Use for Burial Fact Notes

How I am using the Burial Fact Notes

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Doing a Web Merge from a Find A Grave Index Hint

My process for following a Hint from the Find A Grave Index collection from Ancestry


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Observation when doing a Web Merge on a Find A Grave INDEX Hint for Two People

An observation about Hints, when Two People have hints and One Person is selected, but the Web Merge includes two people. In this example, I had already merged the data from the Wife into FTM2017 from her Hint, so, his hint should no longer be there, as all of the information from that record is already in that database.





I will probably do this example again, to show the Hint issue. The point of this one, is to show that the Hint was followed for one person, the Husband, but the data from the Wife was included in the Web Merge. And that Hint should not have been there.to start with.
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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Observation when doing a Web Merge on a Find A Grave INDEX Hint for One Person

Will describe how Ancestry is presenting the County field in a Web Merge



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Observation when doing a Web Merge on an SSDI Record

Just some observations when doing a Web Merge, with FTM2017, with a Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Record. Specifically the Death Location fact, creating / using a Last Residence Fact, a State Issued Fact, and the use of the SSN.




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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Why am I not seeing the Tabs in the Person View ?

Blog post comment that they were not seeing the Media and Notes Tabs in the People Workspace, Person view

Note: the screen may go blank in the last 2 or 3 seconds. Sorry about that. _______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Why am I getting Bad Search Results?

User Question: Why am I getting Bad Search Results? Can't answer that specifically, but can only show how I do Searches from within FTM2017


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

How to manage a large Marriage Report ?

A FTM2017 (for the Mac) was having difficulty managing a large Marriage Report, where relationships needed to be updated.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Where to ask questions ?

Due to some unfortunate circumstances I am no longer answering nor responding to questions on Facebook and the Family Tree Maker groups that are there.

I have always had a place for users to ask questions in the About Tab on my Blog. AND I have had a Community on Google+, where people can have conversations about Family Tree Maker. Neither of which get much traffic.

I have added a new text box in the Right Panel of the Blog, just below the Archives of this blog.

The subject is Where to ask question?

at the bottom is a link that will take you to my Google+ Community. There is a place to ask to join the Community. Before you do, read the description of the community, on the Left, and the Pinned Post in the Community. Don't overlook clicking on the 3 dots, as the full post does not show when you look at the Community before joining.

When you ask to join, I look at your Google+ Profile to see what we have in Common, so I know why you want to join this private community. I am looking for something in your profile for that. Who you follow, kitten photos, don't count. I am looking to see if the requesting PERSON has something in common with the Community, and that requires a little work to add that information to your profile.

Please read those two documents, as I have tried to explain the purpose and goals of the Community.

Here is a link to that community.

Cousin Russ Genealogy Community

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

How to Un-Ignore a Shaky Leaf Hint for FTM2017?

After I posted the How to Ignore a hint in FTM2017, and was successful, I really did NOT what to ignore that hint. I spent some time trying to determine how to do this, and here is my result.



I will continue to look for a better answer, and I have provided Feedback to Family Tree Maker on this problem.
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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Who or What is linked to this Media File ?

Another Facebook Group question about who or what this media file was linked to



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Why doesn't the IGNORE button Work ?

In response to a user report problem about the Ignore Button in FTM2017, Web Search Workspace. I'll try to explain how it works.


The IGNORE button is for Hints, not search results

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

User Question: How to identify people at an Address to add a photograph

There was a question in the Family Tree Maker Facebook Group about how to use the Filter Feature to add a photograph to any one living at that address.

Here is how:





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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker - Technical Support - Live Chat

Never thought to blog about this, sorry to take so long.

If you have a problem with Family Tree Maker, the first place to visit is the Live Chat that Software MacKiev provides.

The Live Chat Hours are currently open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a week.

It is not a telephone number, but is probably better than a telephone call, because you can set up a Transcript of the Live Chat "conversation".

This is the Live Chat screen, and in the lower right is a conversation I am having now. And the End of my Chat, I will receive that transcript with the steps I may need to do, following our conversatoin.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Uploading Photos or Documents to an Ancestry Member Tree (AMT)

I was looking for some documentation as to why you can and can not include as a Media File in FTM2017 to an Ancestry Member Tree (AMT)

There may be issues observed during the FamilySync™ feature.

