Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Family Tree Maker 2014

Family Tree Maker 2014

by Ancestry.com, Inc

Retail: $39.99

Sale Price: $29.99

Description:

With dozens of exciting new features and enhancements to simplify your tasks, Family Tree Maker version 2014 makes building and sharing your family tree easier than ever. Enjoy new Family View™ for a broader view of your tree and explore new enhanced charts and reports, including more print options. And the more robust and reliable TreeSync™ lets you sync your tree from your computer, tablet or smartphone, so you always know you’re accessing and sharing the very latest.

Billy's Thoughts:

People have many different hobbies, in which one of my own hobbies is genealogy or in layman's terms "researching my family's history." I fell into the hobby in my early 20s while putting together a genealogy book for a family reunion. While I don't work on my family's genealogy very often anymore, I was still interested in the New Family Tree Maker (aka the 2014 version). I received a free electronic version back during the summer in exchange for reviewing the software, sadly, a few things came up and I almost forgot about reviewing it. Luckily, I did remember downloading it, I squeezed in enough time to explore the software and I'm now featuring it in my final Holiday Gift Guide post for 2014.

Originally created by Kenneth Lafferty Hess, the Family Tree Maker software has changed ownership several times since first appearing in 1989. It is now owned by Ancestry.com, Inc. and has become the "#1 family history software." The latest versions can now sync with the Ancestry's huge database of genealogy records. The 2014 version has an updated TreeSync, which allows a user to synchronize your family tree with an online Ancestry.com tree free of charge. Of course if you want access to Ancestry.com's large variety of services, then you'll have to purchase a subscription package that fits your research needs.

So what is the big deal about the 2014 version?

Well, for starters it is a whole lot cheaper than past Family Tree Makers. I recall buying a version in the early 2000s and it was twice the price. It also contained about twenty extra CDs with genealogy indexes. With the new version all you need is one disc that you pop into your computer and downloads to it. You can also purchase the program online through Nova Development, but if you do purchase the program this way, remember to deactivate your firewall as you'll have tons of trouble finishing the download. Trust me on this, as I found out the hard way.

Highlights from the 2014 version includes:

Lets you sort children automatically by birth order.

Group people by country, state, county and city.

Expanded Individuals Reports with options for anniversaries, birthdays and contact lists.

Display reports and charts that includes an individual's ancestors, spouses and children grouped together.

Export a single branch of your family tree.

Enhanced Editing by giving you the option to copy and paste facts, including related source citations, media items, and notes.

Access Interactive Streets and Satellite Maps

Import Genealogy Data from other Genealogy Programs, such as Legacy™ Family Tree, The Master Genealogist™ and FamilySearch™ Personal Ancestral Files.

Plus a lot more!

The Family Tree Maker 2014 is the best family tree maker that has ever been released. It is easy to setup and transfer your old family tree database to this one. The program is much faster than the previous installments and it is easier to navigate. I like that you can grab pictures of an individual from other family trees and add it to your own. You can also add documents too. Overall, the Family Tree Maker 2014 is the perfect tool to research your family history. It would make a great Christmas Gift this holiday season.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.