Camparing Genealogy Programs

Well,  I didn't really set out to compare programs.  I actually couldn't find the program that I use to "count trees" which is how I find if I have any stragglers not connected to my main family tree,  so I can reconnect them or delete them.
btw the program for that is : Legacy Trees count number of trees report

So, I started surveying my various software to see what reports they run that I like, what hints they offer and any other tools I might use them for.

I thought it was pretty handy so I sent it to DiAnn, a blogger I really like and she used it to compare her use of Family Tree Maker to Legacy.
Here is the link to her post: https://family-tree-advice.blogspot.com/2020/03/comparing-programs.html

This was my response and here are my two reports I use and love I hope she continues the series and does Rootmagic next!

That was a good take on my recent survey of the various genealogy software that I use. I don't think the free version that you used will let you do most of the things that I use Legacy for but you are right about the old “feel.” I’m not going to defend Legacy,  but once you buy the software they are wonderful about free updates. So,  I've more than gotten my money's worth out of my original software expense over these many years. ( It's now only $34 to purchase the deluxe version)

When I was paper/note book based (I am now all digital) the Legacy family group sheet print-out was the first document in that section of the notebook about a particular family. It's clean and easy to view and write notes on. The reports/charts/graphs are amazing and are far superior to any other genealogy software. I keep a recent version of my gedcom file loaded in Legacy ( I am now 100% online Ancestry synced through Family Tree Maker) and when I get an email or message ( I have them email me !!) requesting information on a person or families in my file,  I can quickly run a report on that family/person,  save it as a pdf and email to them  as an attachment.  I will send you two samples of these reports, maybe you can include them at bottom of your post -so folks can see my actual samples. They take 10 seconds to produce!

I usually send a "Narrative Book" report adjusted by # of generations of interest. Because Legacy is drawing from my Ancestry/Family Tree maker ged(with media) it will embed images of the graphic file images attached to the people in that branch and include an amazing bibliography ( Source citations) at the end of the report. Then the person knows all the documentation I have as proof.

So easy,  no typing info and they can quickly see all that I have on a particular person/family. (citation- citations,  baby!)

I am also a big database cleaner,  like you are,  and the report I most frequently use is "Potential Problems" report which can be designed to report on just what you want to work on. I print out the reports and then make the correction online directly into Ancestry, then with the next sync they are changed in my FamilyTree Maker ged.

Everyone should make sure they are syncing their file from Ancestry to their own computer . They should own a personal digital copy of everything they have found and attached to each person in their ancestry files. I think you can only do that syncing now through FTMaker and RootsMagic.

Also If you are looking for genealogy education,  Legacy has absolutely wonderful webinars too !! check out the software here https://legacyfamilytree.com/  You will not think you wasted $34!

I thought it was interesting that she thought it might be a controversial post, when of course it wasn't. There isn't and shouldn't be any controversy in sharing what tools we use in genealogy and that's what these programs are .... Thanks, DiAnn

Survey Various Genealogy So... by Nancy on Scribd

casner family group sample by Nancy on Scribd

casner book sample by Nancy on Scribd

Benjamin Allen bible

We believe Benjamin Allen brought this bible from England to Canada and to US :Barritt and company bible and prayer book

William Prout Bevan is he my George Henry's father ?

1841 UK census

1851 UK census

Ancestry UK wills

Nelson Pratt went on Collin Expediton to South America

Nelson Pratt joined the Collins expedition to Brazil from Williamsport January 1878
Collins expedition to Brazil in 1878, to build the Madeira & Mamoré Railway


 


 I think he might have been recruited by Robert Hepburn

Unpublished manuscript (65 typed pages) written about 1916 and documenting the authors experiences while working for the 1878 Collins Expedition in Brazil.
https://archive.org/details/MadeiraMamoreRailroad1878Manuscript/page/n11























 

Daniel W. Smith home and business Washington, District of Columbia 1875-1888

Daniel W Smith's residence timeline

1869 Williamsport, Lycoming County Pennsylvania

Directory 

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1870 Williamsport, Lycoming County Pennsylvania

Census 

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1871 Williamsport, Lycoming County Pennsylvania

Directory

88 E. Third home

57 W Third Shomaker, Smith & sons
Business also in Havre De Grace, Maryland 

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1873 Williamsport, Lycoming County Pennsylvania

Directory 

88 E. Third home

Smith, Daniel 57 W Third Shomaker, Smith & sons

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1875 Washington, District of Columbia

Isaac (son) marries in Washington

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1875 Daniel not in Williamsport Directory

Not in DC Directory

1876 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Daniel W supt saw mill, 114 C se

Smith, Isaac driver 8 Cap nr N se

1878 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

No Daniel

Smith, Isaac driver 8 Cap nr N se

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1880 Washington, District of Columbia 

Census 

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1881 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Daniel W Wemple, Smith and Co. 103 4 1/2 NW 

Smith, Isaac hackman S Capital nr Nse

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1883 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith , Daniel lumber 462 C nw

Isaac driver 1310 S. Capital se

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1887 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

No Daniel

Smith, Isaac conductor 1066 30th nw

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1888

Smith Daniel W dies DC

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1892 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Isaac conductor 2120 13th nw

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1894 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

 Smith, Isaac conductor 2229 Cleveland Ave nw

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1900 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith , Isaac conductor 1915 9th nw

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1900 Washington, District of Columbia 

Census

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1910 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith Isaac conductor 619 Park rd nw

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1911 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Isaac conductor 811 T nw

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1912 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Isaac conductor   1545 9 nw

Frank driver 1545 9th nw

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1916 Washington, District of Columbia 

