Family Tree Maker 9.0 [OLD VERSION]

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005M0IE
• Item model number: 381161
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 9, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,880 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

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  Software > Home & Hobbies > Genealogy

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Although not as concise as family tree software the comes on DVD-ROM, version 9 of Family Tree Maker from The Learning Company has trimmed the CD library down to 11 discs, putting a lot of their searchable databases online. While you'll still do some disc-swapping when searching on CD, the online searches can take only seconds with a high-speed connection, letting you view, download, and interact with over 200,000 researched family trees at the World Family Tree Collection.

In addition to the extensive online searches, Family Tree Maker also includes several CDs typical of family tree software, including two family history discs, military records, and the Social Security Death Index from 1937 through 1999.

But it's the program's organizational tools that home genealogists will really appreciate. Family Tree Maker walks you through the steps of creating your own tree, displays entire family groups on a single page, and offers a variety of ways to personalize your tree. In addition to adding images for individuals, Family Tree Maker lets you insert audio and video clips to a tree as well as use a variety of borders, colors, and fonts. The click-through interface is intuitive for the average user, with wizards that step you through most of the creation and sharing processes.

Unique tools, such as the Personal Research Journal, help users keep tabs on tasks that need to be done for a tree, while the Relationship Calculator will automatically figure out the relationship between any two individuals in your family file (so you can see just how far removed that weird cousin Vera really is).

Family Tree Maker makes it easy to share your tree with family members in a variety of ways. You can display your tree in different formats for printing if you want to share hard copies, but you can also upload your tree to the free home page provided at Genealogy.com. In addition to the tree, you can also share slide shows, multimedia scrapbooks, and photos at the home page.

While searches with Family Tree Maker sometimes resulted in the same costly dead ends as other family tree software (where you have to purchase additional CDs or subscriptions to see the results of your search), for the under-$50 cost, it offers a lot of tools and databases to get the beginning genealogist well on the way to branching out his or her family tree. --J. Curtis

Amazon.com Product Description

Family Tree Maker 9.0 is an easy and complete resource for building a family tree. Family Tree Maker features sophisticated research tools, a wide variety of keepsake printouts, easy-to-use home page wizards, and one of the largest Internet genealogy communities.

Search U.S. and international indexes and records to find family members and history. Look through census reports, immigration records, passenger lists, birth records, military, and more. A step-by-step guide and customized tips help users research like a professional. Comb the Web and proprietary data with a genealogy search engine to find information on ancestors. Create personalized, heirloom-quality family trees, books, maps, multimedia scrapbooks, and family home pages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars User friendly for all ages and ability, December 9, 2001

By	MissPlumeau (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

I teach Family Tree Maker to senior citizens and am an amateur genealogist. It usually takes no more than an hour or two for my students to get around enough basics about Family Tree Maker to start entering their genealogy. It has clear windows and comfortably large fonts, very user friendly error messages that actually make sense.... (ie when typing a name all in lower case, a message pops up saying "the name may have too many or too few capital letters" and you have the option to make the change right there or use the "auto-fix" button).
As another review mentions, this is first and foremost a data entry tool for genealogy, as well as a data output tool such as family trees of various configuration, several standardized reports, and my favorite: the ability to put a genealogy book together.
Family Tree Maker's helpful research tools should be used in combination with classic research mediums: Libraries, genealogy groups, the internet, historical societies, local town halls....

85 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Tree Maker 9.0... Better Yet!, February 12, 2002

By	Robert D. Shull "shullrd" (Fairfield, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first purchased Family Tree Maker Version 8.0, I had very little information about my family's history. I was able to enter the basic information about me and my direct family and that was pretty much it. I figured I wasn't really going to get that many results, and that's where I was wrong!

Using Family Tree Maker Version 9.0, I have increased my family tree to 1,345 individuals (mostly on my mother's side) some going all the way back to the first century AD! I was impressed, and all of the information checks out thus far!

Family Tree Maker is also outstanding at compiling my family's history in whatever manner I need it. I can create a report about me, descendant's of my great-great-grandmother, a printout of everyone I'm related to, or create the usual trees! With the click of a button my information is compiled for me... couldn't be any easier!

New to this version is the ability to store information such as email addresses, and copies of your source material... You can always go back and find out where you got your information just by asking this program! The interface is not complicated, and will work with all levels of computer users! This is great for everyone!

55 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I have to agree with "a software user from MN" re: Andy, February 12, 2002

By	"momof2kidsand1cat" (Brighton, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Andy, if you DO happen to manage to find your family tree on any of Family Tree Maker's CD's or anywhere on-line, it's because somebody else did all the research! Not to mention, it probably contains errors. (I know, I personally found plenty!) Most of the fun of genealogy is in finding the information yourself; it's like detective work. If you're really interested in genealogy, get yourself a good genealogy book (I would recommend Sharon Debartolo Carmack's books) on how to start your research, even "Genealogy for Dummies" (no insult intended!). It really is a wonderful hobby, you just need to realize that it takes WORK! (and money for vital records, i.e. birth, marriage and death records, but it's worth it to see a signature of a great-great grandparent from the 1850's!) Believe me, it's definitely worth it.
Also get yourself some good genealogy software, (Family Tree Maker is in my opinion the best) - It's money well-spent, you will use it a lot.