As I know it, the following Media file extensions are Acceptable:

• JPG
• JPEG
• PNG
• TIF
• BMP

The following Documents are acceptable:

• DOC
• DOCX
• TIF
• PDF
• TXT

You find the filenames in the Media FOLDER that is associate with the FTM2017 file that you are working on. BUT, you need to be able to see the File Extension in File Explorer.for a Windows Computer:

You will also see the filename and extension in the Media Workspace, Collection Tab or the Detail Tab.with an Media File selected.

These media files will be found in the Gallery of the AMT

Further information can be found on the Ancestry.com Support page

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

How to track activities -- Using Color Coding

How I am keeping track of an update that I am doing on a new file

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 User Question - Adding Media Files

User Question:

In FTM 2017, when adding a picture, do you link to the media or allow FTM 2017 to make a copy and link from there?

My Answer:

Use the COPY option,when adding a New Media File to your FTM2017 file.

Reason: (and I have blogged about this before)

It's another COPY of your / my valuable images. When I take a photograph, scan an image, I do NOT want to touch that file again. I always want to work with a COPY of it. I might want to crop that image, resize it, change it's looks. I have messed up in that past, and I am guessing others have as well, but that is OK, because I am working with a copy.

The same goes when adding a new media file to Family Tree Maker. There is another reason from the above, and that is when you do a Compact and Back Up, the Media Folder, where that COPY is saved, will be included in that Back Up. Using the Linked option, will only include a LINK to that Media file.

IF you were to send a Back Up file, with Linked Media, those Media Files will not be included. When that sent back up is restore, those Media files will be missing.

Here is a link to a Blog Post on this topic

Why the difference in the Number of Media Files ?


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 User Question - Where to start a FTM2017 File ?

User Question:

Would you rather start your tree on FTM 2017 and sync to Ancestry or start in Ancestry and sync back to FTM 2017?

My Answer:

It is my opinion that WE, the User of this or any other genealogy software, need to take responsibility for our research. That starts at the beginning. The short answer is start with your genealogy software, in this case Family Tree Maker (FTM2017). 

Further, that includes manually Backing Up our files, and from time to time, doing a test Restore from Back Up. The Tools menu, has a great utility to do this, Compact File. As I have blogged about many times before, using that utility will help maintain a good file. Testing that Back Up from time to time is a MUST.

Then the FamilySync™ feature comes into play. As I have blogged about before, in order to get Ancestry Hints, you must have an uploaded and linked Ancestry Member Tree (AMT). That AMT can be Public, Private, or Private and not searchable by Ancestry. User Choice.

That AMT then, can be another Back Up of your research. BUT, some of the information in your FTM2017 file is NOT included in that AMT. Privatized Media, for example, will NOT be uploaded to the AMT. Privatized Facts, Notes, Research Notes, Todo or Task Lists will NOT be uploaded to the AMT. If you use the Source Template Feature in FTM2017, those Sources and Citations will NOT be formatted correctly in the AMT.

All of that to say, my Best Practice is to Compact and use the Back Up feature, all check marks along the way. Backing up to an External Drive (NOT a Flash Drive, but External Hard Drive) is another best practice. If your Hard Drive crashes, which it will, your information is on an external drive. Also, doing a Restore from Back Up from time to time, once a month for example, is another Best Practice.

One additional Best Practice, for me, is to have my Hard Drive AND External Drives backed up to a Cloud Service, like BackBlaze. will back up your external drives as well. All done in the background. And, to a restore from there as well.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Deleting An Empty Media Category

A reader asked me this question: I created a media category and added a media item to it. Later I realized it really belonged in a different category and moved it. That left an empty media category I never planned to use again. So, can you delete an empty media category?


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Do I add an Unknown Name from DNA Results ?

How do I add a DNA Cousin, but not sure IF this person belongs in my database, but want to add the information anyway.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FamilySync Observation

Now that we have been using the new interface to Ancestry.com, using the new FamilySync feature, I have an observation. This observation has changed "WHEN" I use the FamilySync Feature.

This observation comes from being aware of how long it takes to do a FamilySync. I have found that the more citations that I am working with, the longer the Sync process takes. Instead of doing a Sync every two or three hours, I am doing it about every hour.

In this example, I had been working a couple of hours and ended up with syncing 2,165 Citations. My observation is that the Sync takes longer.

