Making Connections: Praise for the Premiere Issue of Family Tree Magazine

Cover to cover

I have got to tell you that your magazine is the only one that I have ever read cover to cover! It is incredible! I am dabbling in genealogy right now and have visited numerous Web sites, and I own some of the Family Tree Maker CDs, but I have learned more from your magazine than anywhere else I have looked. Every article has provided me with great insight on how to further proceed in my search, how to document and preserve what I complete. I can’t think of a more valuable tool available to novice genealogists such as myself, or for the far more experienced, than your magazine.

MICHELE STRANG

via e-mail

How do you do that?

After receiving a copy of my father’s family tree, my husband asked, “How do you do that?” I had helped my mother from time to time with research she was doing for her side of my family. So since I knew a little bit, we started our search. After my husband came up with nothing, I called my mother. She told me of “this great new magazine that explained things in plain English” — this coming from someone who has gone through every periodical and book on genealogy for the last 20 years! I went right out to buy it.

That evening, my husband called his father for the names and dates we needed. Got grandparents and “possibly” that the grandmother was born in Dilley, Ore. I connected to Familytreemaker.com, typed in the info… and POOF! Like magic, there was his grandmother and her ancestors back to Ireland about 1710. After looking over the Web page I realized that most of his ancestors had lived and died in the towns of Dilley and Gales Creek, Ore., only 10 miles away from us.

We just wanted to say thank you for putting the information in print in an easy-to-understand format with all your helpful links and articles. You have given me a new understanding of where information can be found, and my husband is ecstatic about “finding” his family!

REBECCA STARCK-KEENE

Aloha, Ore.

Spending free time smarter

This is the first critique that I’ve ever sent a magazine, but I just had to say something about your Family Tree Magazine. As genealogy is my greatest free time-spender, I’m interested in all things that can help me spend my time more wisely and be more entertained. This magazine did both. The scope of subjects that you tackle is stunning: journal writing, photo preservation, computer use, etc. It made me want to read every word, as every word was skill-oriented and useful. I also like your respect and friendly approach to the digital world. And your layout is extremely pleasing and engaging. My eyes just soaked it up (I layout documents professionally).

I do hope you plan to include tips about computer programs other than Family Tree Maker. I hope your magazine doesn’t turn out to be a front for selling the software, though it is good software. I use The Master Genealogist and PAF, both of which I find more useful to the advanced genealogist then FTM. I’m a prior user of FTM.

KEVIN L. BARTON

via e-mail

Editor’s note: We’ll be covering the whole gamut of genealogy software. See our review of the new Generations suite of programs in this issue, for example.

More reader raves

This is an absolutely incredible magazine, I just picked up the first copy and I love it. Great job. And this site, I think it’s the best I’ve seen. I would stack it up against all the other “biggies” (Ancestry.com , rootsweb, Family Tree Maker) any day.

TRACI STONE

via e-mail

I just wanted to congratulate you on your fabulous premiere issue. It not only looks good, the content is outstanding. I particularly enjoyed “Writing Your Life Story” and found lots of good information regarding Family Tree Maker, which 1 use to document my family history, photo preservation, software reviews (not that I’m thinking of switching!) and genealogy and scrapbook-ing sites. I’m already looking forward to the next issue.

ANNE CORKE

via e-mail

I just bought your new Family Tree Magazine and read it cover to cover in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed it — it was interesting, enjoyable, readable (not stuffy!!), very informative with lots of helpful info, especially all the Web addresses.

SUZIE WHITESIDE