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Position:Home>Genealogy> New at Family Tree Making?Question: New at Family Tree Making!? i am new at the whole family tree searching and making and i was wondering if buying a family tree software like Family Tree Maker 2009 is the best way to go!. i looked into ancestry!.com but the membership price is a little too high!. does buying a software program have the same research tools as ancestry!.com!? is ancestry!.com worth its price!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Don't buy anything yet!. Start with a free-download of PAF from http://www!.familysearch!.org Download any tutorials they have!. The software will help you organize the information you obtain!. The same site will allow you to search their database for free!. also, hit http://www!.rootsweb!.com , most of which is still free!. Go to your public library and check out a few books on genealogy!. Curl up with them at night!. Genealogy has nothing to do with software; it's all methodology and detective work!. It can be done with a notebook, index cards, and a filing cabinet!. Software and databases are convenient and handy, but not necessary!. The Method and Discipline are required!. If you get really enthused with it, then you can allow yourself to spend the money!. also check into membership in a local Genealogical Society!. You'll learn lots there too, they're cheap (mine is $25 per year) and very valuable resources!. Good luck and happy hunting!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Family tree software does not give you research answers!. It does provide tips for making a successful tree, but you have to do your own research and input!. Ancestry!.com is a service that lets you look at and print ouf records such as census, marriage, death, military and many other kinds of records!. To see what is all out there on Ancestry!.com, go to your local library and use their subscription!. It won't cost you a thing, and you will be able to gauge if the price of the service is worthwhile to you!. Even if you just sign up for one year, you will be amazed at how much work you can get done in a year's time with all that is out there!. Www@QuestionHome@Com I still use Family Tree Maker 2005 to organise my tree file!. I've heard bad things about the recent updated version, but overall, it's a good program!. The best program for beginners which is completely free is the Mormons PAF program which can be downloaded for free from their huge Familysearch!.org megasite!. Then, once you've got going, you can export your GEDCOM tree into one of the other programs!. Legacy and Brothers Keeper are supposed to be good!. It's all a matter of personal choice and what you get used to!. As for Ancestry, it's expensive for sure, but certainly worth its price!. I usually only pay for a months access at a time when I have a stack of new things I want to look at and get all my research in at once!. Www@QuestionHome@Com Family Tree software will help you keep your records in order and build your tree, but it will not give you the raw data you will need for the tree, for this you need to talk to family members, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, Cousins etc!. Then you need to gather any printed matter you might have, Old Letters and diary's Certificates of of Birth, Death and Marriage, You may just be lucky enough to have access to a family bible lots of data can be found here if you are lucky!. Military Papers can be a big help!. A couple of web sites to use are www!.familysearch!.org And www!.Rootsweb!.com Both free to use and can be a big help also have a look at www!.lostcousins!.com Hope this is of some help Good luck and good huntingWww@QuestionHome@Com |