Online Handout for “Beginners Guide to Genealogical Software” – Saturday, September 26, 2015

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Meeting Room A, Allen County Public Library

“Now that you have explored documents and records, and gathered more information for your family story, you’re ready to explore some of the best genealogical software packages for getting your data in a virtual form. Accessing your family information from anywhere in the world is a huge benefit in continuing to pursue your research. Join us for an overview of genealogical software. Bring your experiences and questions on your favorite program to share with your fellow family historians.” Event from Genealogy Center web site.

In the beginning…

In pen and paper days we filled in photocopied family group sheets, typed, or hand wrote our family history in loose leaf notebooks that got larger and large, and heavier and heavier. Worse, maybe we never organized our data and simply had scattered pieces of papers, photocopies, photos, notes, newspaper articles scattered unorganized in boxes, on desks and/or shoved in drawers and mystery locations we forgot about.

Now with digital software…

Depending on our current skills, desire to learn new skills, and whether we have a budget to buy software or use freeware, we can use word processing and spreadsheets like Microsoft Office Word and Excel, Google Docs, or OpenOffice to record data and write books. We can create family trees and charts in Family Tree Maker, Legacy, RootsMagic or other genealogy software. We can share our trees online or privately keep a a family tree backup online. We can digitize our family photos and use editing software to enhance, crop and label our photos without damaging the originals, and just as important make copies to share so rare family photos are not lost to future generations.

There are endless apps available for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets that stand alone for quickly entering new data or syncing with our existing software or online web trees.

Once you have enough information, you can write and publish family books to share as on demand for digital devices or print paper or hardback copies.

Wordprocessing and Spreadsheets

Some genealogist write and store data and family stories in word processing software or keep data in spreadsheets. You can easily create hyperlinks to cite sources on web sites and other files on your PC or local network.

Microsoft Office

1. Microsoft Office 2016 released September 22, 2015 – The new Office is here – https://blogs.office.com/2015/09/22/thenewoffice/ . Similar to Office 365, released several years ago, which is subscription Cloud based used in the web browser, Office 2016 is a one time purchase, or always up-to-date subscription Cloud based software on the computer similar to Windows 10 using the Cloud to always stay up to date. https://products.office.com/en-us/whats-new-office
2. Office 365, now with the new Office 2016 apps –https://products.office.com/en-US/?WT.mc_id=soc_TWcons_d57_all
3. “Five reasons Microsoft Office 2016 is better than Google Docs, and three reasons it isn’t” from CNET – http://cnet.co/1Mo9e0x

Google Docs

1. https://www.google.com/docs/about/
2. Twitter: https://twitter.com/googledocs

LibreOffice – forked off OpenOffice in 2010

1. https://www.libreoffice.org/
   
2. Twitter: https://twitter.com/libreoffice
3. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice
4. OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Use?

Family Tree Software

1. Genealogy Software Review – REVIEWS AND COMPARISONS – prices and features – http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
2. The Best Genealogy Software and Services for 2015 – http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403077,00.asp
3. Genealogy Software Guide – and much more – http://familytreemagazine.com/researchtoolkit/softwareguide
4. Genealogy Software for Windows – http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/windows_genealogy_software
5. Cyndis List – Genealogy Software Programs – 115 links:  http://www.cyndislist.com/software/genealogy/

Family Tree Maker

There are older web sites for previous versions, these are latest version resources

1. Home page: http://familytreemaker.com/
2. Learning Center: http://www.familytreemaker.com/learn
3. Russ Worthington blog: http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/
4. Ancestry.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AncestryUS
5. YouTube: Family Tree Maker 2014: Preview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjWFc5zKMoY&list=PL0xuz8BBkD4gH6OmyjHfjgZjqW-yD0TTi
6. YouTube Ancestry.com:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsc0AQkAh_2cQmxqwD6VWRw

Legacy 8.0

1. Genealogy Software Review: Legacy Family Tree – http://blog.eogn.com/2014/08/17/genealogy-software-review-legacy-family-tree/
2. FREE version:  http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/DownloadLegacy.asp
3. Video training: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Videos.asp
4. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree
5. Twitter: https://twitter.com/legacyfamily

RootsMagic 7.0

1. Essentials FREE: http://www.rootsmagic.com/essentials/
2. Blog: http://blog.rootsmagic.com/
3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RootsMagic
4. Twitter: https://twitter.com/RootsMagic
5. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RootsMagicTV

Heredis – mentioned on Eastman’s blog this week

1. Heredis 2015 is Now Available for Windows and Macintosh – http://blog.eogn.com/2015/06/23/heredis-2015-is-now-available-for-windows-and-macintosh/

