Genealogy Software: Why Can’t I…
Lately, I’ve been feeling constricted by the limitations of my genealogy software. 1 There has been a lot of criticism of genealogy software and some great ideas (here and here) for improvement.2 I won’t get into all that. Instead, I want to touch on my greatest pain point.
For me, the biggest drawback is the inability to create relationships or ties between people who are unrelated or who may be related, but I don’t yet know how. Family members often stood up for each other—serving as witnesses on documents, sponsors at baptisms, executors or administrators of estates, and guardians for minors. Being able to make those connections—and easily refer to them—during the research process can help to break through brick walls.
I want those links encapsulated in my genealogy program. I want to be able to see those connections and what they were (i.e., witness, administrator, sponsor, bondsman, guardian, etc.) in each individual’s record. I want to be able to follow them from person to person—and back—without having to know (or remember) who they connect through (i.e., spouses, siblings, or parents).
I’d like to view a list of these links between individuals for each personal in the database. Who was an individual connected to? What was the relationship? Were they linked through multiple events, implying a closer relationship, or was it a one-time thing? What was the timeline for these relationships?
I also want to be able to see their spatial relationship. Were they neighbors on adjoining properties or living on opposite ends of the county? What about over time? Did they stay in the same location or did one—or both—of them move to a new locale? That could be key in locating a “missing” individual.
What do you wish you could do with your genealogy software?
Footnotes
- I use Reunion for Mac, but I’m sure most applications contain similar restrictions. ↩
- Most of the critique regards its use for collecting and evaluating information and forming conclusions. I primarily use my database as a catch-all, dumping in everything I find—even conflicting data—for a specific person or couple. I, then, resolve that information into conclusions in my write-up. If I get that far. If I don’t, at least the information is available for consideration in future research. ↩
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Kris Hocker, "Genealogy Software: Why Can’t I…," A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy, the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker, modified 20 Apr 2014 (https://www.krishocker.com/genealogy-software-why-cant-i/ : accessed 16 Apr 2024).
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4 Replies to “Genealogy Software: Why Can’t I…”
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I share your frustration with the limitations of my current set of genealogical software tools. As a programmer, I am accustomed to using git to keep a record of my false starts, unfinished thoughts and scraps of ideas as branches within the context of projects. I don’t have that same functionality available in my genealogical endeavors which is why I have over 50 ancestry.com “test family trees” to explore one-off ideas, and have at least a dozen genealogical software tools that I use at different times. It’s frustrating that the tools impose a static view and don’t (implicitly) have revision control for every update that I make.
I often wonder what other programmers use as their primary source of data 0 both sources and assertions/conclusions/theories?
Brian and Michael, thanks for the feedback.
Being on a Mac somewhat limits my software options. I’m seriously considering building a tool in FileMaker that does what I want. I could probably get it to do most of what I’m looking for.
Hi Kris,
I had the same problems with my one-name study – genealogical programs are too restrictive,
I found that the best solution was a free-form database which has hyperlinks. Have a look at the “Kingstairs Software” site.
The Master Genealogist software package does allow you to connect people as “witnesses” to events (which includes a variety of roles, such as sponsors or godparents of a baptism, etc.). These events show up on the profiles of both the principals and the witnesses.