Directory

Smith, Isaac conductor 1720 8th nw

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1918 Smith Isaac Dead

1309 Florida 

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1920 Chicago, Cook County

Directory

Smith, Frank Dorchester Ave Finance

Utility Squadron 13 VJ 13 (Thirteen)

This is one of my research projects but not connected to our families. It was an honor to know these guys. Read about my research and helping these WWII vets get back in touch after finding a Unit history books in a discard box at a garage sale. I stayed in regular contact with John Kilcoyne for years Utility Squadron 13 VJ 13 (Thirteen)

Utilty Squadron 13 VJ 13 (T... by Nancy on Scribd

Allens serve in Royal Scots Fusileers in 1855

Two of the Allen brothers served with the Royal Scots Fusilleers 2 Battalion as drummers as we know from the letter we think the letter is from 1856 and brother John A Allan is back in England after serving in the Crimean War . Another brother George H is also serving in the same unit as John. John also mentions service in St Helena in the letter ---

 In 1831 the Scottish title was restored to the Regiment which became the Scots Fusilier Guards and went on to serve during The Crimean War, (1854-55) and Canada during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865).

 In 1854, the Crimean War began, which pitted the United Kingdom, France and the Ottoman Empire
against the Russian Empire. The 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards Fusiliers were dispatched as part of the Guards Brigade to the East, being deployed to Malta, Bulgaria and Turkey, before, in September, the British finally landed in the Crimea, at a place called Calamity Bay. The British and their French allies then began the advance on Sevastopol, a Russian naval base, but was blocked at the River Alma by Russian forces. And here came the Battalion's first engagement at the Battle of Alma, an action that saw chaotic and heavy hand-to-hand combat between the British and Russians. The road to Sevastopol runs through a gap between two hills, one to the east, known as Kourgane Hill and the other to the west, known as Telegraph Hill. On Kourgane Hill there consisted two earthworks, one known as the 'Great Redoubt' on the western side of the hill, while the other was on the eastern side, known as the 'Lesser Redoubt'. A British unit, known as the Light Division, made their advance, making steady progress on the Great Redoubt, and took it with very heavy casualties, however chaos soon set in, after, during a Russian counter-attack, a confusing order from an unknown officer was soon contradicted by other officers, and the British duly fell back. The Scots Fusilier Guards, in the center of the Guards Brigade, part of the 1st Division, were supporting the Light Division, though had only just crossed the River Alma by the time the Great Redoubt was taken. One brave group of Royal Welch Fusiliers had held their ground and were firing into the Russians until confronted by a mass of Russian soldiers, forcing them to retreat rapidly, and in the process, smashed straight into the formation of the advancing Scots Fusiliers Guards, causing immense chaos. The Russians seized their opportunity to strike, launching a large-scale bayonet charge on the regiment, resulting in brutal suffered 6,000. For their actions at Alma, the Scots Fusilier Guards won a battle honour and four men of the regiment would later win the Victoria Cross, an award created in 1856 to become the highest award for valour in the face of the enemy. These men were Captain Robert James Lindsay, Sergeants John Knox and James McKechnie, as well as Private William Reynolds. In 1855, the regiment took part in another bloody engagement, at the Battle of Inkerman, at a place known to the British as Mount Inkerman. The British, and their French allies, were attacked by numerically superior Russian troops, hoping to break the Siege of Sevastopol. The attack happened in very thick mist and despite having weak defences and being outnumbered severely, the British defended stoutly against the Russians. The first Russian attacks was completely devastated by the accurate fire of the badly outnumbered British defenders. The Guards helped defend the right of the British defenders, and at Sandbag Battery, performed valiantly in the face of overwhelming Russian numbers, and despite the difficulties the Guards faced, they overcame them and devastated the Russian forces assaulting the Sandbag Battery. The Battle of Inkerman was a victory that had been filled with dreadfully brutal hand-to-hand combat, that, at times, resembled the battles of a far more primitive age, and saw over 2,000 British soldiers killed or wounded out of over 8,000 that took part in the battle, with the Russians suffering over 11,000 casualties. The regiment won its thirteenth battle honour for their part at Inkerman. The Scots Fusilier Guards also took part in the arduous Siege of Sevastopol, which lasted from September 1854 to September the following year, when it was captured by the British. The Crimean War would end in 1856 with the Treaty of Paris, with the Scots Fusilier Guards returning home to the UK that same year
carnage, eventually forcing the regiment to reluctantly withdraw, and suffering over 150 casualties. During this chaos, the Colour party of the regiment, whose Colours had been shot through, held their ground against the overwhelming Russian force, and safeguarded the Colours from the Russians, as well as helping to rally the regiment. The Russians attempted to exploit the chaos when a large Russian force advanced on the Brigade of Guards, but the Guards poured a withering and accurate fire into the Russians, causing very heavy casualties. The British, including men of the battered Scots Fusilier Guards, subsequently advancing, causing the Russians to flee which allowed the British to re-take the Great Redoubt. Further heroics occurred on the right, with the Highland Brigade, just two lines deep, firing, while advancing, on the Russians who soon fled from the spirited Highland Brigade. The Battle had been bloody, with the British losing over 2,000 casualties while the Russians

This exactly what John would have looked like and maybe knew some of these guys
nglish: Crimean War 1854 - 1856


A group of Scots Fusilier Guards convalescing from wounds received in the Crimea at the Guards Barracks in London. Left to right:

• Private G. Biddlescombe
• Private Francis Trainer
• Private George Watt
• Private William Jay
• Private Edward Little
• Private J.F. Lilley
• Private William McPherson
• Private James Morgans

Date	between circa 1854 and circa 1856