Product Reviews

Genealogy is one hobby in which the footwork is part of the fun, but organising the facts and putting together a description of your ancestry is still something of an art. Some people have traced their ancestors back over 10 generations, which presents a data-handling problem in itself.

Ftree is a free, open-source package that can help. The program looks deceptively simple, with a section on the left of the screen for entering data and an area on the right that displays the family tree as it grows. The types of data you can record are extensive. Along with the names and dates, you can assign judgements

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as to how reliable each piece of data is, and record your sources for cross-checking later.

One interesting facility is the ability to add multimedia attachments to a person's records. These could be anything from scanned pictures to audio clips. You can also record details of multiple marriages and other partnerships, along with the offspring from such unions. It does this by giving each individual an index number for easy reference. If you uncover a family scandal, you can adjust parenthood details accordingly.

The program can record events such as baptisms and other ceremonies too, with fields for the date, place and general notes. In fact, there are opportunities to add notes throughout Ftree. This can really bring your work to life by fleshing out the details of long-dead relatives with titbits of information.

Genealogy is a fascinating and absorbing hobby and Ftree will help you organise and enjoy the information you collect. It also reads and exports files in several different formats, making it compatible with commercial programs. If you find that your research outgrows the package, or you want to share your findings with others, you can migrate your data easily.