Genealogy Software: You will want it!

I mentioned in my last post that you will want to have genealogy software of some type. Notebook notations and paper charts are all well and good - I use these as well - but for recording and organizing the information that you collect, your computer and a decent genealogy program is the best way to go.

The software that I selected was "Family Tree Builder" by MyHeritage. This software is free to download from myheritage.com and though I've looked at other programs I've stayed with this one. There is a "Premium" version with extra features for which you'll be charged a subscription fee, but the basic package is free. It comes with a limited amount of web space to publish and share your research and also has a very useful feature called "smart matching" which compares the information on your family tree with other peoples information and suggests matches. This allows you to connect with other people who are doing similar research and compare information. I've found it very useful.

At the moment I have more than 1600 people in more than 650 families, listed on my family tree. I have traced most of my direct ancestors back at least 8 generations and have some branches traced back to the 1200's.... and I have only been doing research for about 18 months - still a beginner myself, compared to many researchers. Still, I believe that I've been fairly successful with my search - as you can be as well! The point, of course. is that you need a way of organizing the mass of genealogical information that will come in. The computer is your friend! Compare software and choose a program that looks good - then start using it to build your tree with the information that you already have.