If you are looking for a way to organize all of your family tree information on your computer, Family Tree Maker 2010 can make it easy for you. Imagine having a program in which you can record the names, stories and dates of your relatives, as well as have pictures, video and audio clips on them. Updating is so simple with the Family Tree Maker, all you do is open it up and find the section where you want to place your new information and save it.
Automatically Searches for New Information
Family Tree Maker 2010 works with your Internet connection to check for new information about your ancestors. It’s connected to Ancestry.com, which is one of the most popular and complete resources for genealogy.
Other Features of Family Tree Maker
- Categorize your pictures.
- Create a timeline.
- Easily record where you find information so you can go back to it if you need more information.
- Remind yourself of special days such as birthdays and anniversaries by recording them on the calendar.
- View migration of generation.
- Make slideshows.
- Understand the relationship between two people with the relationship calculator.
- Create a family book for printing.
Great for First Timers
The Family Tree Maker is great for seasoned or first time genealogists. The program’s features are self explanatory but if you need help, you can always ask forums members on Ancestory.com or use the help section. Those who have been working on their family history, may have to spend some time getting all the information into the program but the time is well worth it because once it’s there, it’s there and you can just continue to build on it as you go.
Price and Location for Purchase
You can find Family Tree Maker 2010 on the Family Tree Maker website. It will cost you $39.95. You can also find it in some stores that carry similar programs.
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August 19th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you know that you have relatives that immigrated to the United States via Ellis Island/Port of New York, you can search the records free on The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc website.
Simply provide a first name and/or a last name of the passenger, the approximate year of birth and the gender to see if your relative was on one of the ships. If you don’t know if a relative came to the U.S. via this route, you can do a much broader search by just entering your family’s last name, choosing different years and leaving the gender as ‘any’. Then you can browse through the results to find leads.
The site also gives you the opportunity to search by ship, in case you don’t know any other information that makes the passenger search viable for you.
The site doesn’t just offer free searches, you can also purchase collector’s items to add to your genealogy project. You can also add your ancestors to memorials kept at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum by adding their face to The American Flag of Faces. You can also have your ancestor’s name inscribes on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor, located at Ellis Island. If you haven’t made your way over to the site, do so now, you may find another piece of your family history puzzle.
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August 14th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
While using the social networking site, Twitter, I discovered a wealth of genealogy resources on the site. Many genealogists are tweeting about their genealogy research, adventures and the latest resources they found. Not only that, many write articles and have blogs documenting their genealogy research efforts, which means even more information for you.
If you haven’t signed up for a Twitter account yet, it’s really easy. Once you sign up, you can search for people or topics. I did a search for genealogy and found hundreds of people discussing the topic. The first two that I recommend following are @FamilyTree101 and @geneabloggers. Both of these tweeters blog about genealogy research and tweet regularly about the things they find.
If you already have a personal Twitter account, it may be helpful to set up a different one specifically for genealogy research. Since there is no much activity on the subject, you’ll want it to be separate so you can allot time when you are interested in reading up on the subject.
Remember, Twitter is a social site. Feel free to tweet about your progress and make some genealogy friends. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. If you have a question ask, if you find someone with a question, answer it. Before you know it, you’ll have created a nice support system to help you through your very own genealogy research adventures.
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July 27th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you are looking for a way to recharge your genealogy research, Genealogy Wise is the place to be! This social networking site especially for genealogy researchers can help you jump start your searches by providing you tools, support and just a chance to take a break and meet friends who are interested in the same things you are.
Here are some of things you can expect when using Genealogy Wise:
Join in discussions about genealogy and other hobbies. You’ll be amazed at some of the research tools others have found that you can start using.
The Genealogy Wise blogs are great for information and learning about what the site offers as well as other ways to deal with dead ends in your research.
The field of genealogy is ever changing and it’s important to keep up with the latest advancements. Read about genealogy news right from the site’s homepage.
