Sunday, April 3, 2011

How many trees do I need?

I mostly use Legacy Family Tree software for my Genealogy.  But . . .  I also have uploaded a GEDCOM file to AncestryGeni, Archives,  and have posted a few people on WikiTree .  I think I have a few more scattered out in the cloud somewhere, but I honestly do not know where, oh wait, I also have the McManigle Family Website.  I am just not sure how to keep all of these sites and program updated.

Ancestry will not let me append to the tree already there, I need to download the GEDCOM again, so I delete it than upload it again with any updates I've made to Legacy.  Any of the people that had a green leafy thing and I had attached the records to their page are now gone and I have to start all over, even though I have them sited in my Legacy Family Tree software.  I have done that a few times now and just not a 'happy camper'!  I am thinking that is what will be entailed updating the other sites, unless I go one by one and update each tree when I find new documentation, well that just will not work!  When I am on the search, I hardly take the time to get the information in to Legacy and then I am off on finding something more.  I sure don't want to take the time to visit each tree and make the note.

Is anyone else putting up so many trees?  Maybe the answer is to once or twice a year upload a GEDCOM file to replace the old one?  But make no changes to the trees as you go along, except for the software for your main genealogy?  Or find the one you like and then just update the one?  Even when I was only updating Legacy Family Tree and Ancestry tree online, it was hard.   Many interruptions and I would forget which one I was working on.  How do others keep up multiple trees??

Then comes the question; when I get an email that asks me for more information on someone, I hate to have to ask them where they found the information.  I know they did not get it from my Legacy software, but was it on the McManigle Family Website? Ancestry Family Tree? Geni? Archives?  Oh and when did I make the latest update on which site?  Too confusing for me, I am getting too older and besides I would rather be on the search!  ~laughs~

1 comment:

  1. Hi
    I'm not one to give a lot of advice as I haven't started a tree yet -- but my brother did about 20 years ago using PAF from the Mormons. But off hand, I'd say you don't want any more than one tree or you'll go nuts. I'm thinking of either Roots Magic based on a post Kerry did at Clue Wagon or because I use a MAC, have heard that Reunion is very graphic-oriented. I don't want to redo all the work my brother's already done, so I'll have to sign up for what he had, use Gedcom to transfer the data and then get going. I sure don't want to be starting over again and again. See if you can consolidate to your fave program and don't look back!

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