RootsMagic 9 is Now Released; Special Savings Until March 6,2023, Only

Wouldn't you know it? We did an update post on some of the various genealogy software out there and ... RootsMagic released version 9 on February 27, four days later.

Read the RootsMagic blog to learn more about the release. Normally RootsMagic costs $39.95 for new users with an upgrade price of $29.95 for existing users of earlier versions. BUT, BUT, BUT there is limited-time special pricing. Existing and new users (aka anyone) can get RootsMagic 9 for just $20 until March 6, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. After that normal pricing is in place and this sale will not be repeated.

If you are not familiar with RootsMagic, it has both a pay version called RootsMagic and a free version called RootsMagic Essentials which has all the features of the pay version but some are locked/unusable until you buy a key to unlock those features to turn Essentials into the full version.

RootsMagic has lots of videos and information on how its program works and with the free version it is easy to download and start using it to see if it works with the way you work. Remember, RootsMagic is one of only two genealogy programs that can sync with Ancestry Online Member Trees.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

It's Time! We are Going In-Person for Our March MCGG Meetings ... Get Ready!

Our favorite library re-opened on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, though some construction and organization details are still taking place with the Local History and Genealogy Room. As long as no oops or surprises happen, we are going in-person with our March meetings.

Our MCGG meeting is Friday, March 3, 2023, at 1 p.m.

Our MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy group meeting is Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at the new time of 6:30 p.m.

The topic of both meetings is  ... Welcome Back/Open House. 

Our first in-person meetings in years! Let’s socialize, see/use the new LH&G Room and tour the whole library. Attend Friday, Wednesday or both. Aside from opening remarks, these are non-structured meetings where the mix of attendees adds to the meeting experience.

Please note: MCGG will try to host hybrid (in-person and virtual) meetings but it will not always be possible. The format and location (two rooms) for this month's meetings do not make hybrid an option. But we will try to record some moments from these meetings and put them on our YouTube Channel.

Besides this website and its South Eastern Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar as well as our social media, our MCGG meetings are posted on the Library Events calendar on the website of the Mount Clemens Public Library.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

Genealogy Software Updates Available

We are starting to update our handouts that we use in our open house meetings and in our favorite library's Local History and Genealogy Room. One of our handouts is on genealogy software.

We wanted to remind everyone that there are updates to various genealogy software and that sometimes to fix a problem you do need to upgrade to a newer version. Some highlights to share are:

RootsMagic 8

RootsMagic released a new update just this month for its software RootsMagic 8 making 8.5.0.0 the current up-to-date version. This update adds Publisher to create books and made several other fixes. See the version history on Wiki. Besides the pay version there is also a free version called RootsMagic Essentials. There is a comparison chart to see the differences. RootsMagic 8 runs on both Windows and Mac.

If you have had any issues after a windows system update, check the RootsMagic blog for some tips and suggestions of what to do which may solve your problems.

If you have been waiting on a sale in order to purchase RootsMagic or any other genealogy tree software, then register for the free RootsTech 2023 virtual conference. Many of the conference vendors have sales during the conference. And many genealogy software vendors will be participating.

Family Tree Maker 2019

Despite being in the middle of a war zone since February 2022, Software MacKiev has now released two free updates for Family Tree Maker 2019 with the latest version 24.2 (build 532) having been released this month as well. The prior update in August 2022 fixed (among other things) the Ancestry login issue.

Make sure you are signed up for Family Tree Maker's mail list so you get the news when updates are released. MacKiev is still supporting Family Tree Maker 2017 but an additional update to fix its login issue has not been released yet. You can keep track of the latest version of each program (FTM2017 and FTM2019) here. At this time, to fix the login issue of FTM2017 the answer is to upgrade to FTM 2019 if you do not want to upgrade the answer is wait. If you select the link to upgrade to FTM2019 in that support article the upgrade price is on sale for $29.95 which is a good price.

Again Software MacKiev is usually a vendor at the RootsTech conference so check them out in the Expo Hall.

Remember, RootsMagic and Family Tree Maker are the only two genealogy software programs that sync with Ancestry online member trees. The programs sync in different ways so read and view videos to understand how they work and affect your tree so you can decide which program you prefer.

Family Tree Maker works with two plug-ins, Family Book Creator and Charting Companion. Both of which are separate companies whose software have versions that work with some other genealogy software as well. If you use either of these programs/plugins, check their websites for details on upgrading your genealogy software and how it might affect their program/plugin. Sometimes you may just have to reload the program/plugin but occasionally you might have to upgrade their program/plugin in addition if you upgrade your genealogy software.

Legacy Family Tree 9

Legacy's most recent version is 9.0.0.414 for Legacy 9. There is a features list on the website; and a variety of webinar videos many of which are free on Family Tree Webinars.

Ancestral Quest 16

Incline Software's Ancestral Quest 16's current build 11 was released in March 2022.

MyHeritage's Family Tree Builder 8

Though it is hard to locate, the current version of Family Tree Builder 8 is 8.0.0.8636 which seems to have been released in November 2022.

Family Historian 7

When we last updated our genealogy software handout, Family Historian 7 was not released yet. There is upgrade pricing, which varies, for versions 6 and 5. There are a variety of options to learn what is new with version 7 and how the program works.

Brother's Keeper 7.5

A shareware software, Brother's Keeper has been updated since our prior handout. The latest version 7.5 was released in December 2022. The program is still lagging behind in looks and features.

MacFamilyTree 10

Synium's MacFamilyTree Version 10 was released one year ago, with an update released in November 2022. It is a Mac only program.

Reunion 13

Leister Pro's Reunion software is version 13. Its latest update is as of October 2022. It is a Mac only program.

