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  • Any Legacy Users Out There?

    I've used Legacy for several years (versions 4, 5 & 6) and found it quite easy to use, but I haven't gotten around to learning all of the features and shortcuts. I'm wondering if there is any simple way to copy multiple pieces of information - e.g., source details, research notes, events - from one person to another. For example, when I'm entering information for several siblings, I can easily click on '1881 Census of England' as a Master Source, but then I end up entering the Piece/Folio/Page numbers individually for each person. It seems to me that there should be an easier way to do this - does anyone have any ideas?

    I'm at work at the moment, so I probably won't be able to answer any questions right away, but will keep checking this thread periodically.

    Thanks -

    Tim
    "If we're lucky, one day our names and dates will appear in our descendants' family trees."

  • #2
    don't know if this is quite what you want,Tim, but if I am entering the same data for all family members, e.g.census details, I just enter all the relevant material in 'add event', including the source details;then for each subsequent person,use 'add event' then use the 'repeat' button which will duplicate all the fields. Finish by clicking on the '- ' under the source arrow and the source info will be repeated as well.

    Beverley



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    • #3
      Thanks very much for your reply Bev.

      If I understand you correctly, then, it's possible to repeat 'Events' for individuals who are input sequentially. This wasn't exactly what I'd been thinking of, but I think it should accomplish pretty much the same thing. I've never bothered with the Events field until now, preferring to use Source Details to reference birth dates, birth places, etc..., and General Notes or Research Notes to add additional information. But Events should serve the same purpose, the only drawback being that I already have a lot of people whose details are entered the other way.

      Earlier this year, I received a GEDCOM from a third cousin who had used Events to list census details, and this may have been the reason, although I think she uses Family Historian.

      Legacy (and presumably other genealogy software) gives you a lot of options on how and where to enter data, and by and large I think this is good. Occasionally, however, you don't realize what the advantages/disadvantages are for a particular approach until you try to do something new.

      It's nice to see another Legacy user here - I've never used any other program for genealogy, since it's done everything I wanted and was very easy to learn, even without a manual. I did upgrade to the Deluxe edition of version 5, but I'm not convinced that the extras justify upgrading for every new version - maybe I will again whenever there's a version 7.

      TTFN -

      Tim
      "If we're lucky, one day our names and dates will appear in our descendants' family trees."

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks Beverley and Tim, for the useful info.
        I too am a Legacy user!! Have you bought Treedraw that goes with Legacy?





        Life must be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.

        Soren Kierkegaard

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        • #5
          Sue -

          No, I haven't used Treedraw or any of the other third-party programs that work with Legacy. No one else in my immediate family is particularly interested in genealogy, and the charts that Legacy produces are good enough for my own use (anything larger than Letter/A4 sized paper would be difficult to file).

          That being said, it might be fun to play with if it wasn't too expensive.

          Tim
          "If we're lucky, one day our names and dates will appear in our descendants' family trees."

          Comment


          • #6
            Linda -

            I can produce charts and book reports (ancestry, descendent, etc...) using version 6 Standard Edition. Do you know if there are any additional options with the Deluxe Edition?

            Tim
            "If we're lucky, one day our names and dates will appear in our descendants' family trees."

            Comment


            • #7
              I've just started using it, but not upgraded until I see how I get on with it. So I'm going to try out the repeat button

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              • #8
                I've got Tree Draw, and find it works quite well. Can't remember off-hand what it cost, but don't remember it as being exorbitant. You do need to exercise patience, however, as I find I need to manually manipulate the template to get the effect I want.

                An interesting feature of Deluxe 6 (I was using the freebie until recently) is Research Guidance (found in the toolbar to the right of 'Index') This will send you to references online to the particular name you have on screen - message boards, Ancestry, Rootsweb etc.

                When you use the 'repeat' tool, if you make a correction later, and run the 'repeat' over the family sharing the same data, it will pick up the changes you have made and ask you if you want to alter it in each entry. Saved me a lot of time when I found addresses, or altered the census date to give the exact day for each census, instead of just entering the year.

                Beverley



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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Canadian Cousin View Post
                  .....the only drawback being that I already have a lot of people whose details are entered the other way.
                  Mark, if you decide to standardise your entries by using 'events', you can always use 'copy' and 'paste' to reduce the typing load -or even 'cut' and 'paste' if you are sure you won't make any errors.

                  I especially like using 'events' as they give the opportunity to show the date and location as headers for each census.

                  Beverley



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                  • #10
                    I made the cardinal error of not entering the source references when I downloaded Legacy 6 (free version) earlier this year and so am now backtracking and attaching BMD, census info etc to each person.
                    I'm totally confused about where to enter it, more so having read through this thread!
                    I have been putting each census as a master source, then putting the address and occupation in the "detail text" section.
                    Can any experienced Legacy users please tell me if that is the best way/place to do it. Also, as there are so many family tree programmes out there, does information entered in this way transfer without problems by gedcom to contacts with, for example, FTM.
                    Finally, I can't see a "standard" place to enter the fact that I hold certificates for some of the events. Is there one, or do I just add that as a note?
                    Gillian
                    User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I do much the same as Linda, except I put the RG or HO reference details in my 'source detail' box when I open the source clip board. Since this is freshly opened for each new reference to that particular master source, I can give the correct details for each use of any census, BDM etc. Using the '-' button allows me to repeat the reference when adding the same event to subsequent family members.

