Your master family tree is owned and controlled by you. It is protected with online backup to ensure it is safe.It is the final say on what you currently know about your family tree.A master family tree has three important characteristics: What do I mean when I say that you should plant your “master family tree” in your own backyard? I’m talking about using a genealogy database software program that resides on your own computer. In fact, regardless of whether you do, you need a “Master Family Tree.” Plant Your “Master Family Tree” in Your Own Backyard I’m not suggesting that you can’t or shouldn’t use an online tree. It’s this inevitable situation that leads to my conclusion that you build and protect a master version of your family tree. It’s easy to find yourself with different versions of your tree, unsure of which one is the most accurate and complete version. A large number of them will encourage you or even require you to start creating an online family tree on their site in order to get the most value from the tools that they offer for your research.Īs you work with these different genealogy websites, you may start to feel like your tree is getting scattered across the web. It’s nearly impossible to run out of ancestors or stories to explore.īut have you noticed that websites don’t last forever? And even if they do, their services and tools will undoubtedly change over time.Īnd there are many, many genealogy websites out there. Genealogy is a hobby that lasts a lifetime. My answer is, “not so fast!” Let’s think through the long-term game plan for this important information that is your family’s legacy. These sites make it easy to start entering information about yourself, your parents, and your grandparents either on their website or through their mobile app. (Learn more about what each of the Genealogy Giants websites have to offer here in this handy comparison guide.) I refer to them as the Genealogy Giants because they have millions of genealogical records, and they offer you the tools to build your family tree on their website. If you’re new to researching your family’s history, you probably started out with one of the big genealogy websites, such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, or FamilySearch. I’m going to explain what I mean by this by starting at the beginning.

Plant your tree in your own backyard and share branches online. Today’s family historian needs a master game plan for how they will not only build their family tree, but where they will build it, and where they will share it. But there’s really more to this question than meets the eye. This is a question I get in various forms quite often from Genealogy Gems Podcast listeners. In this post I’m going to answer common questions about the best strategy for creating and maintaining your family tree data.

My family tree website