No Family Tree Maker 2013 - Bonus Features on FTM 2012 Instead

Many genealogists have been eagerly waiting to hear when Family Tree Maker 2013 will be released. Things a little different this year at Ancestry.com . Instead of creating a new version of the software, the team has been putting all of its resources into improving Family Tree Maker 2012 so you get new bonus features throughout the year.

If you haven’t purchased or upgraded at Ancestry.com to Family Tree Maker 2012 yet, there’s never been a better time.

Since Family Tree Maker 2012 was released last fall, a number of updates have been sent out that include improvements and new features. Here’s a list of just some of these great changes:

• Numerous enhancements to TreeSync so syncing your tree to Ancestry.com is faster and more reliable
• A new Family View Report that displays a person’s ancestors, spouse, and children together (similar to the Family View in the People workspace)
• A new Undocumented Facts Report that lists people’s facts that have no source documentation
• The ability to merge info from multiple versions of the same fact
• New source templates for the 1940 U.S. census and improved support for city directories
• Dozens of report enhancements including performance improvements and new options in the relationship chart, family group sheet, Individual Report, Notes Report, Data Errors Report, Outline Descendant Report, Media Item Report, photo albums, Media Usage Report, Documented Facts Report, and calendar

And there are more enhancements to come in the next bonus update—so stayed tuned.

An FTM Archive I Didn't Know I Had

My FTM Archive

I didn't know I had an FTM (Family Tree Maker) Archive. But I do. I found it while looking for the software for one of my printers. That's my FTM Archive on the left.

The earliest FTM version I own is Version 3.01. It came out in 1996.  My most recent is FamilyTreeMaker 2012.

Yep, I've been using FTM for at least 16 years! I say "at least" because I'm pretty sure I bought it before 1996.

I think that pre-1996 versions were not CD-ROMs, but the little floppy discs we used to use. Unfortunately I can't find my stash of floppies so I don't know for sure what year I started using FTM.

Obviously I love it!






I recently obtained FTM 2012 for both my Windows Computer and my MacBook Air but have yet to install or test drive them. If past history is an indicator, I'm going to love FTM 2012 as much as my previous versions.






Here are the versions I currently have in my FTM Archive. What versions do you have?

1996 Version 3.01 Version 3.4 Version 4 1998 Version 4.4 Version 5.0 1999 Version 6 2000 Version 7.5 Version 8

2001 Version 9 2004 FTM 2005 2005 FTM 2006 2007 FTM 2008 2010 FTM 2011 2011 FTM 2012

Ancestry.com Releases Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync™, Allowing Family Tree Updates from Anywhere via the Cloud

Update of the No. 1 Selling Family History Software Makes Researching & Sharing Family History More Rewarding Than Ever

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 29, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the release of Family Tree Maker® 2012, an improved and expanded version of the world’s No. 1 selling family history software. Now with its new TreeSync™ capabilities, Family Tree Maker 2012 enables family history enthusiasts to sync their desktop family trees and their trees online at Ancestry.com unlike any other desktop software available on the market.

“We have a long-term vision to make family history simple and more accessible to the masses,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product for Ancestry.com. “Now with the combination of Ancestry.com, the Ancestry mobile app and the new Family Tree Maker, users can work on their family tree anywhere, anytime.”

Family Tree Maker 2012 introduces TreeSync, which enables family historians to sync their online tree at Ancestry.com and their desktop family trees, including photos and other historical records they have attached. This enables Family Tree Maker users to bring their desktop tree online to share with invited guests and continue their research from wherever they are.

The new software comes with a free membership or free trial to Ancestry.com that gives users access to billions of historical records, and millions of memory-making historical photos, stories and family trees. Membership with Ancestry.com connects Family Tree Maker 2012 users to the largest family history community in the world, and helps users find other members who might be researching the same ancestors so they can compare notes and discover more together.

Other improvements in Family Tree Maker 2012 include:

·         An easier-than-ever user interface to get users started right away

·         Upgraded help content and video tutorials

·         Improved content-generation and editing options to create engaging “Smart Stories” about family history and family members

·         The ability to combine families into one harmonized tree, bringing step-families and adoptees into the main family tree

·         Simple generation labels and text boxes to make family trees more interesting and informative

Expert users of earlier Family Tree Maker releases will find new power-user tools in Family Tree Maker 2012, including:

·         Upgraded personalization capabilities enabling users to add their own images, adding narrative text and displaying explanatory generation labels to charts

·         Index report of every individual in a family tree with birth, marriage and death dates

·         Chart the line of descendancy between an ancestor and any descendant in your family tree