Hopefully you’ve been able to gather some information from various family members and you possibly are either very organized with notes in binders (yes, some people still use actual paper) or if you’re like me you may have scraps of information here, there and everywhere. But wait, there is software for that information that will help create your family history! Of course there is.
I use FamilyTree Maker software, mainly because when I started that was one of the only genealogy software programs available. I like the features available, the ease of use and the ability to create ancestor or descendant trees and reports for however many generations you want.
The program will advise about obvious errors like trying to enter a death date before the person was even born ( I did that) but other than that there are no warnings regarding what you put in. It is easy to correct entries whether it be a name or date and there is a warning before changes take place.
I back up my information to both my laptop and a USB stick every day I have put new data in and the program makes it easy to save and retrieve information. You can also sync your family tree to the Ancestry app which allows information sharing and provides you with hints about possible ancestors that have been input by other people. But remember, these are hints and you should verify information as much as possible before claiming it as part of your tree.
If you google search “genealogy software” there are reviews available of the various software tools available online. The website I looked at did ut FamilyTree Maker as best for beginners but it is pricier than other programs. You might see references to GEDCOM files. GEDCOM stands for Genealogical Data Communication. It is the uniformly accepted method of formatting family tree data into a text file so it can easily be read and converted by any genealogy software program.
Find a program that works for you and start inputting your tree!
Across the Pond 