Are you wondering how someone did a particular project or how they researched something? Check out the videos!
Take a look at snapshots of what other members have found in their research and what they have done with their information.
You can chat instantly with other members who are listed as your friend.
Do you need specialized help from an expert? Read and ask questions of the site’s genealogy expert.
The site includes a genealogy store that you can purchase programs and other research tools.
Don’t bother leaving the site if you are looking for records! You can conveniently search right from the site’s homepage.
This site truly has everything you need in a community that helps you advance your genealogy research. Take a break from your search and head over to Genealogywise.com. You’ll have fun and learn so much!
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July 17th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
Social networking sites are taking over the Internet. The three most popular ones right now are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These sites have thousands, if not millions, of members meeting people and reconnecting with people from their past.
Social networking sites can be a great resource for you when doing genealogy research. Since these sites have become so popular, so many people use them. This means you have a higher probability of finding a relative.
To use a social networking site for genealogy research, look up relatives’ name you would you like to search for. Gather information such as birth date and current location. Twitter doesn’t have as great of a search feature as Facebook and Myspace but you can still search for a name to see if your relative comes up. If not, turn to MySpace next. You can use their advanced search option to enter in name, birth date, location or any other information you may have. Then you will have to weed through the results of everyone that comes up with the information you provided. If you don’t find your relative, turn to Facebook next. The reason why you should start with MySpace first since it was much more popular before Facebook.
After finding whom you are looking for, send him/her a friend’s request and a message to let the person know who you are and what you are looking for. This could open up many more opportunities to find other relatives because one person can point you to many more.
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July 3rd, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you are reading this blog, you must read this very informational news report afterwards. It’s an online article put out by The Wall Street Journal, The Life-Saving Secrets in Your Family Tree.
In this article, you learn that keeping record of your family history’s health can be much more useful than a genetic test can. Doctors are actually encouraging people to research their family’s medical history to determine whether there is a probability of a person coming down with a particular disease or disorder.
The article also discusses some great ways you can start gathering information about your family tree’s medical history. It also gives suggestions about how you should bring the information you gather with you to doctor’s appointments so your doctor can be aware and keep an eye on possible signs of familial illness and/or order tests for you. Your doctor may even advise you to get a genetic test to pinpoint whether you have inherited the genetic marker for a particular disease that runs in your family. Without the information you provided, you and your doctor may have never even thought of looking for it, which means you could someday suffer from an otherwise preventable disease.
If you never had a good enough reason to start a family tree other than just knowing where your ancestors came from, this is it. Your ancestors may give you clues into your future health, if you are willing to look for them. Don’t ignore what you can help by researching your family’s health.
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July 1st, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
You may never have thought of including your kids before when you do your family tree research, but it can be a fun and educational project for them. You’d be surprised at how excited they would be if you asked them to help you with even the minimalist of duties.
If you’re wondering what exactly they would help with, here are some suggestions!
- If you are using the library, you can have your kids hold microfiches for you or help you search for books. This is a great way to teach them how to research in a library.
- If you are collecting pictures and storing them in sleeves or other organization method, ask your children to help place them where they belong.
- If you don’t have anything for them to do on your project, why not ask them to start a family tree of their own. You can give them some construction paper, print out double of information you find and help them create a small book of their family.
- If you are using video, or a recorder, ask your children to hold it for you to film. They can even tape you if you would like to include yourself.
Do you have any ideas on how children can help with the project of creating a family tree? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/search/?l=4&w=all&q=kids+project&m=text)
June 24th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
Scrapbooking has become a popular hobby to capture family memories. While many people only scrapbook their immediate family, it’s also possible to branch out and scrapbook your family tree.
After compiling information about your family’s history such as birth dates, death dates, and other important information, you can look for pictures of your ancestors. You can usually find these in the local library of where your ancestor resided from old newspapers on microfiche or on the Internet. If you can’t find any photos, don’t worry, you can use other images and embellishments in their place.
