• Reveal the program that is the best match for you
• Give you a good idea of what your chart and reports will look like

Using this approach helped me narrow it down to the following three excellent choices in free genealogy software.

Genealogy Research Software (Gramps 3.3)

Overall Gramps is a great program that has pretty much every feature chart and report option you could dream of. If you have great computer skills you are going to love it, if not this may not be a good program for you. Gramps also has a few extra features that are quite nice, like the Gramplets feature that helps you monitor your progress and analyze data.

For a more in depth review of Gramps3.3 including a link where you can download the software for free, join us on the Genealogy in General forums now.

RootsMagic 5

The free version of RootsMagic genealogy software is slick, good looking and starts off with an option to import data right at the opening screen. RootsMagic is also loaded with an impressive list of features and extras. The only drawback to this superb free version of the program is that it will not attach documents or allow you to publish your research. However that should not be a great deterrent as those features and many more are available on the full paid version should you choose RootsMagic as your long term genealogy software?

For a more in depth review of RootsMagic including the download links join us on the Genealogy in General forums now.

My Heritage Family Tree Builder

My Heritage open source family tree software has an incredible, easy to navigate layout in a gorgeous design. With fantastic easy access drop down menus and a convenient back button it makes entering data fast and efficient. The downside of this amazing free program is that there is a data entry limit of 250 individuals. I don’t really consider that a serious deal breaker for the beginning genealogist, as you can choose from a three tier upgrade adding as needed; or export to GedCom if you want to change programs.

For a more in depth review with download links of My Heritage join us on the Genealogy in General forums now.

Don’t be afraid to download a few programs and give them a try. I can assure you that removing the unwanted programs is as simple as the initial down loads. Please remember; before you start downloading to scan for viruses.

Don’t forget to join us on the forums for a breakdown of the key features in each of these exceptional free version genealogy software programs.

image credit: office.microsoft.com

All You Really Need

A simple nuts and bolts genealogy software program that allows you to carry forward with your research, while keeping your family tree organized, is all that is really needed. A practical solution to this is, open source or “free” family tree software, that you can download in 10 minutes or less.

Free Family Tree Software Essentials

1. A good open source program for a beginning genealogist is one that will:
• Easily record your data
• Compile your evidence
• Help you to analyze your findings

2. A better beginning program will be:
• Easy to navigate
• Catch errors
• Provide tutorials
• Offer tech support

3. The best program has all of the above and is:
• Upgradable – you will not have to re-enter your data
• GedCom compatible – you are free to choose whatever long term program you like.

Using open source genealogy software gets you started immediately. In addition, some of these free programs rival a lot of the paid programs available. I know this because I have spent the last few days testing out several of them and am in the process of testing several more.

At this point you may be saying “Gee thanks, but I still don’t know what one to choose”. Not to worry, over the next few days Genealogybeginner.com will have your choices narrowed down to a top three short list of open source programs; perfect for the beginning genealogists. Check back to see the final results.

On the Other Hand

You may have your heart set on purchasing your long term genealogy software program now. Or maybe you are thinking of purchasing one as a gift for someone special? Before you do, make certain you check out Genealogybeginner.com’s Lesson 8: A Look at Genealogy Software. A pivotal lesson that takes a long hard look at the enormous and baffling world of genealogy software, then demystifies it before your eyes.

image credit: treelady via photobucket

Perhaps, it is mostly about family pride and honoring the ancestors who made great sacrifices, so that we may enjoy the lives we have today.

Family History Month is the perfect time to connect with your family members and host a Family Tree party.  To throw a Family Tree Party all you need to do is, ask family members to bring a special family heirloom; it could be a photograph, newspaper clipping, recipe or simply a favorite memory about a family member. Sharing the stories from your common past can help bring present and future generations closer together, while at the same time preserving your heritage.  For relatives that are more geographically distant try to arrange for them to attend through a group Skype call.

While you have everyone together, you have the opportunity to:

Work on your family tree

With everyone together, this is the ideal time to update your family tree. Have there been any births, marriages or deaths since the last update? What about occupation changes, education news or recent research that needs to be added?

