Family Tree Software

[suemalings]

I have an old laptop that I keep as it contains Family Tree Maker. The software probably goes back to about 2007, I can't remember exactly but I think it could have been one of the the fist editions of FTM. I kept it because it produces perfect family trees giving all the information that people wan like census entries. I purchased a copy of FMT 2012 but never used it much, I continued to produce trees from the old version. I do a lot of research for relatives and friends so the trees that the old version produced is perfect.

What I would like to know is can anyone recommend a tree making software that will show all the information and I can print out a tree (even though I only have an A4 printer, I usually stick all the pages together!) I use Ancestry but cannot find anywhere to add items to the trees that this software shows me.

[Megan Roberts]

I think that Ancestry only connects with FTM2019 and RootsMagic. Whether either of those will read the information from 2007 I don't know. I used suggest you try their help lines.

I use FTM2019, and have used FTM for many years. Originally I think FTM was owned by the Mormons who then sold it to Ancestry who then said they were not interested in maintain it, or the ability to synchronise trees been Ancestry and the software. Mackiev then stepped in and bought FTM and working with Ancestry managed to re-establish the ability to synchronise. I suspect that it was around this time that the older versions of FTM became incompatible with this new interface, because I can recall that it took 18 months or more to get the interface working correctly.

[suemalings]

Now I look back, my old laptop used Windows 98! I manually enter all the info again into this old version of FTM and then I can choose what I want printed when I print the tree.

Looks like I will have to continue that way.

[Lesley Robertson]

I'm still using FTM2011 for similar reasons. Their "print all trees in the database" output is invaluable for my OPS. My WIN is up to date, and it's starting to complain about failures to do this or that, so I'm also beginning to wonder about changing. They scrapped many of the features I like when they upgraded!

[christanel]

If you want to play around a bit with it Sue you could download the free version of Rootsmagic then try exporting your tree gedcom from ancestry in to it.
On the Rootsmagic website there is a table comparing what the free and pay versions do and don't do so from that you will know whether either version does what you need.
Christina