As I mentioned earlier, I have changed my Sync process:

1. Compact and Back Up the file, ADDING the Time to the Back Up Filename
2. SyncNow
3. Export the FamilySync Log to a PDF file (saving that PDF file)
4. File, Back Up, again  adding the Time to the Back Up Filename.

At the End of the Day, File, Close, File, Exit.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Back2Basics - Back Up / Sync / Back Up

Back2Basics - an update to my Sync Best Practices. Back Up / Sync / Back Up

After a computer crash, I learned something about the new, FTM2017 Back Up, FamilySync, and Restore features.

I have changed my Best Practices when doing a FamilySync. That is to do a Compact File, including the Back Up feature, both before and after the SyncNow.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Merge Duplicate People, Not in the Find Duplicate People Report

As a follow up on the Find Duplicate People Report, this time it is for a Duplicate person that does NOT show up in the Find Duplicate People Report.




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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

How to get a FTM2014 file from an Old Computer to FTM2017 on a New Computer

I was asked "How to I get my FTM2014 file from an Old Computer onto my New Computer with FTM2017 installed.

Here is my response:



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Find Duplicate People feature #1

This will probably become one of several blog posts on the Find Duplicate People feature in Family Tree Maker.

In this first case, I already have a Saved List of Duplicate People that I am working one. I will review the information that I have and make a determination as to my next steps.



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Blog Question: FTM2017 vs AMT Citation Information

A blog reader asked:

When you add a source on the Ancestry side of a tree there is a field titled 'other information'. Do you know where or if this information shows up in FTM on the desktop?

I think that the field "other information" has been removed from the Ancestry Member Tree Citation window.

I thought that I would do a blog post showing the Ancestry Member Tree Citation Window and show where the information comes from, within FTM2017.

The window on the Left is from the Ancestry Member Tree (AMT). The window on the Right is from FTM2017, Sources Workspace, the Edit, Source Template window.

The First 4 items in the Template are included in the Source Information screen on the Left. The Comments that I put into the Source Template are included in the Source Information.

I do not believe that the Source Comment that I have in FTM2017 should be included in the Source Information in that AMT.

Secondly, you will note that the AMT calls for a Repository. A record from a Web Site should NOT have a Repository. An Online Record should be cited like a book. You can get that book almost anywhere, so NO REPOSITORY.

I think this is very confusing for those who view the Citation in an AMT. 

For those who do there research in an AMT, will find that Ancestry.com will be listed as a Repository on this screen.

To me, the presentation of the information in the AMT is "up side down". The information about the SOURCE should be at the Top of that window, not at the bottom.

Continuing with the rest of the data in the Citation windows of the AMT vs the Citation in FTM2017.

The Citation Detail in FTM2017 is transferred to the Citation Detail in the AMT, which would be correct. (should be below the Source Information)

The Citation Text in FTM2017 is in the AMT Citation but is labeled "Transcription". That is totally wrong. I have marked that field as do NOT include that information in the Citation / Reference Note, so should NOT be uploaded to the AMT.

Same as the Web Address. That is marked as NOT to be included in the Reference Note so should NOT appear in the AMT Citation screen.

The  lower left of the AMT Citation window has my Citation Notes information. That should NOT be included in the AMT Citation. 

Just trying point out where the information in the AMT Citation is coming from, when the AMT is maintained by FTM2017.

These issues have been raised to both Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker. 

I hope that FTM2017 will NOT publish to Ancestry, the fields that I have indicated and should be treated like a Privatized information.

I understand that in some cases some information in the Citation Notes might be included in the AMT. Easy solution here, just have a privatized option for that Tab. 

For the Citation Text field and the Web Address Field, No Check Make, don't upload to the AMT.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Blog Question: Child with multiple Names

This question is from an FTM2017 User:

Naming in FTM2017 for an illegitimate child who was placed for adoption, later adopted and who finally discovered biological parents thru DNA

Because we have the option of having Multiple Name FACTs, I enter the names as I find them, Citing each entry, as I have mentioned many times before.

The decision that has to be made, is WHICH Name Fact should be the Preferred Name Fact. I can't nor will I answer that question. That choice is up to YOU. But, don't make that choice lightly. Be sensitive of the audience of your research.

More importantly, is the Parent to Child Relationships need to be appropriately selected, and the relationship between the Parents needs to be looked at very carefully.

Your citations are very important and that the documentation needs to be specific as to the relationships it claims.

