Well, I’ve done it. I’ve added one more genealogy software program to my already full basket of Family Historian 6, Heredis 2015, Legacy 8 and RootsMagic 7. All are potential replacements to Family Tree Maker.
DISCLAIMER: My Ancestral Quest 14 program was a complimentary gift from Gaylon Findlay, President of Incline Software with no strings attached and no promises made. My views and comments are strictly my own.
As with the other software programs in the try-out phase, I am not planning to write a standard style of review with recommendations about purchasing. I am only sharing my first steps as I jump into yet another software program. Later this year, after I have had a chance to more thoroughly explore the offerings of each program and have made a decision about the #1 spot, I will again share my thoughts.
I am fully expecting that there will be things I like about each program, but that one might better meet my needs. We’ll see if that turns out to be the case!
Now, on to Ancestral Quest 14. AQ is another of the programs that I knew very little about, although I did know that it’s been around for quite a while. As with my other possibilities, I imported a GEDCOM to AQ14 without any problem. Next, I moved to my “test phase,” which is to see how far I can get in creating a new tree without having to search for help.
I clicked on FILE and chose NEW.
Beginning a new tree in AQ14
All I had to do was name the file in the data box and a box opened for me to enter a new person. George Tarbox, my 3x great grandfather, for whom I have photos and other documents was the person I used just because I know I have multiple images saved for him already. It is very easy to enter a spouse and children, as there are prompts.
How did I add the image? In AQ, it is called the SCRAPBOOK.
*Scrapbook is the fourth tab on the right. Once clicked, it works just like most other programs, asking where the image is. I found George Tarbox’s picture and brought it in.
Right above the *Scrapbook button is one for Notes/Sources. I clicked to see what it looks like:
Notes/Sources
There are four choices here, Individual Notes, Individual Sources, Marriage Notes, Marriage Sources. There are no templates for source citations, but to me, that is a big plus. Yes, I know they are the current rage, but I still much prefer to type my little source citation in the old bibliography style. My firm belief is that a source citation only needs to be as extensive -long-thorough – or however you want to describe it to make it possible for anyone else to find and verify the same information. I just have an aversion to source citation templates!
The Notes/Sources boxes are easy to use. Just type in the information and hit SAVE.
The MAP IT feature takes me to a map of New Gloucester, Maine, which is where George was born. Just like with other map searches online, I can zoom in and out of the view area.
My first impression of Ancestral Quest 14 is that the everyday steps that we do entering data about our families are very easy to accomplish. I will have to enter more extensive information to try out some of the other program options.
Ancestral Quest 14 will remain on my list as a potential replacement for FTM. More to come in the future!