RootsMagic is one of those applications that allow keeping track of someone’s genealogy. It has multiple features and, as a result, its interface is rather complex, with lots of different windows. Therefore, it’s easy to get lost when you aren’t familiar enough with the program.
The tool can store varied information about a person and, luckily, it’s flexible enough as to allow adding relationships beyond those found in a nuclear family. For each person, it’s possible to save information related to multiple types of events, such as birth, marriages, divorces, adoptions, death and burial. Moreover, you can also create custom fields. This data can be entered manually, but it can also be copied or merged from other databases. Luckily, the program supports other formats apart from its own, particularly standard genealogy file types. Not only that, it lets you create separate databases for different families.
The tool supports searching online databases, like Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage. Besides, it can also find information using major search engines. Furthermore, it can use the stored information to create websites or print charts.
All in all, RootsMagic supports building huge family databases. Unfortunately, some of its features cannot be tested without payment. Moreover, the program is difficult to use. Personally, I forgot to add birth data about the people in my family and I couldn’t find a way to add the information at a later time.
v5.0 [Nov 28, 2011]
- Database tools let you test the file integrity, rebuild indexes, and compress database to remove deleted records
- People List View (Customizeable)
- Timeline View puts a person’s life in context with events from their own life and from the lives of family members
- All information for a person is shown on a single streamlined 'Edit person' window
- Add unlimited people, facts/events, notes, sources, and more
- CountyCheck analyzes places as you enter them to let you know if you enter a county or state that didn't exist on the date you entered
- Descendant List - An indented list of the descendants for a person
- Place List - A list of the places in the database
- CountyCheck lists events and places in your file where a county or state didn't exist on the date of the event
- "On This Day" List - bring your family history to life and view family events along with famous births, deaths, and historical events for any given day of the year.
- Media Tagging - tag your media with people, families, sources, or places. For example, tag an image of a census record with the people, families, and places mentioned in the record as well as the census’ source citation
- Add source documentation to any person, fact, or family
- Research Manager - avoid “reinventing the wheel” by keeping track of research goals, sources, and results that you have collected on a person, family, or place
- "To-do" list lets you keep track of research you still need to do for any person or family
- Mapping people and places
