Family Tree Maker for Dummies (Paperback)

~ Matthew L. Helm (Author), April Leigh Helm (Author) "We know you're eager to start using Family Tree Maker - after all, that's why you're reading this book..." (more)
Key Phrases: verify that the chart, duplicate ancestors, snapshot scanners, World Family Tree, Index of Individuals, Grey Hound Canine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Do you rummage through your grandmother's attic for pictures of old relatives? Have you ever wondered where your family came from? Would you like to know if you and someone famous share a common great-great grandparent? If you've answered yes to any of these questions you might be an amateur genealogist without even knowing it!

Genealogical programs like Family Tree Maker are widely available and do not require any special training to use. That's right -- with a PC, a computer program, and an interest in discovering your roots you can begin tracing your family's history from its early years to today. Along the way you just might visit exotic lands, meet famous relatives, or dabble in a foreign language!

Family Tree Maker For Dummies is your guide to getting the most out of today's most popular genealogy software on the market. Begin by investigating the many features Family Tree Maker offers all budding genealogists. Find out what you need to get underway and how to start recording data you have collected. The book helps you create an investigation strategy that taps into close (and distant) relatives, high-tech resources, and other genealogists from around the world! You can also explore options for presenting your completed family tree, from including photos and video in the final product to making copies for relatives. Family Tree Maker For Dummies makes preserving vital family records a fun and rewarding experience.

From the Publisher

Discover how to:

* Research more effectively using genealogical databases * Customize the look of your family tree * Share family research on the Web * Enhance your records with multimedia features * Preserve vital family records permanently

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (December 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764506617
• ISBN-13: 978-0764506611
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #550,374 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Family Tree Maker for Dummies - Is for All - new and Old, July 12, 2000

By	Edwin T. Richard (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Pluses: This book has clear instructions and good hints on entering family information, and some of the tougher jobs such as exporting and importing files. The book has a unique section, not in the "official" manuals or companion publications: Chapter 16, "Ten Ways to Avoid Calling Technical Support". Here there are hints here that have never been published. Chapter 15 "Ten Things That Can Save You Time" has more short cuts than in the "official" publications. The short cuts are either not in the manuals or hard to find. All users will find some of them useful. The book also covers some of the fine points of Genealogy and computer management: Cite sources and Back Up, Back Up are two examples.

Minuses: The authors examples are a ridiculous genealogy of household pets,"Greyhound Canine" and "Tabitha Zee Feline". Their example did not allow the complexity of a real family. The animal parallel was distracting from the excellent work explaining the program. Some information and relationships which are in many family files were not covered.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Tree Maker for Dummies, June 18, 2000

By A Customer

This is a good book for people who are new to Family Tree Maker software. The authors take you step-by-step through the different screens, explaining how to enter data, make changes to it, and print it out in the various formats. They also show you how to search the web for data and how to import to your database and export it to a friend or relatives database. All in all, it's an easy to follow book that will help you feel comfortable using this program.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comments on Family Tree Maker for Dummies, October 22, 2001

By	Tom Woods (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

I think the book is helpful in many ways. However, I think buyers should be advised that the book is not compatable with some older versions of Family Tree Maker.