Start a family cookbook

Does your family have any traditional dishes, what about grandma’s homemade bread or Uncle Joe’s Horseradish sauce?  Hosting a Family Tree Party may be the opportunity you have been waiting for to gather up these delectable family treats and finally start that family cookbook project.

Profile a family member

Profiling a family member is an excellent way to enrich your family history one forebear at a time. Is there someone in your family tree who is famous or infamous? Is there a mystery to be solved? Every ancestor has a story to tell, by profiling an individual, you give yourselves the ability to fully flesh out those stories that define family history.

Create a family Facebook page

With everyone together, it is a good time to discuss creating a family Facebook page. Family Facebook pages are a wonderful way to stay in touch, share information and work together on your family history projects. You can use them to share photographs, documents and the latest news. Family Facebook pages are free; they are also easy to set up. Another bonus is that they are a great way for others researching your family name to find you.

Do not forget to check out some of the leading genealogy websites and take advantage of their Family History Month celebrations. Here are a few of the special offers and activities available throughout Family History Month.

• Honor Family History Month with “The Amazing History of You“:  ProQuest and Ancestry.com
• Great genealogy supplies giveaway and free Webinars: Family Tree Magazine and Family Tree University
• A one-month Geni Plus account giveaway: Geni

Family History Month is the perfect occasion to renew your genealogy research, or get it started at genealogybeginner.com. It is most certainly a time to remember your family, past and present.

“We all grow up with the weight of history on us.  Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies”.  ~Shirley Abbott

Anyone involved in genealogical research knows about the difficulty in tracking long lost family members, in obtaining and organizing official records and placing them in an easy-to-use family tree for all the family. Although nowadays one can get help online, a good and trustworthy genealogy research tool, specializing in finding ancestors and advancing our family research, is essential.

My Heritage was one of the first sites totally geared towards helping its users easily create and access their family trees online, and even create a community where family members can participate and help out too. Another tool available at My Heritage is a “record family engine” which searches across more than 10 billion records, and so far it is the most extensive genealogy searches available for ancestry research online. And best of all: it is free. Since their release of version 2.0, My Heritage has added hundreds of new genealogy database platforms which have given it a totally new and larger scope to its search capability.

This is how to use it: In the genealogical research form, type in the last name you are researching – if you don’t know the exact spelling or name, enter a combination of a first name and last name. The tool then searches for it in 1,400 genealogy databases and related Websites. This is a much more focused search than the ones carried out by more general search engines like Google and Yahoo. Searches can look for an exact spelling, or multiple spelling variations (called Megadex). Attention that the research tool will look for results in thousands of genealogy database and archives, so it may take several minutes before you can see the results on the screen. This search engine is particularly useful if you are researching a rare last name, or an uncommon combination of a first name and surname.

There are many other sites on the Internet for genealogy, My Heritage is not alone, but on My Heritage users can count on a reliable technical support team and easy availability of information.

Although records have been found dating back to a person in Europe in 1200 A.D., the Latter Day Saints’ Web site information is not as complete as the CD databases available at public genealogy libraries or at their own genealogy libraries located in most major cities around the world.

Note: In The Step-by-Step Genealogy Guide, we discuss searching public records in detail, including how to get free, professional, one-on-one assistance. The Guide also offers more information abut the LDS website plus provides extensive details about getting the most of an actual visit to the library.

Set a specific goal for each online family history search session (i.e., the one hour you have on Sunday before junior wakes up from his nap) Try to narrow your search and only look at those items that are closely related to your quest. It is possible to spend many fascinating, yet useless hours chasing information. Try to remain focused on your search.

Now Download the full Genealogy Guide and keep your research going!

Getting Yourself Ready For a Genealogy Search

You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories – birth certificates, military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds. Therefore, It is a good idea to prepare a notebook to organize yourself.

More Info:
To Organize or Be a Genealogy Slob
By: Rudy Coleman

Click Here to Read This Article(will open in a new window)

When doing genealogy you’ll also explore how to plan a family reunion or visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. You’ll visit to your local courthouse to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.

You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missing ancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’ve gathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time. You’ll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research one person at a time. Ready? Ok, let’s get started.

What Does a Family Tree Template Look Like?