I would keep ALL of the Name Facts as documents, then make the Preferred Fact Choice.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Blog Question: Use of the AKA Fact

A question was left on the Blog about the use of the Also Known As, Fact. Here is my answer:



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - People Workspace

High level Overview of the People Workspace in FTM2017


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Media Workspace

High level view of the Media Workspace



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Sources Workspace - Standarized Rating

Now that we have our Citations crafted, now it's time to Rate our Sources. This will help with the Genealogical Proof Standards.



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Sources Workspace

A high level view of the Sources Workspace.

This is the first Workspace I go to when entering new information into my file.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 - Seven Workspaces

Continuing my review of the Workspaces, this time will give a high level view of each of the workspaces. The individual Workspaces will be covered in coming days.



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

What is a Workspace ?

This is the first in a series of What Is A Workspace ?

The first one will be an introduction to the Plan Workspace. What you can do from this Workspace.



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Question of the Day:

Now that FTM2017 has been release, up, running, and very smoothly for me. I think it's time to think a head a bit. I have my list of enhancements going.

My QUESTION for you is:

Should are genealogy software have features that allow us to be better researchers had have tools to help educate us in our Research process.

FTM2017 is getting there, but show our software help us do better ?



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Web Search Workspace - an observation

While demonstrating FTM2017 at the #FGS2017 conference in Pittsburgh, I was asked a question about the Web Search Workspace. The question led me to answer the question by actually working on that question. It was a different way of searching from what I normally do.

I am sharing that experience as a way to use that Workspace to get the desired results.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

A bug report has been created, IF it is really a bug. At this point, I am not sure. I am demonstrating how I was able to get the desired result.

Observations about the new Ancestry API

An observation about the communications between Ancestry.com and FTM2017.

I have been using the Web Merge feature of Family Tree Maker for years. It has worked very well. The biggest reason is that I don't have to re-type, then proof read the information from the record on Ancestry. As I have blogged about before, this feature puts a link in the Citation, right back to that record. I don't have to go looking for it. 

I further use the Web Merge feature for all websites, using the Web Clipper feature, then Web Merge.

Because I don't have to re-type and proof read what is in the record, I have more time to really look at the record and see what the Record claims, and make sure that is recorded in my FTM2017 file.

I record exactly what the record claims, right, wrong or indifferent, so I have a "messy" database, that is Facts for a person. Then I can Evaluate the information on a specific person's list of Facts and determine which is my current conclusion, or as I call it, "Current Thinking". It's important to know that all records have errors in them, but it's up to me to evaluate what I have.

I was working with a 1900 U.S. Federal Census Record where my grandfather was who I was looking for. I found him, as expected, when and where he should have been. Yes, I knew that from the past, but I wanted to see what the new interface to Ancestry was doing in FTM2017.

As I understand the process, when I follow a Hint, from FTM2017, I am taken to the Web Search Workspace, look at the Hints provided there, and select one of them. In this case, the 1900 US Federal Census for a township in New Jersey. When I select that record, I have the information from my database on the Lower Left field and the information from the Record in the Lower Right field. I then compare them to make sure that the record is for my person.

Elizabeth Willits is the person in my database. She married twice, once to a Worthington, and then a Leeds. I know that and that is why the Record would be for Eliz W Leeds. It's my evaluation of the same person. I will record her name, per the record as Eliz W Leeds, as an Alternate Name and the Web Merge feature will do that for me and it will include a Citation on that Fact.

I won't go into all of the Facts in this record, because it has worked very well in the past. I did the Web Merge and as usual did my normal clean up. That is putting the Source into the appropriate Source Template, then reviewing all of the claims from that record and making sure that the Facts are entered correctly, and cited. I also add to my research log.

In the above screen, I know you may not be able to read it, but below is the lower right corner, or the information from Ancestry.

You may note "Ethnicity: American" in that record. Hmm. That information is NOT a field in the Census Record.

There is NO Ethnicity field on that record. This website has more information about this specific Census Record. http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=1900_U.S._Census.

The Record didn't have that question, why is Ancestry presenting this to us. It has NOT been there in the past, as I have done this many times in the past, for this specific census year. This is not the first "problem" that I saw, but it should have been the first problem that I saw, because there hasn't been an issue here in the past.

In the Abstract for this Census Record, which I look at before I do the merge, that "Fact" is not presented in that abstract.