                      Linda, you don't need to put your cursor in each area -just keep clicking 'repeat' and it will jump through the different fields automatically.

                      I am currently revisiting my census entries to add in the exact date of the census eg 31 Mar 1901, because it helps to make sense of ages when a birthday falls one way or the other of the day the census was taken (if that makes sense)

                      Beverley



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                      • #12
                        Linda and Beverley - I'm sorry I was so long in replying. I was shopping around for some more memory for my PC as it was totally inadequate and I had to keep closing windows.

                        Thank you so much for the clear and detailed explanations. I've printed them off so that I can have them in front of me while I try them out.
                        I really like the programme in general and am debating whether to buy the upgrade or not. I looked at FTM when it was a freebie recently in The Independent but far prefer the look of Legacy and the features seem to be more or less on a par.

                        It's great to have a Legacy thread!
                        Gillian
                        User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

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                        • #13
                          We probably shouldn't be on this thread, actually . It's supposed to be for Family Tree software users. Maybe a mod can tell us if we should be establishing a Legacy thread? Glad to have been helpful.

                          Beverley



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                          • #14
                            Thought you'd be in bed Bev - but I'm not very good on time zones lol !
                            I just thought this was for any family tree programme. Well, we'll find out when we're expelled!
                            Gillian
                            User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

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                            • #15
                              Linda, I am really just finding my way around the software. Used to use something called Generations, until it had an argument with an update to Windows XP and my data started falling out into the Black Hole.

                              Do you ever use the Research Guidance feature? I also like being able to split the screen to pull up two family files at once, for comparison .

                              Beverley



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                              • #16
                                That's a really useful idea about putting the actual census dates on the census information.
                                Quite a few of the research guidance features are blocked with the basic version.
                                I have 2 questions:
                                Legacy used to open automatically at the last family on which I had been working. Now I have to select a file. Have I unticked something?
                                Re attaching images to sources/events - as the number of my saved images grows, I am frequently moving family group info to different folders on my pc. Does this mean I then have to go back to Legacy and change the reference for that image?
                                Gillian
                                User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

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                                • #17
                                  [QUOTE I looked at the research guidance, but it just seemed to refer me to Ancestry and the IGI which I use extensively in any case, so I haven't bothered with it[/QUOTE]

                                  Well yes, ...but I found Deluxe also refers me to message boards, which can be useful...the very first time I tried, I found a researcher in the Eastern States of Oz who was looking for the self-same name.I don't bother much with the referrals to libraries,as I can't access them anyway.

                                  Re photo storage -if it something I am going to use only within Legacy, I find it useful to keep it in C:\ Legacy 'Picture'. Otherwise, I have folders in My Documents Photos for each of the 8 main family names -ditto with email that needs to be kept for reference. not perfect, but it works for me. And make backups to CD

                                  Beverley



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                                  • #18
                                    I don't think posting instructions will be a waste of time, Linda..bound to be useful to someone. Otherwise, we will all be spending our lives reinventing the wheel.
                                    I used the Potential Problems checker soon after I changed to Legacy -it brought up some pretty amusing errors. 'If Only I knew' what I know now, before I began entering my tree -does that sound like a familiar tune?

                                    Beverley



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                                    • #19
                                      Thank you Linda and Beverley for all the information. I'm soaking it up (and saving it on a Word doc).
                                      Although I'm dismayed at the prospect of having to start entering all my sources properly from scratch, I'll probably do it better, having read all your advice, than if I had rushed into it earlier in the year.
                                      Linking my images to Legacy will also force me into a decision on the best way to file them on my pc rather than "flying by the seat of my pants" as I suspect I have been doing up to now! I'm glad to know though that Legacy will warn me if the path is invalid.
                                      By the time I've entered everything properly, I hope I will also have been able to judge whether upgrading to de luxe will be a "must".
                                      And Beverley - apologies for calling you Bev! I have "show images" unticked to speed up my dial-up connection so don't see many of the signatures.
                                      Gillian
                                      User page: http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/...ustGillian-117

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        Bev is OK Gillian -have taken to using Beverley as there is another Bev on site.

                                        I spent a fair while using Legacy 6, the freebie. Really only spent to get the Deluxe version, as there were a few publishing tools I wanted to make use of plus I was a little interested in being able to colour code my ancestors in case I ever decided to keep everything in one big file. however, that has not been used very much. I'm sure there are other wonderful tools to use, but it sounds as though Linda has explored the potential more than I have.

                                        When i had Legacy 5 (again, the freebie) I used the calendar maker a bit and was annoyed to find this feature was not available when I upgraded to Legacy 6 unless I bought the Deluxe version. However, I have since found that Microsoft Publisher provides me with a template that is just as good. In case you are wondering what I was wanting that for...I make family tree type calendars to send to family members - usually use old family photos based on a theme eg 'Family brides', add in some details below each pic, and include a tree diagram at the back of the calendar. One way to nudge the interest levels in the family, and an be a means of extracting extra photos from them...ulterior motives, you see.

                                        Beverley



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