Where Is Your Master Family Tree?

Did you ever plan for a certain family tree to be the most accurate and protected tree? 

If you have trees all over, like I do, each tree has a specific purpose.  I have my trees at Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and GEDmatch so my DNA matches can see how we are related.  Those sites use my tree to tell us our connection. 

Don’t laugh but I have been sucked into Wikitree and Geni universal trees because different cousins started there and I wanted to correct their errors.  Don’t tell them, please.

And, of course, I have migrated to Family Search because I know that the LDS Church will protect my family long after I am gone and after other family tree websites developed by volunteers or bought out by venture capitalists will divide up their profits and disappear.   Many long-time genealogists have experienced the end of software support.

This weekend I heard the term “Master Family Tree” on the podcast from Lisa Louise Cooke.  Her business is Genealogy Gems and she writes good instructions with excellent advice.  She has a well-known motto.  “Plant your tree in your own backyard and share the branches online”.  In free podcast #229 she speaks for about 30 minutes about this topic starting at 22 minutes into the broadcast.

GEM: Your Master Family Tree, and Sharing Branches Online Explained

A master family tree has three important characteristics:

1.      It is owned and controlled by you.

2.      It is the final say on what you currently know about your family tree.

3.      It is protected with online backup to ensure it is safe.

To hear all about this in Lisa’s own words, go to https://lisalouisecooke.com/podcasts/.  You’ll see the podcast links and today you will want Episode 229.  At the top of the episode is the player where you click the white triangle to listen.  Below that are the shownotes with links mentioned in the show. 

If you don’t want a podcast, Lisa also writes about master trees here https://lisalouisecooke.com/2019/04/24/master-family-tree/.

The Ferndale Genies have their own RootsMagic Users Group.  Most of us are using RootsMagic to collect what we know about our families in one location that no one else can change.  Some are entering family members from scratch so they can verify relationships and facts once and for all.  Others use a Gedcom file format to load a tree to RootsMagic from another site like Ancestry.

One of my big concerns is to have images of all the documents I have used to come to conclusions on my home computer.  Having your documents at Ancestry or Family Search may be convenient, but these companies have contractual agreements with the owners of the information and sometimes they have to be removed at the end of the agreement.  Sometimes the governments or businesses decide not to renew the agreement. 

Users also give a nod to many reports options and getting hints from Ancestry, Family Search, MyHeritage and FindMyPast (subscriptions required).  We are working together to help and encourage each other.  Some find our monthly gatherings just keep us going on our research.

The next RootsMagic group meetings are from 1-4 PM at the Ferndale Library on these dates. 

Saturday, Jun 1

Saturday, Jun 29

Sunday, Jul 28

Saturday, Sep 7

We are moving to desktop family tree software to become better genealogists.  The group is open.  We can help you decide:

Are you ready to get desktop software?

Do you want RootsMagic?

Which is your Master Tree?

Do you want to start from scratch or download a Gedcom file?

Other family tree software is equally good.  There is a Legacy User Group at the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society.  Also, some Ferndale Genies use Family Tree Maker.  If there a few people interested, you can meet at the monthly Genies meetings.  If you can help with Family Tree Maker questions, please let me know.