What is the best software to use for putting together and researching a family tree?

I am starting to research my family history. I have seen several software programs that will help with research and design. I want to get as much as I can about each person...birth, marriage, death dates; employment, location...


What would you suggest is the best way to start?

What is the best software to use for putting together and researching a family tree?
I like Roots Magic, which is the sucessor to Family Origins for Windows. Family Tree Maker is the market leader. They are both around $30, US. RM offers you a 14 or 30 day free trial. I think FTM does too. You can download the trial version. PAF, from the Mormons, is free.





You can Google "Genealogy Software Comparison" for some independent evaluations. My personal prejudices are not Universal Truths.





Any decent genealogy program will have ways to add facts about people. RM has a couple of hundred facts, including "caste", if you are Indian. I mention that to show how comprehensive it is. Born, married, died, buried; occupation, lived, military service, cause of death, adopted, bar mitzvah, christened . . . Each fact has space for a place and a date or date range, if appropriate.





As to research, the bast way to start is with your parents.





The really good stuff is in your parents' and grandparents' memories. No web site is going to tell you how your great grandparents decorated the Christmas tree with ornaments cut from tin foil during the depression, how Great Uncle Elmer wooed his wife with a banjo, or how Uncle John paid his way through college in the 1960's by smuggling herbs. Talk to your living relatives before it is too late.





I paste a text file with links to a dozen huge free genealogy web sites into answers here 1 - 6 times a day. If you'd like a copy, write to me at tedpack2@yahoo.com. It is longer than the 1500-character limit. It would be better if you'd look through the resolved questions. Most of us top 10 answerers have our stock answers. There is some overlap, but they are all good.
Reply:Glad you asked. Family Tree magazine (the Jan '08 issue) just released the results of a survey comparing Legacy, RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker %26amp; Master Genealogy.








They were rated in the following categories:





1) Ease of Use - Legacy got the only outstanding.


2) Interface %26amp; Navigation - still the best.


3) File mgmt %26amp; organization - Legacy outstanding.


4) Charts %26amp; reports - Legacy %26amp; RootsMagic tied. Family Tree %26amp; Master Genealogist avg.


5) Gedcom (?) handling -Family Tree average. The rest above avg.


6) Special Features - Legacy best, Family Tree fair. The other two betwwen Legacy/Family Tree.





Overall ratings:


Legacy - Outstanding


Family Tree - Avg to good


Master Genealogist - Avg to Good


RootsMagic - good.





You might want to consider getting the issue since it goes into great detail on each category. You could probably find it at Barnes/Noble or check the internet.





I have Family Tree Maker but would not recommend it to you.
Reply:Get Personal Ancesty File for free and its pretty good.





Try this link





http://genealogy.about.com/library/blpaf...
Reply:You can download a free copy of Legacy which works very well http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/


or PAF from familysearch.org which will work equally as well.


I have used Family Tree Maker including several up grades in the early days of software and had far too many problems with it.


I also used PAF back when it was DOS based only before Windows.


Of all of them, Legacy has been the best one for my needs and I upgraded to the paid version after a year or so.





You can always try more than one and move your files via ged-com from one to the other.