Family Tree Maker is being Retired - Now What?

On Tuesday, December 8 Ancestry.com announced the retirement of Family Tree Maker 2014. Family Tree Maker is a desktop software platform used by many family researchers and genealogists to document their family history. One of the features that made Family Tree Maker unique was the ability sync research between desktop trees (trees located on a computer) and the Ancestry online trees. The sync process allowed data and media items like photographs or copies of historical records to be transferred back and forth.

Ancestry.com indicated in the retirement message that they would continue to support Family Tree Maker with full functionality through January 1, 2017.  There will be no ability sync after January 1, 2017.

My initial reaction after reading the announcement was that that I felt sick to my stomach. So many questions immediately came to my mind....... What happens now? What do I do? How difficult is it going to be to transfer 15 years of research to another software package? How much time is this going to take? What if my research file gets messed up? What will this do for future sharing and collaboration? How will this impact my workflow moving forward?

There are many different workflow models that researchers use. There is no right or wrong workflow - each researcher has to select a workflow that works best for them. My workflow is best illustrated through the graphic below: 

My family tree research is made up of three primary data sources:

• Historical Records - Historical records make up the bulk of my research. Historical records include items like Census Records, Ships Manifests, Passport Applications, Birth Records, Marriage Records, Death Certificates, Cemetery Records, Military Records, Will & Probable Records, Maps, Historical Book references, etc. Historical records come many sources. In addition to using the numerous data bases at Ancestry.com I also utilize other genealogy sites like FamilySearch, Find a Grave and other archival websites like Pennsylvania State Archives.
• Family Stories & Details - These are stories and details family members have shared with me other the years. These include memories and other personal recollections that have been incorporated into my research. 
• Photographs & Items from Family Collections - One of the projects I have been working on is to digitize the old collection of family photographs in my care. As these photographs are processed in conjunction with the Portraits of a Life Project the photographs have been linked to individuals and events in my research file. Other items that have been added include newspaper clippings, diplomas, wedding invitations and other items my ancestors saved.

My workflow model is more on the traditional side, My main research file is saved on my computer. I use Family Tree Maker software to access and edit my family tree.  As I evaluate historical records I manually enter the historical record, cite the source and link the record to individuals and events. In some cases copies of original historical records exist. In these cases I download a copy of the record and save it into my filing system. After renaming the record I attached the record as a piece of "media" to the citation. In a similar manner photographs and other items from the family collections are uploaded as "media" items that are linked to individuals.

If your interested in learning more about how I used Family Tree Maker see this link for screen shots of the detailed individual screen, media screens and sources screens.

Although Family Tree Maker offered the ability to import records directly from Ancestry.com databases - I opted not to use that feature. 

After completing a batch of updates on my desktop tree I would sync to my Ancestry online tree. The Sync feature allowed me to update my Ancestry online tree - allowing that tree to be a living document that would grow with the addition of new ancestors, historical documents and photographs. The ability to update and share data fostered collaboration for many researchers.

The use of Sync also allowed researchers to share photographs and media housed in their private collections. The modern world is allowing researchers like myself to digitize private collections that were previously unknown to other researchers. For example, the photograph below is Leopold Guth, my 3rd great grandfather. There are currently seven generations of descendants of Leopold Guth. Sync allowed me to easily share priceless photographs like this one with other researchers so they could learn more about our shared ancestors.

The data found in the private collections doesn't exist in data bases  I do find it curious that in this data driven world Ancestry.com would make it harder for researchers to share the data housed in their extensive private collections. To date many of my media items including photographs have been shared by other researchers.

Leopold Guth, my 3rd Great Grandfather

In addition to family research I have also DNA tested several individuals in my family utilizing the AncestryDNA product. The AncestryDNA module allows researchers to link the test individual to an Ancestry online tree. The benefit of linking DNA matches to a tree is helps genetic cousins better understand how they relate to one another. The DNA Circles feature in the AncestryDNA module uses the content in Ancestry Online trees to inform genetic cousins of a possible shared ancestor with our genetic cousins.

My research includes both ancestral and descendant research. The use of Sync allowed my Ancestry online tree to be updated.  My expanded tree has also assisted other researchers who are using DNA to learn more about their family. There are several cases where adopted individuals have reached out to me because my expanded research has helped them better understand their own lineage. 

This all leaves me wondering - how will this impact collaboration? Collaboration and sharing is what made the Ancestry platform so unique. In the current model there is no way to update an existing online tree. Once Ancestry.com stops supporting Sync on January 1, 2017 there will be no easy way for a researcher similar to myself to update our trees. How will this impact collaboration and features like DNA Circles?

As it stands today researchers like myself have some decisions to make. After a few days thinking, reading and interacting with other researchers at the Ancestry forums there look to be two options for moving forward -

Option 1 - Transition to an Ancestry Online Tree

Researchers that would pursue this option would shift from desktop software to utilizing Ancestry's online tree format. Work would be done through the internet based interface.

Considerations of this option:

• Online access would be required for a researcher to access and work on their tree. 
• Moving forward (based on what we know today) there would be no easy way to download all of your research with media files to your computer. 
• If a researcher is using a public tree - their "work in progress" would be visible to other researchers.
• The online trees in the current format are not capable of producing reports and charts that desktop software packages can. 
• Researchers are dependent on Ancestry.com  

Option 2 - Transition to a new Desktop Software Package

Researchers that pursue this option would make the shift from Family Tree Maker to another one of the desktop software platforms.

Considerations of this option:

• The Researcher would have to determine their workflow when evaluating desktop software options.
• Time will be needed for data review and checking after making the transition.
• With what we know today collaboration with Ancestry.com online trees would be eliminated.  If the researcher wishes to maintain an Ancestry.com online tree they would need to do manually update their online tree. It may not be practical for researchers to do the work "twice". 
• There may be opportunities for online collaboration with other desktop software packages.
• The ability to work offline.
• The researcher is not dependent on Ancestry.com to house their data. 

Where does this leave me? 

The discontinuation of Family Tree Maker has made me reevaluate research plans I had for 2016. Transitioning to an online tree is not a work flow I am interested in shifting to. As stated earlier in this post I prefer to work, research and ponder before making my research public.  Additionally, I often run reports and generate charts when collaborating with other researchers. I also prefer working from the computer when working on my tree. 

Before making any decisions about which desktop software package to shift to I am going to wait for the dust to settle. Perhaps Ancestry.com will be willing to sell Family Tree Maker to another company or they will re-think their decision to discontinue to Family Tree Maker. If they do not then I will start the process of evaluating what software package to shift to. 

If this decision does become permanent - the biggest question I keep coming back to is - how will this impact future collaboration?