When I looked at the abstract, I didn't see it coming in the Web Merge. So after the Web Merge, I saw that Fact in my database and went back to the abstract (above) and that fact isn't there. Looking at the image, that information isn't in the Record.

Have you looked at an Ancestry Census record recently, especially the abstract?

I ask that question because of what I found later.

The family, was a Grandmother, her Daughter, two Grandson's, and a Granddaughter in the household. The Grandchildren were siblings from one of her Son's. The Daughter in question, never married, nor did she have any children.

Here is HER abstract.

I was OK, until I god down to the "Mother's Name" for one of the Grandsons. Wow, that's cool, a Census Record providing the Name of the Mother ?? Not in any census record that I have looked at, has the NAME of the mother been on that record. But, that abstract from Ancestry clearly has a name in a field that does NOT exist in the Census Record.

When did you ever see the Mother's name on a Census Record ?

One of the features of the 1900 Census is the number of Children a female had and how many were still living.

Eliz W Leeds had 5 children, 3 still living, which was correct, and Sarah was single, and therefore no information in those two columns. BUT Ancestry has abstracted the children below (three of them) as being Sarah's children.

As it turns out, that is the Daughter of the Head of Household, Sarah, but the mother of the children (grandchildren of the Head of Household) was a Sarah C(K)atherine Reeve Worthington. The problem there is that she had died 6 years earlier. The father had died 3 years earlier, which is why the grandchildren were living with Elizabeth Willits Worthington Leeds in 1900.

One other issue: Users can make "edits" on Ancestry, when they thing the record is wrong. Here is an example, from this SAME 1900 Census Record:

This is what was on the abstract:

The NAME on the Census was Sarah Worthington. Someone assumed is should have been Sarah Leeds, or Iuah Worthington. There was not error on the Census, only the users edit.

I that past, those User Edits were NOT presented in the Web Merge Feature. Look again.

They were presented as "Also Known As" in the Web Merge. I don't want the "user edits" my database. I want what the record claims. I'll do the evaluation. Sarah Worthington is the correct name, in my database as well as the 1900 Census.

This is not the first time that I have seen information in the Web Merge being brought into the database that wasn't in the record, but had not realized the scope of the problem. That is, how much information is being merged that really should not have been merged. Stepping back and doing some analysis is where I determined that Ancestry is putting information into their abstract that is not even in the record.

Some / many will say "that is why I don't use the Web Merge feature". I am sorry, I make to many typo's to want to key in the data. I want EXACTLY what the record claims. I'll do the evaluation. Also, this had not been happening before the new Ancestry API to FTM2017.

I have confirmed that this is not unique to Family Tree Maker.

I have reported this as a Bug to Family Tree Maker, but I think some of this is issues from Ancestry on the new API that has been developed. Other genealogy database management programs may have similar issues. Note, I an NOT talking about Citations. That is a different topic.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

A little Blog house cleaning, a work in progress for a few days

Some major clean up of the Labels going on at the moment to make browsing the Blog Posts for what you might be looking for.

Remember the Blog Subject Lines are sort listing is by the Family Tree Maker Version number followed by the Workspace. 

For the most part, both the PC and the Mac version of FTM2014, FTM2014.1, and FTM2017 work the same. There are a few Mac Version (FTM-3 and FTM2017) mouse clicks that may be different, but I try to hi-lite them in the blog post.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

FTM2017 PC Version - File Clean Up

Observation after installation of FTM2017, where the end user may have done some of the Test Drives offered by Software MacKiev prior to the production release of FTM2017.

Bottom line, I have some file clean up to do.



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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Color Coding and Multiple Ancestral Lines

In my blog post yesterday there was a comment about multiple "lines" being color coded.

http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/2017/07/color-coding-and-civil-war-soldiers.html

Will demonstrate how Color Coding showed that I have Direct Ancestors of multiple lines or from more than one grandparent's ancestry.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington

Color Coding and Civil War Soldiers

This is response to a comment made on this blog post 

http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/2017/07/color-coding-end-of-line.html 

In my reply to the comment, I said that I would do a blog post on how I would answer the question about the use of color coding for the Civil War Soldiers. My approach is to use the Filter In / Filter Out feature. Before I posted my response, I tested it out and it worked as expected. 

My focus is to Identify ONLY my Direct Line Ancestors who might have a Civil War Record that I may not have found before.

This video will demonstrate out I used the Color Coding and the Filter Feature to answer my question.


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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington