Start building your tree
Discover how to record your research in an accessible format you’ll be able to share with others.
THERE ARE MANY excellent family history programs out there for recording your family history, but for the purposes of this feature we’re choosing a free option – RootsMagic Essentials – that allows you to download and merge records from the internet. Head over to www.rootsmagic.
com/Essentials where you’ll find a download link. The free version has all the core functionality you need – you can always upgrade for US$29.95 if you need the extra features.
Once downloaded, install the program – untick the Place Database option when prompted (it’s for paid users only). After launching the program for the first time, choose the free version when prompted, close the ‘News and Updates’ box and then opt to create a new file. Give it a suitable name and choose where to save it, leave all other options as they are, and click OK.
You’ll find yourself with an empty tree waiting to be filled with information. It’s not as daunting as it looks – select ‘Click to add a person’. All trees begin with the researcher at their heart, so start by entering your basic details: name, gender, birth date and place. When entering the place, use the following syntax: town/city, state/county, country. For example, Glebe, Sydney, NSW, Australia (note: use home countries rather than group they belong to, e.g. England, not the United Kingdom).
START COLLECTING DATA
Click OK, and you’ll find yourself at the Edit Person screen. For now, click Close. Take a piece of paper and sketch out a rough tree with yourself at the centre and your immediate family – parents, siblings, children (and grandchildren), partners and so on – arranged around you.
Next, it’s time to collate the minimal information you need for each person’s entry: their full name, plus – where applicable – dates (and places) of birth, death and burial. As you write down this information, you’ll likely come across some gaps – try to fill these for now by consulting with other family members.
Armed with this information you can now return to RootsMagic and give your family tree the strongest possible roots. The best way to add people to your tree is by defining their relationship to other family members, to ensure the connections are correct. RootsMagic encourages you to do this – you can add parents, children or a spouse to the currently selected person via the Add menu or click the appropriate button when viewing your tree in Pedigree or Family view.
BEYOND THE BASICS
Once your skeletal tree is in place, you’ll want to start focussing on recording more information about the people in your tree. Where did they go to school? What jobs did they hold? Where did they live? The step-by-step guide reveals the mechanics of adding this to your tree, but as you start to push your tree back beyond living memory, the gaps start to widen and you’re left wondering where you’re going to find this information.
This is where bureaucracy rides to the rescue, aided by the sterling efforts of thousands of volunteers over the past couple of decades in digitising that information for posterity. Turn the page to find out how to access the fruits of their labours.