Syncing Data Between Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker

Struggling to sync data between Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker? There's a reason for that ... this feature doesn't exist!

I love my Family Tree Maker software, but like many out there, bought it (over other products) because I was led to believe through ads that I could sync data between FTM and my tree on Ancestry.com.  I believe it's the ad's claim that the two are "enhanced integration" that brings one to this assumption. Integration assumes constant working relationship.

You know what they say about assumptions.  The folks at Ancestry.com need to be much clearer about this "feature".

So what does "enhances integration" mean to the folks at Ancestry.com?  It means you can download/import from either FTM or Ancestry.com any time you want.  The only problem is that you have a new tree in either case.  So it's means deleting your old tree and working with the new tree.  And this is a problem if you've taken the time to add personal notes and other media to your tree in Family Tree Maker.  Last thing you want to do is lose those by downloading a new tree.

I really don't understand why the Sync feature is non-existent in Family Tree Maker.  It's a no brainier in my mind.

I found this thread on the Roots Web forum that helps explain the sync problem in Family Tree Maker.  Below are links to a few of the more important posts in that thread.

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.software.famtreemaker/5514.2.2.1.2.1.1.2.1/mb.ashx

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.software.famtreemaker/5514.2.2.1.2.1.1.2.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.software.famtreemaker/5514.2.2.2.1.1.1/mb.ashx

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.software.famtreemaker/5514.2.2.2.1.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx

There are currently 52 posts in this thread (which is why I only highlighted a few), but if you to read them all from the beginning, you can do so by clicking here. 

If enough people contact Ancestry.com about the importance of this feature, perhaps the next version of Family Tree Maker will contain a Sync Feature (that's my hope anyway).

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How to Customize Your View in Family Tree Maker

When you open Family Tree Maker 2010 and view your tree, you'll notice the screen is divided into different sections.

On the left is a list of the people in your tree. In the middle is the pedigree view of your tree and below that are the family details of the current person selected.  And on the right, are the details of the person selected (or currently being viewed).  This right panel is the "View" and it can be customized to make editing easier.

By default, you'll see the person's name and fields to enter that person's birth, death and marriage.  But you can other fields if you like.  Fields that I have added to my own "view" include: Burial, Cause of Death, and Divorce.   This is information that I like recording and having them on my "view" panel makes it a lot easier for me. 

Changing your "View" is easy.  Just click the button at the bottom of the right panel labeled, "Customize View".  A window will pop up when you do. 

To add a field on your view, scroll down the list on the left to see the fields available.  When you find one you want, click on it (single click) and then click the arrow pointing to the right (circled on image).  Notice once you add the new field, you can move it up or down in the list.  In other words, you can decide which order you'd like to see your fields on your view.  Be sure to click OK when finished to save the changes.

If you don't see a field that you're looking for, you can create a custom one by clicking the button on the bottom left of the window.

You'll notice that the window shown, allows you to select fields for "individuals" as well as "shared". Marriages and divorces are examples of "shared facts".

Being able to customize your view in Family Tree Maker is a nice feature, so take advantage of it.  it will make your work a lot easier!

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How to Export a Tree in Family Tree Maker

One of the nice things about genealogy software is they usually allow you to import and export your family tree information.  Not only is this helpful when sharing information with others, but it's also makes it easier to work with online genealogy sites like Ancestry.com.

Below are the steps to export a family tree using Family Tree Maker (FTM) software:

1. Open Family Tree Maker
2. Open the tree you want to export (if you have more than one)
3. On the menu, select FILE and then EXPORT
4. Make sure "Entire Tree" is selected (as wells as everything else).  
5. Select the "file type" you'd like your exported file to be (see notes below).
6. Click OK
7. Select the location you'd like to save the file to (I usually select DESKTOP, so I can find it easily).

Different genealogy software programs sometimes use different file types.  If you know you are sharing between different people using Family Tree Maker software, then exporting a "Family Tree Maker" file is okay. If the person you are sharing with is using an older version of Family Tree Maker, than be sure to select the older version (so they can open it) in the menu options.   If you need to share your tree with somebody using a pre-2008 version of Family Tree Maker, then select the option that reads, "GEDCOM for FTM 16".

If you are sharing your tree with somebody not using Family Tree Maker software, then it's best to export your file as a GEDCOM file (GEDCOM 5.5, Standard). This file type will work with PAF software and other genealogy software programs.

The next step is to share your file.  If you are sharing this file with somebody else, then it's best to either copy the file to a flash drive or a CD/DVD.  However, if the person lives far away, you may also be able to email the file to them (depending on the size of the file). Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to email a file that is larger than 5 MB in size.  However, depending on who you're sending it to, you may be able to get away with a 10 MB file.

To check file size, RIGHT CLICK on the file and select PROPERTIES.  You'll see a number followed by either "Kb", "Mb" or Gb".  That's the size of the file. The file  is within the range quoted above, you can try and attach it to an email and send it.  If it's larger than 10 MB, it would be better to burn the file to a disk (or copy it to a flash drive) and mail it.

 

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Family Tree Maker Tips - Entering Divorces

In today's culture, very few people stayed married forever any more.  So it's not uncommon to have to enter divorces into your Family Tree Maker software.  Sadly, entering divorces is not very intuitive, so I thought I would share the steps here.

These instructions are for Family Tree Maker 2010.   If you're using an earlier version of Family Tree Maker, the steps may vary a bit.

1. Open Family Tree Maker and access the person in your tree that you desire to enter a divorce for.  This assumes that you've already entered the appropriate data for the marriage.  When you double click the person's name, you'll be shown a new screen with just that person.  Your screen should look like the image below:

2. To Enter the divorce, click the "+" sign (circled above) to add a new fact (a window pops up)
3. Scroll down the list until you find "divorce" and then click OK.
4. If you've already entered more than one spouse for this person, make sure you have the correct spouse selected before entering the date.  If the wrong spouse is selected, use the pull-down arrow (circled above) to select the correct spouse.  
5. Enter the date of the divorce. 

 You can also customize your view in Family Tree Maker to make entering divorces even easier.

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