Genealogists using Family Tree Maker software recently learned that it’s not going away as first announced.
In an about-face, ancestry.com heard the outpouring from the genealogy community and on Feb. 2 announced that it had sold Family Tree Maker to Software MacKiev (mackiev.com). FTM owners will receive updates from that company and will be able to purchase new versions, as well as continue to save trees to Ancestry.
Others have wondered if the trees will still sync with Ancestry and have been assured they will, though it could involve additional technology. Ancestry also announced an agreement with RootsMagic genealogy software (rootsmagic.com) to interface by the end of 2016, thus linking RootsMagic desktop software with your Ancestry member tree online.
For further updates, check the websites for these companies and the Ancestry blog. The sites have posted information discussing these changes and transitions. If you are using Ancestry’s DNA testing, posting your family tree helps you better understand your matches.
Executions in Georgia
In my July 12 column I mentioned a website (genealogytrails.com) where the various state sites have a section related to legal executions. Now, there is a book, "Legal Executions in Georgia: A Comprehensive Registry, 1866-1964)," by Daniel Allen Hearn, published this year by McFarland and found at the Georgia Archives.
Hearn’s entries about 1,025 people executed are arranged chronologically, with a full name index. Each biographical sketch/entry includes newspaper citations as well as references to state prison records at the Georgia Archives.
This is a lot more information than is found on the website, which has a lot of other great records. For more on this new book, see mcfarlandbooks.com. Hearn has written books covering legal executions for a number of other states.
Conference in Florida
The National Genealogical Society will hold its annual conference May 4-7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The deadline for early registration is March 31.
It’s an opportunity to attend a great genealogy event with hundreds of lectures and a book fair. If you can’t go, take advantage of the special links to conference lectures and CDs offered by NGS.
See ngsgenealogy.org for registration information and the program.
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