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Archive for December, 2014 » Finding my grandmothers

Archive for December, 2014

tngheader-smallBeing a techie of sorts, I naturally know there are many software choices for keeping ancestors and relatives in a ‘family tree’. This post will just be about software choices I’ve made and only snippets of the machinations I have thought about and gone through.

Several years ago I bought a copy of The Next Generation (TNG) for putting a tree online. Yes, there is other software that can do that. And Ancestry.com itself can be set for public viewing. But I already knew that I wanted something more robust than Ancestry. I had some health issues taking my attention for years and years. The software I bought languished on my hard drive. Occasionally during vacations I would look at adding to my family tree. My tree was full of errors and duplicate entries. Like a bad haircut, I did not even want to show it to even my closest relatives.

Now with some new found energies I am plugging away at the options available to me and making some choices. So far I still want to use Ancestry.com for it’s vast resources and sync ability with it’s own proprietary client (desktop) software. The desktop is necessary for ease of cleanup of my online entries as well as a backup…just incase the online files are corrupted or the business goes under or changes it’s policies, etc. I’ve spent so much time on this family tree now that it’s important to always think about backups, backups and etc.

BUT, then I still want to use the TNG software for my online tree. Why? Because it is open source, is currently still being developed, has a user base that also develops MODs (modification plugins), and has a lot more flexibility over all than other online trees offer. So the question for me is if I can use the Ancestry’s client software, Family Tree Maker (FTM), and port my data and media files to TNG. And if so, how to do this with as few steps as possible.

This is where I am now currently trying to figure out a workflow that is not too cumbersome and works!! So far to test functionality, I have added test data my family tree in both Roots Magic 7 and Legacy 8. I exported a GEDCOM file, an outdated but the best we have available for a universal genealogy file format. Then I uploaded these altered files to Ancestry.com. If I want to, I can sync that new online tree back to my Ancestry client software. I don’t actually what to do that. The Ancestry software will only sync one online tree to client software. I just wanted to know if if can be done as some of that relates to my posting a tree online using the TNG software.

Why do I want to use software other than the client software FTM? Well, I’ve experienced unintended software related errors. And I noticed them after I propagated them to the online Ancestry as well. Also, the software FTM does not have as much flexibility as other software in terms of edits and sourcing citations or other data. I thought I would use my ultimate online family tree as my ‘master’ file. But I think that is not wise. Likely the upload of the GEDCOM from Roots Magic and Legacy is missing something or non standard. But so far I have not noticed. All of the links to media such as census were there. And notes transferred as well. Is it perfect? Probably not. Is it good enough? I expect so. Did it upload media files other than those linked via Ancestry.com like census or marriage files. Nope. Those media files are not contained in the exported files. Which brings me back to my desire to use TNG as my end user online family tree.

I have shared my online Ancestry tree with a few relatives and I may need to point them elsewhere for an ‘authoritative’ file. There may be documents or photos I won’t necessarily upload to Ancestry, but they will be on my own online tree, in a file area of this blog, and only visible to selected users. That means I will still use Ancestry.com and it’s associated client software, FTM for Windows. (I have an install of Windows on my mac using Virtual Box to run the Windows OS).

Now to choose between Roots Magic 7 and Legacy 8 for my daily workhorse client….ah, decisions, decisions!

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Blogging and Family Research

Posted December 19, 2014 By dailiness

I began doing some history on my family, genealogy and research years ago, ten perhaps. At some point in the last few months, I became ‘serious’  about this effort. And at the same time, I discovered that as I was finding out about the lives of my ancestors, I was finding myself in the process.

It’s not like I’m found now and in some sort of fixed state never to change again. I often get inspiration and am energized by others. Today I find inspiration on a blog titled I am and I am Not by Esther Cohen. She writes in the here and now about what is in front of her, what she looks like as she imagines what another sees, and what flow through her.

I’ll start blogging this research experience. Perhaps you will benefit from my research trails and trials. And family too may be interested in what I uncover, the hows and whys. This is a perfect task, the research that is, for I am an experienced librarian!

There are stories somewhere in my ancestry, lives and loves lived and lost. And new beginnings. As I dive into the history of family members, it changes me and becomes my story too. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to make it your story too. You can add details about my family (private email is just fine), post your own relevant stories or tips. And recipes, oh, do share with me your family recipes for all to share and enjoy!

 

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