, images etc. I save my information from the program onto cd and onto ancestrys internet storage facility - about a fiver a year and well worth it. I had my hard drive crash, lost all my work but backed it up from cd EXCEPT the last 40 pages which Id not backed up before the crash. After weeks putting all that back on I paid for the internet storage. I recently had a blip - dont know why - and lost my information on the program, just clicked internet back up and thank gawd, three years work was restored in an instant.

I have completed a sheet just like yours for each of my Direct Ancestors.............and this has worked really well for the first year of my research - although I have also added parents names (and also their Family Ref Number). And I have added Son / Daughter (and then again, their Family Reference Number). Just means that I can flick through the big A4 folder and go up and down the generations a bit easier. Each person has a A4 plastic sheet holder - and into that goes their Birth/Marriage/Death certs. Marriage certs get photocopied, so that the 2nd copy goes in the wife's sheet holder. Copies of Census sheets are all separate at the moment - arranged in 8 groups - basically each of my Great Grandparents and their Ancestors (and Surname descendents) - I'll have to sort this out properly at Christmas !! And I have other bits and pieces that need to be put somewhere as well...............its going to be a busy Christmas. Good luck and enjoy !

It might sound obvious, but just in case, I'll tell you now - WRITE DOWN EVERYWHERE that you get info from. For example, if you find someone on a census - write down the number (i.e RG13/1227/76/32), if you find a BMD on Ancestry or FreeBMD etc, obituary in newspapers, info off certificates etc - WRITE IT ALL DOWN!!!! Honestly, you would not believe how confusing it can all get and if you haven't written down exactly where you have found everything, you will end up with info and absolutely no idea where it came from and so you don't know if it is 100% reliable or not. I also have a 'Who is Who' list as our old rellies were great at being named John Smith and have a son called John Smith who went on to have a son called John Smith and then he died and they had another and called him John Smith!!!!!! My people with the same names are all numbered and then on my list I have: JOHN SMITH 1 Born 1832, married Mary 2 Born 1851, married Catherine 3 Born 1874, married Sarah etc And then I know which John Smith I am on about. As for the info you are collecting on each person, that sounds fine. Make sure you do regular back ups of any programme that you choose for your tree and then you don't get caught out if things go wrong. Other than that, just remember that we are all a great bunch on here and you can give us a shout any time you get stuck. There are so many of us that there is always someone who can help you, no matter what the problem is. Good luck and welcome!!!

I use this site to put my tree on, as its always useful for contacts who may be researching the same family. You will receive hot matches regularly and although most of these will be 'not matches' one or two will filter through as you advance in your research. I use Ancestry and FreeBMD for search purposes, I do not have my tree on Ancestry. I uses Tribal Pages for my full tree, as well as Family Tree Maker on the PC. (have a look in Morrisons, they are going cheap there, 2005 but still worthwhile) Best tip is to go to WHSmith and buy yourself a book to refer to, there are several good ones going, and treat yourself monthly to Your Family Tree magazine. Lastly, don't be in a rush, you will find yourself searching the wrong branch. If you get stuck, ask on here, there are loads of lovely people waiting to help you.

Where you keep your tree is up to you - if you are looking to make contact with relatives, the more sites you have your tree on, the more people are likely to see it. A word of warning though, always keep a copy of your tree somewhere else. Family Tree software on your computer is probably best, I keep mine on Family Tree Maker and update that one regularly and then every so often, upload an upto date copy of my tree (via GEDCOM) to whichever websites I've got a copy on. Websites can and do crash and you could find all your hard work disappearing! You can buy Family Tree Maker 2005 for about £6 in Morrisons, or you can download free software such as Legacy (google LEGACY) or PAF (from www.familysearch.org) and both are good. You can then keep your info on your PC and make regular backups to CD. Sam x

You can download your information off here, but not Ancestry. If you're serious about doing this, you'd be better putting it all into a tree program (FTM, PAF, Legacy etc) then uploading it on to here and/or Ancestry. It will save you a lot of wondering, and there are certain things you can't do on here (like link cousins) that you can on a program. Having your tree on both means twice the chance of getting contacts. You should also consider Tribal Pages (which is free for the basic package)

to put all data onto here, then found Ancestry and now I can't decide which one to use.! Do i need to do one or the other (will it make the searches easier??) I'm starting to think that paper is easier at he mo.... i've prepared what i will need to complete could you just advise me as you have gone along, if I have missed anything!! Thanks, I cant wait to get properly started!!! Name: Family Number Surname: DOB or Year of Birth: Have Birth Certificate? Yes / No Birth Certificate Vol no. Page no. Place of Birth: Occupation: Spouse Name: Date of Marriage: Have marriage Certificate? Yes / No Re-Married? Yes/no Spouse Maiden Name: Have Marriage Certificate yes/no Date/Year of Death: Have Death Certificate? Yes/No Child /Children’s Name: