A good family history has names, dates, and places and many supporting records. Truly lucky family historians will also have photos, documents and other artifacts. All of this paper and information cries out for a good organizing system, and today’s genealogy programs are among the best. They are also more complex than ever, since each year they are “improved” to accommodate new and different types of data.
Early computer programs could not handle the “messy” family situations most of us have to record; adoptions, step and half siblings, multiple marriages, etc. The price we pay for the increased sophistication of the new programs is that they take longer to learn. They are more than worth the time and trouble, though, as your information, once it’s entered will be easily accessed and can be beautifully presented in a multitude of ways (many of them suitable for framing and using as gifts).
It can be intimidating to face these programs, especially for those with little computer experience. My recommendation is to play around with your computer until you become comfortable with it. There are many ways to learn computer skills, but the most important thing to do is to practice until you can remember how to do each step, and then learn the next skill.
Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to learn the computer and try to enter info into your new program at the same time. Take baby steps and you will be rewarded by enjoying your computer and appreciating all it can do for you. Don’t rush and set unrealistic deadlines or it will be too frustrating.
One of the first things you should learn is how to make backups of your computerized information. It is usually a painless project which you should do each time you work on your tree. Once in a while, make at least one copy to be kept somewhere besides your house. Many people, with years of data, keep a copy in a safe deposit box but even just keeping a back-up disk at a friend’s house is a good option.
I love my computer. I use Ancestry.com and their Family Tree Maker program, which smoothly synchronizes with my online tree. It almost doesn’t matter which program you use; the major family history programs have a host of great features. The important thing is that you choose one and get your information into it.
If you have been working exclusively with paper records this may take some time, but you will be rewarded the first time you make a change and see how easily all your charts and other information are automatically updated. I still remember the frustration and the messy pedigree charts when I had to change someone’s birth date on several charts. With computers, such changes are a piece of cake, no more white-out!
I have made hundreds of hand-lettered charts over the years. What a thrill it is to easily print out exactly the information I need, quickly and easily, knowing it is current. Check out computer family tree programs soon, you’ll be glad you did.
Editor’s note: Columnist Nina Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft is a longtime genealogy researcher, speaker and teacher. Reader e-mails are welcome at ninabrawn@gmail.com. Her semimonthly column is sponsored by the Aroostook County Genealogical Society which meets the fourth Monday of the month except in July and December at Cary Medical Center’s Chan Education Center at 6:30 p.m. Guests are always welcome. FMI contact Edwin “J” Bullard at 492-5501.