Online Genealogy Programs

1. Online Genealogy Programs for Invited Family Members – Eastman’s blog – September 30, 2015

Organizing Software: Snipping Tool – OneNote – EverNote

1. Save entire web pages – simply go to Save > Save As Web page
2. Save snippets of data and photos off web pages using Snipping Tool in Windows go to Start menu > search for Snipping Tool
3. Use Snipping Tool to capture screen shots – http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-snipping-tool-capture-screen-shots

Microsoft OneNote – FREE with Office since Office 2007

1. https://www.onenote.com/
2. Blog: https://blogs.office.com/onenote/
3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneNote
4. Facebook OneNote for Genealogy group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/OneNoteGenealogy
5. Twitter: https://twitter.com/msonenote
6. FamilySearch Article – Organizing your genealogy research using microsoft onenote
7. Cyndis List – Organizing Your Research » OneNote for Genealogy

EverNote FREE

1. https://evernote.com/
2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evernote
3. Facebook EverNote Genealogists group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/evernotegenealogists/
4. Twitter: https://twitter.com/evernote
5. Cyndis List – Organizing Your Research » Evernote for Every Genealogist – http://www.cyndislist.com/evernote/

 Photo Editing

1. 9 Best Free Image Editors – http://mashable.com/2013/07/22/free-image-editors/
2. Best free photo editing software: 10 top programs you should try – http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-photo-editing-software-10-top-image-editors-you-should-try-1135489
3. Interesting new photo scan app to read: QromaScan: http://qroma.net/ – A New, Smarter Way to Scan Photos http://blog.eogn.com/2015/05/12/qromascan-a-new-smarter-way-to-scan-photos/

Photoshop CC – Creative Cloud subscription

1. http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
2. Adobe TV learning: http://tv.adobe.com/product/photoshop
3. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Photoshop
4. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Photoshop

Photoshop Elements – stand alone software

1. Adobe TV learning: http://tv.adobe.com/product/photoshop-elements/
2. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/photoshopelements

GIMP

1. http://www.gimp.org/
2. Tutorials: http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

Picasa

1. https://picasa.google.com/

 Useful Web Sites

1. Cyndis List – http://www.cyndislist.com/
2. Facebook: Technology for Genealogy group
3. Facebook: The Organized Genealogist
4. Facebook: Google Earth for Genealogist
5. “Genealogy on Facebook” List – 169 page pdf September 2, 2015
6. Linkpendium – http://www.linkpendium.com/

Write A Book

1. How to Make a Book Available to Everyone Dick Eastman · September 21, 2015 – http://blog.eogn.com/2015/09/21/how-to-make-a-book-available-to-everyone/

2. Something Worth Sharing: Creating a Family History Book September 21, 2015 – http://www.tnggn.org/something-worth-sharing-creating-a-family-history-book/

Copyright

Beware! Everything you, or anyone else, digitally write in an email or post online is copyright protected. You can copy and paste digital “stuff” for private research. Unique work is copyrighted unless a public fact. Most published “stuff” before 1923 is in the public domain. Citing the source is good genealogy research and may prevent charges of plagiarism when publishing your research depending on what it is and how much you use, but it does not prevent copyright infringement! Read and research copyright laws for more information!

1. The Legal Genealogist blog – many articles on Copyright:  http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/category/copyright/
2. United States Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/

Genealogy Technology Group – September 16, 2015

This month – September ONLY – GTG will meet in the 2^nd floor west conference room.  GTG will also meet on Saturday September 26 at 9:30 am (Room A) for a Genealogy Center program.  Invite your friends that can attend to answer questions from our visitors that morning.

An open discussion of anything related to genealogy whether software, the internet, computers, mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets, social media and much more.

Guests are Always Welcome!

Every 3rd Wednesday, September through May, bring your questions and/or problems to the 7:00 p.m. discussion in Meeting Room B at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL), 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Visit our web ACGSI site: www.acgsi.org

“Effective Use of an Ever-Changing Genealogy Center” presented by Curt Witcher – September 9, 2015 – Free Educational Genealogy Program

 

This presentation will focus on how a growing collection of both physical items and digital assets can be most effectively used for one’s family history research.

2015-2016 Free Educational Programs brochure

Curt B. Witcher is the Senior Manager for Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library and is also the manager of the Genealogy Center.  Curt is a former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society.  He is also the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society.

—Guests are Always Welcome!

6:30 p.m. refreshments and social time. 7:00 p.m. a free genealogy program in Meeting Room A at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL), 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Genealogy Technology Group

Meets the third Wednesday evening of each month September to May in Meeting Room B at 7:00 p.m at ACPL. We have an open discussion of anything related to the internet, computers, social media, genealogy software and much much more.