Most family tree templates wont allow for Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins. This is because a family tree typically includes only you, your grandparents, great grandparents, etc. (Note that others have argued this point. Some believe that searching for Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins can provide leads back to your own bloodline. I agree that they can find leads; they still have no business on your own tree.)

Building a Genealogy Chart or Template

A genealogy chart starts with you and then branches first to your parents and then your grandparents. From there it goes to your great grandparents, great-great grandparents, and so on.

At a minimum, a genealogy chart will have the full name for each entry. Many will argue that (at a minimum) the genealogy chart should include date of birth and date of death.

A good family tree has formal evidence behind every entry. Birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses are all typical sources of evidence. The complete Genealogy Guide provides a lot of details on how to find these documents.

Simply follow these three simple steps and you’ll be up and running with your family tree in no time. Start by getting yourself a Blank Family Tree Template

The Step-by-Step Genealogy Guide

• Family Tree Templates
• Exactly How To Make a Family Tree Chart
• Where to Find Birth, Death, and Marriage Certificates
• How to Deal With Name Related Issues Like Spelling Changes.
• And much more . . .

By Dakota Caudilla

You’ll be surprised with the kind of information you’ll unearth when you do a research on your own family name. People you’ve never known existed, long-lost relatives, and friends who share the same lineage as you! This is what researching your own surname can do for you. If you’re not ready for some surprise findings, you’re better off leaving all this researching to others in your family.

Researching your own surname can be done through different methods. For one thing, the most popular among all the other methods of researching your own family surname is through the Internet. The wide availability, freedom of use and flexibility of the internet makes it the most popular genealogical research tool known to humankind today!

Try websites like http://www.genealogy.com and you’ll see what we mean. By typing in your surname or your ancestor’s first and last name, you’ll come up with a whole list of possible family members that you can easily fill up your family tree. These tools are generally easy to use and some websites even have communication tools whereby you can contact the possible relative directly too. These websites contain hundreds of millions of family names in their database to help people find long-lost family members.

And if you use their tool and make a small contribution, you can use their online tool or software to create a family tree. However, for International users, you might have a bit of problem researching your family name because most databases contain popular family names widely used in the United States.

If you do not reside in the United States, here’s what you can do. Try going to your favorite search engine and typing ‘Chinese family name research’ or ‘Irish family name research’ or ‘Indian surname genealogy research’ into the search bar. You might come up with some websites that can help you find out more about your family surname within your locality. For Chinese surnames, try here.

The forum is very active and most importantly, the people in there are really helpful.

If that doesn’t help, try http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthi.htm where there is a listing of different genealogy sleuths all around the world. Genealogy Sleuths are basically people who compile databases of family names in certain areas and the biggest collection of these databases are, of course, names and family names of people residing in the United States.

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Where to Next?

Blank Family Tree with Step-by-Step Instructions

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Discovering Family History articles are being written by some of the most respected book and magazine authors ­ and many of them have extensive experience of teaching genealogy courses, either face-to-face or online.

Even if you have been conducting your genealogy research for many years, you may want to take a look at what Discovering Family History has to offer: as you get more and more into your family history, you will find the need to investigate resources that are completely new to you. Discovering Family History can help.”

I love this free preview. The articles appear to be exciting and well written. Some article titles include:

• A Few Fantastic Free Family History Websites
• Let Obituaries Speak to You (<– With an Excellent Graphic)
• Who Else is Researching Your Name
• What is a Vital Record

Good stuff!

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Where to Next?

Blank Family Tree with Step-by-Step Instructions

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She goes on to write:

“‘How far back does genealogy go?’ a beginner might ask. And at first thought, Biblical references might come to mind as evidenced by all the chapters of begats. Family descent was important to the ancient Hebrews, in part because Hebrew males had to prove descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses, in order to hold the Levitical priesthood. The first eight chapters of the book of I Chronicles give genealogies from Adam down through Abraham and other Old Testament patriarchs. I Chronicles 9:1 reads, “so all Israel were reckoned by genealogies…”

You can read the rest of the article by clicking here (and then clicking “How To Archives” > “History” > “History of Genealogy”). I suggest you take a close look at the magazine itself. You can pick up a free trial subscription if you’d like.