
The publishing tools on FTM2019 are usually all I need for my purposes. For example, I use Ancestry (among many other online databases), and I sync my Ancestry tree with Family Tree Maker 2019 (FTM2019), the software program I purchased for my computer. In addition to using online databases, they have software on their computers for backing up their family trees, for viewing their data in various ways, and for creating charts. Most genealogists these days use digital tools for capturing and displaying their research results.

There’s no way (or any reason) to try them all! Using genealogy software Don’t worry about all the options you don’t research and don’t test.

Most of them are cheap enough (or free) and easy enough to use that you can try a few things and see what you like. If you want to try something else, though, the good news is that the barrier to doing so, in most cases, is pretty low. In general I suggest you start with tools you already have and see if one of them works for you. Is it OK if you are limited to one page? Or, do you want the ability to add more generations as you discover them?Īre you starting to see why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer?.3X2 feet)? Or, a whole wall-width many-generation mural? What size? Small (8.5X11 inches)? Hanging picture size (e.g.Are you looking for a digital format? Or, a paper one?.

How many generations do you want to display?.Do you want to include photos on the tree?.Should it show names only? Or do you also need to include vital details (birth, marriage, and death dates and locations)?.Do you want a pedigree chart (which starts in the present and goes back in time), or a descendancy chart (which starts with an ancestor and goes forward in time)? A fan chart? An hourglass chart? A chart that incorporates the actual image of a tree?.

