How to Find the Best Genealogy Program
by Richard Eastman
Newletters dated: August 20, 2001
One of the fun things about writing this newsletter is that I get
to experiment with all the new Windows and Macintosh genealogy
programs. I write about each one, describing its strengths and
weaknesses, offering my opinions and then giving information as to
price and where to purchase it. As a result of my testing and
writing, I often get asked, "Which genealogy program is the best
one?"
I find that trying to recommend the "best genealogy program" is
sort of like recommending the "best automobile." Some people
prefer Fords, others like Buicks, and still others like Cadillacs.
When it comes to automobiles, I never found a perfect one. I own
two vehicles: a full-size pick-up truck and a Mazda Miata MX-5
sports car. Each serves me well, but in different ways and for
different purposes.
The same is true in genealogy software: what is best for one
person might not work as well for another. Like my motor vehicles,
I use at least two different genealogy programs to meet my needs.
For everyday use I prefer one of the "heavy duty power house"
genealogy programs because I want to record every scrap of
information I encounter in my genealogy research. For instance, I
have found claims that great-great-grandfather Eastman was born on
three different dates in three different locations in two
different states. I honestly do not know yet which one is correct,
if any. I want to be able to enter all three dates and all three
locations into my genealogy database, along with my analysis of
the likelihood of each record being accurate. Yet many simplistic
genealogy programs only have a data field for one date and place
of birth. Which date and location would I enter there?
I would never use a genealogy program that only allows one date or
one location to be used. Real-world genealogy research doesn't
work like that. I also would never use a genealogy program that
didn't allow for extensive recording of my sources of information.
I want to record every scrap of data. In the case of early
records, I want to record the page number of the book or microfilm
where I found it and the location where I found that book or
microfilm. In the case of Bible records, I want to record "In the
possession of" followed by the present owner's name, address and
telephone number. For more modern records, I want to record Web
addresses where data was found. For correspondence, I need to
record the person's name and postal address or e-mail address.
I also want to be able to record future "to-do tasks" and to be
able to sort them and print them based upon locations. When I am
working on my database entry about a long-dead individual, I may
enter a note in the "to-do tasks" to look for records of him or
her the next time I visit the Penobscot County courthouse. I may
do the same for hundreds of other database entries, so I want to
be able to assign myself future tasks to be completed as I travel
around to different libraries, archives and courthouses.
For my primary genealogy program, I will only use a package that
allows me to print out a list of tasks on a location basis. The
night before I visit the Penobscot County courthouse, I will run a
report in my powerhouse genealogy program to list all the self-
assigned "tasks" for the Penobscot County courthouse. A few
genealogy programs will do that although most do not.
However, as much as I like my primary genealogy program, it isn't
perfect. For instance, some of its reports aren't as "flashy" as
those of some of the simpler programs. Even though the simpler
programs' databases are often inadequate, I often use a second or
even a third genealogy program that generates nice-looking
printouts.
I always enter all data into my primary program. When I want to
create some of the printouts that the simpler program can
generate, I can create a GEDCOM file with my primary program and
import that GEDCOM file into the simpler one. Like my pickup truck
and my sports car, each program does certain things well and other
things terribly. I switch between them, depending upon the task at
hand.
Another reason that I never recommend any particular program as
"the best" is because you and I probably have different
requirements. There may be features in a particular genealogy
program that I don't use but may be important to you. For
instance, I couldn't care less about a genealogy program that
includes built-in picture scanning or that produces multi-media
scrapbooks. I simply don't use those things. Also, I have never
uploaded an ancestry report on my personal Web site. Yet other
people feel these things are critical. That's what makes the
entire subject so unique: each person may have different needs and
preferences.
I have written reviews of most of the leading genealogy programs
(and some not-so-leading programs) in past newsletters. You can
read those reviews to get an idea of the features available in a
particular program. Past issues of this newsletter may be found
at:
http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/d_p_1_archive.asp.
Another excellent resource that I am very enthused about is Bill
Mumford's "Genealogical Software Report Card." Bill does feature-
by-feature comparisons of the 18 most popular Windows genealogy
programs. Quoting from the "Genealogical Software Report Card" Web
site:
The "Genealogical Software Report Card" then goes on to rate each
program by assigning points in each of the categories mentioned
earlier. He also adds a significant amount of text to his "report
cards." Want to see which program includes endnotes in the
Register Format Reports? Mumford's "Genealogical Software Report
Card" can tell you. I do not know of any other comparable source
of detailed comparisons of Windows genealogy programs.
So which program is best? I would suggest is that you first make a
list of features that you want in a genealogy program. Then
prioritize that list to decide which is most important to you
versus the features that you may be less interested in. Be
prepared to update this list frequently as you gain more
experience and knowledge.
Next, got to Bill Mumford's "Genealogical Software Report Card" at
www.mumford.ab.ca/reportcard to match your list against the
features listed there. Once you have narrowed the list down to 2
or 3 programs, search through my older newsletters at
http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/d_p_1_archive.asp and through other archives of genealogy news to read the impressions of others. You can also search on Alta Vista or Google or most any other search engine to find articles about a particular genealogy program or to read other users' comments.
I would especially invite you to look at the publisher's Web site
or other web sites for users' message boards and e-mail discussion
groups. DejaNews' Usenet Archive, now a part of Google.com, can
also be very useful to find past messages about a particular
program. Look at: http://groups.google.com
Finally, most of today's genealogy programs have "trial versions"
that you can download and use for a while at no charge. Others
offer "slide shows" that serve as mini-tutorials. Download and use
2 or 3 different ones to find the one that "feels right." After
all, you may spend hundreds of hours with the genealogy program
you eventually select. Why not invest a couple of hours before you
make a purchase to insure that you select the best one for your
needs?
Good luck with your selection!
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