We hope this helps you explore your genealogy program options. We will see what gets announced during the RootsTech 2023 conference coming up very soon.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

 

Closing Early Due to Weather

It is Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Our favorite library, Mount Clemens Public Library, is closing early today at Noon due to the coming inclement weather.

In the meantime, enjoy the quick video tour on our YouTube channel we made yesterday of the library and its new Local History and Genealogy Room. The room is still a work in progress but it is a good look at what is to come.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

A Quick Tour of Our Favorite Library and the Local History & Genealogy Room

MCGG has uploaded to our YouTube channel a quick tour of the Mount Clemens Public Library's new look and the new Local History and Genealogy Room.

The LH&G Room is still a work in progress. While some research can be done, the library's subscription services and the FamilySearch Affiliate status are in the process of being set up as well as the various computers.

The room will be accessible when the room's staff is present or when genealogy volunteers are present once they have received training on the room. We will let you know when our genealogy volunteers start volunteering.

Call ahead if you want to verify the LH&G room will be accessible for your visit, especially if you are traveling long distance.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

RootsTech 2023 is March 2-4, with Lots of Learning to be Found On Demand

It is almost time for the annual RootsTech conference which once again will have an in-person conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as a virtual aspect.

Registration for in-person or virtual attendance is open for RootsTech 2023 which takes place March 2-4, 2023. It is $98 for attending in-person but that early-bird pricing ends soon. It is completely free for virtual attendees. (RootsTech pricing obviously does not include hotel and airfare.)

Prior RootTech sessions are available though a little bit hidden. On the On Demand page, in the search scroll down to the bottom where the Year option is available. Then check the box(s) for years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) you want to review the sessions; once the screen updates you can now see the prior years' sessions. Once this year's conference begins you will see the various 2023 sessions as well as the 2023 live stream sessions which will appear on the RootsTech homepage.

Have fun learning something new

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

President's Day Sales -- Take a Look at Your Favorite Genealogy Vendors

Genealogical Publishing Company is having a President's Day Sale until 11:59 p.m. EDT, Monday, February 20. It is a site-wide sale of 20 percent off. Use code: PDS23 to save.

If you haven't visited some of your own favorite genealogy vendors lately, take a few minutes to in the next few days to revisit them. Though they may not be advertising big sales for the holiday weekend, you might find a few things on sale.

See you very soon at our favorite library!
LE

It's a Free Access Holiday Weekend at Newspapers.com Includes Publisher's Extra Collection thru Feb. 20, 2023

Hopefully you have already heard. This holiday weekend genealogists have a long weekend to explore and search ALL of the content of Newspapers.com including the Publisher's Extra newspapers. This free access holiday weekend at Newspapers.com ends February 20, 2023, at 11:59 pm MT. The links here take you to the Newspapers.com Facebook page. Just click the link on the Facebook page to take you to the website to register to obtain access.

Have fun searching the past.

See you someday very soon at our favorite library!
LE

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery ... Finding Your Roots Bingo Released Yesterday; MCGG TV Show Bingo Version 4 Released Today -- Play Them Both!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ... so the old saying goes.

Yesterday, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates released its own version of Bingo for the show. You can find it on the show's Twitter channel. There is one card and it is very tailored to the show. So if anyone Bingos, everyone wins at the same time.

Today, we have released version four of MCGG Genealogy TV Show Bingo. We started MCGG Genealogy TV Show Bingo in July 2022 with the intent of developing the cards to work with most genealogy TV shows. Our game has four cards with varying squares so multiple viewers in a household or at a viewing party can play against each other to see who might win. We have been modifying the cards to work better with multiple genealogy TV shows though certain earlier versions do seem to work better with a particular show format or the other.

So give MCGG Genealogy TV Show Bingo version 4 a try. And try the Finding Your Roots game too. Enjoy the show.

See you someday soon at our favorite library!
LE

Our February MCGG Meeting is this Wednesday via Zoom -- Join Us!

 If you saw our favorite library's Facebook page post in January, you know the new estimate for re-opening is now mid-February. That means we are virtual for this meeting.

MCGG and Let's Talk...Genealogy groups combined virtual meeting is this Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 7 p.m. using Zoom Meeting. The topic of the meeting is  ... Maps for Genealogy & Family History presented by Donald Batkins.

MCGG members on the mailing list will receive the Zoom Meeting invite in the reminder email to be sent prior to the meeting. New attendees can obtain the invite link using the Library Events calendar on the website of the Mount Clemens Public Library.

See you soon someday at our favorite library!
LE

MCGG Releases its 2023 Winter/Spring Schedule; Hopefully with No Adjustments

Hi Everyone!

Today, we release MCGG's 2023 Winter/Spring MCGG & MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy Schedule.

We are hopefully on the verge of moving to in-person meetings for the Winter/Spring 2023 Season. However we recognize that that change may be delayed but everyone is hoping that will not be the case. Any changes to the March and April programs will be announced here and to members directly via email.

As we have said, when we move to in-person meetings we will try to do hybrid (in-person and Zoom) meetings when it is possible with the topic/speaker. And since we've never done this before, please be patient as we figure it out.

Like January, our February meeting will use Zoom Meeting with the help of the Mount Clemens Public Library. MCGG Members on the mail list will receive the meeting invite link by email. New attendees should look for the invite on Mount Clemens Public Library's Library Event Calendar.

The meeting dates and topics can be found on the respective meeting pages of this blog site or in our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events calendar on the Calendar page.

On both the MCGG Friday Meetings and Let's Talk Meetings pages, you will now find the PDF file link of our current meetings flyer which can be viewed and downloaded. (Please note the image of the flyer in this post is just a low-res image. To see/download the flyer PDF you need to go to either of the meeting pages.)

We hope you join us and enjoy the rest of this genealogy season.

See you soon at the Mt Clemens Public Library!
LE