When I first started researching and collecting data about my ancestors I stored everything in one large file and drew trees by hand causing no end of problems simply because with every new piece of information acquired my family tree grew in height and width.

There are many software packages available for recording your family history and it would be unfair of me to try to tell you their capabilities as I am not an expert. I chose Family Tree Maker because it suited my requirements and continues to do so, but before I start explaining more about Family Tree Maker, here are three of the many family history software packages available on the Internet.

A selection of software for family historians

For all items including software, data CDs and stationery, S&N Genealogy is always the first site I visit, and usually where my search ends.

Family Tree Maker

If you visit this site you can study the online overview of Family Tree Maker, http://www.familytreemaker.com. By clicking on ‘Overview’ you will be given the option to take a product tour or purchase online.

We are now going to review my copy of Family Tree Maker and the way that I use this product. The next image you see will be the family page for my husband Brian and his parents. Brian’s father is highlighted by clicking on the two names above, Albert and Lilian, and we will be taken up one level to the next generation.

Now the software will bring up the parents of Albert William Marelli, and by clicking on Martino and Amy or Frederick and Susan we can go up another generation. We can also view any of Albert William’s siblings by clicking the arrow next to their name (see opposite).

If you look at the names of the key individuals highlighted, Albert Marelli and Lilian Lucretia Chappell, you will see a scroll icon next to their name, birthplace and death place.

The scroll icon also has a little black triangle in the corner which means I have obtained an original source. If we look at the sources for Lillian Chappell you can see that, although I have recorded the exact date of and place of her death, I obviously have not yet added the source information I as there is no small black triangle.

The source dialog box allows me to create, edit and add source information.

A source can be any number of things - Census records, Civil Registration details, Wills, manorial records, church records, gravestones, newspaper articles, and so on.

Each individual recorded in your software also has their own notes screen. Below the death place is an edit icon with a pencil, .

Next to the edit icon is the spouse icon . This is where you can add second marriages and choose the preferred spouse, direct line, for your tree. You can also attach names of the children of this marriage. The advantage of this software is that you can edit and move individuals if originally attached to the wrong parents.

If you want to order the children by date of birth, you can do so by selecting the ‘people’ menu at the top of the screen. This feature means that you can add siblings at any time, and sort them as you go.

We now have all the children in the correct birth order after using the ‘sort children’ option.

If you have scanned photos or other documents of your ancestors you can import them into their own personal scrapbook .

Images can be added easily by right-clicking on a blank box. Later I will show you another wonderful feature of scrapbooks.

We are now going to look at creating trees from the information you have keyed into your family history database. When you have decided whose tree you are going to create, you can look for the names of those that will appear for quick reference by clicking on this icon.

You can also access spouses, parents and siblings or the whole index of a person, and by clicking on an individual by name, you will be taken to the edit screen of your chosen ancestor.

Producing trees with Family Tree Marker

By clicking on the tree icon at the top of our screen a list of the tree types available to create appear. Below you will find images of the different types available.

There is a number of features available when designing your tree for print. A right click of your mouse will bring them up.

I will now go through the process of changing the look of a tree.

Below is a sample ancestor tree with siblings added. The top of this tree has been cropped for viewing purposes.

Displaying backgrounds or photographs in your family tree

You may want to give your family tree a special feel, particularly if it’s a gift. There is a number of standard backgrounds that come with this software which can be applied to your tree.

But, you can also browse your own pictures (perhaps ones you have found through archives) for a particular image, edit it, and then insert it into the background of your tree.

It is also possible to print a tree and add an object or image as part of the information you require to appear in each individual box. It is most likely to be a photograph of the individual.

I have created an hourglass tree showing three generations of my mother Peggy-

I scanned a photograph of her and added it into my pictures file so that when I browsed for images I could input it as a background of the above tree.

Personally, I love this feature for creating family trees.

Reports

There is a variety of reports available to print within Family Tree Maker. Click on on the top menu.

Let’s take a look at the type of reports available, all of which you can customise to suit your own requirements. What type of report is most suitable will depend on the information you want to gather, but these reports can be useful for checking and cross-referencing information.

You can also print off a list of all the sources you have collected, or not yet collected, as the case may be.

Charting Companion. for family Tree Marker

Charting Companion by Progeny is an add-on for the latest version of Family Tree Maker in which you can view, customize, print and publish generations of your family tree. It works by using the data in Family Tree Maker and providing many more options.

Unfortunately, none of the diagrams you are about to see will be in colour, but hopefully you will get the general idea of this software package. I am going to build an hourglass tree for Albert William Marelli. I have closed down Family Tree Maker and logged into Charting Companion. My first step was to select his name from the index.

Next choose the tree style I want to create:

The software also provides a variety of charts which are useful because they provide a different way of looking at the same data.

Family Tree Maker, the Internet and your family history page

Besides the more expected features of FTM you can also launch your family history on to the Internet and create your own family history web page. Not everyone has or wants a website, but there is an easy solution to getting your family history published on the Internet through FTM. Back in the main FTM family file I am going to select the Internet menu at the top of the main screen:

By selecting ‘Create a Family Home Page’ you will be taken into wizard that will guide you through the easy process of creating a family home page.

I already have my own website but decided to create a family history page to enhance my Internet profile. I followed the instruction wizard easily and all my data was uploaded for me to produce the following page:

To the left of the screen is the list of what has been imported from FTM to my newly created family page. By clicking on ‘Surname list’, viewers can examine the following:

By clicking on a chosen surname above or selecting the index of individuals you or viewers can examine complete families:

Or, by clicking on the menu ‘InterneTree’ for a chosen name, you or viewers can produce a tree:

Also by clicking on a name on the above tree such as Lilian Margaret Reynolds, my mum, a picture of her taken from my FTM file appears for me and others to enjoy:

Also, if you have researched and recorded actual sources in FTM that confirm your findings, these to can be made available to other interested parties:

If you change or update information in FTM, you can very easily update/add that information to your web page. Go to the Internet menu at the top and select ‘Update or Edit my Home Page’. A wizard will take you through the simple steps to update your family page. Excellent stuff!

I think you will agree FTM offers a wonderful resource which makes publishing your family history on the Internet a simple yet effective process.