The next thing you need to do is decide if you want to make your family tree scrapbook with papers, embellishments and other ordinates from a scrapbook/craft store or if you want to create a digital scrapbook and have the pages printed out at a photo center or on your own printer.
Scrapbooking your family history provides generations a beautiful and informational look into the past of your family, which they can use to know how far their family has come.
If you’ve scrap booked your family tree, let us see by uploading it to image hosting website and then placing a link in the comments below!
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June 17th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you are actively searching for family tree information, you may not have considered using forums as part of your genealogy research.
Find Experienced Researchers
Forums, especially genealogy forums, are filled with people who know the ins and outs of researching a family tree. Even if you have been searching the Internet for years, you may find someone who has thought of another resource you can use.
New Genealogy Online Resources
Forums also can provide you with information on new genealogy online resources. Many times, new family tree sites may not have much information but if you include what you’ve found, you may surprised to find that someone has information to add to yours. You may find that these new sites are easy to navigate because they haven’t been overly filled with information yet. It makes it easy for you to find information and for others to find yours.
Support from Other Researchers
When you research your family tree, you may come to roadblocks and may not find the information you wanted. Joining a community forum provides you with others who know exactly how you feel. You will be able to vent your frustrations and receive support. This can give you the energy you need to not give up and keep your search going.
Genealogy Forums
Now that you have reasons why you should join genealogy forums, here are some you can browse and join.
This site has message boards broken up into surnames, locations, and topics. This is one of the most popular and active genealogy forums on the Internet.
This is another popular forum site, which is an extension of an online family tree search tool you may be interested in trying.
You can find forum topics such as General Issues, Regional Studies, Vital/Census Records, Local Societies, Passenger Lists, Coat of Arms, Genealogy Software, Helpful Organizations, Military Records, Cemeteries, History & Culture, Religion & Genealogy, Maps & Atlases, and Miscellaneous on this forum website.
If you visit a genealogy forum not listed here, please share it. Researching a family tree is difficult and it’s good to have as much support as possible.
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June 10th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
May was Personal History Awareness Month and, at its close, it’s important to know that your reflections on your personal stories have not yet ended. If you didn’t know about Personal History Month, that’s okay. You can start now. The stories you record from now will be treasured keepsakes for many generations to follow.
The purpose of Personal History Awareness Month to help people understand the amazing life everyone leads. Even if you don’t think your children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, will be interested in your story, think again. Something as simple as going to the store and buying milk for four dollars or some of your genetic traits will be so interesting to future generations. Reading about your normal boring days to you, will be windows into the past for others. If you’ve ever sat and read memoirs or diaries in history, you know the power that words can have to transform you to a different place in time.
If you are wondering how to start recording your personal history, here are a few tips to get you started.
- Think of a way you would like to record your story. You can use tapes, a journal, or scrapbooking. Think of a way that appeals to you so you will want to do it and look forward to it each day.
- You don’t have to start from when you were born. You can start with today. Talk about what you did, how you feel, and what you are thinking about.
- If you want to tell stories from the past, go ahead. You don’t have to stay in your present life, you can look back and bring your past to the present. It will help you and the readers of your story see how you’ve grown and how your present has been affected because of your past.
- Incorporate stories from others into your stories. You don’t have to just focus on yourself. If your children have done something memorable or you attended a family event, include it in your stories. If you have a friend going through something difficult, tell that story as well. Many things that happen around you affect your life directly so you should share it.
- It’s okay to take a break from time to time. Don’t feel that once you start, you have to continue. If you’ve had enough, put it away for awhile and come back to it. Future generations will still get the benefits even if it’s not a daily recording.
Now that you have a few tips to get you started, tell your story! In the comments, tell us how you are telling your story and what you hope future generations will get out of it.
(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chant3/)
June 5th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees, Geneology Projects | Comments (0)
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