Legacy Reviewer's Comments
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Legacy is the most advanced genealogy program with endless customizable features earning “TopTenREVIEWS’ Gold Award.” You choose the options to reach the level of detail and accuracy you want, which can be challenging to the beginner. Be assured that Legacy will grow right along with your genealogical skills. Good research is essential to success and Legacy’s exclusive Research Guidance feature increases the odds of discovering new members of your family. Ready to share? With a new charting program, genealogists can easily create an array of wall charts—heirlooms for generations to come.
Legacy Screenshots. Click to Enlarge
Feature Set:
Legacy is organized around four family tree views. Choose to import from a GEDCOM file or start a family tree from scratch. Add individuals on the Family View or on the Pedigree View; click to pull up the individual’s information. Use the icons to add specific information like spouses, siblings and children. Events can be selected from a drop down menu—you can add ‘as is,’ edit and add, or create a new event to add to an individual. New events are retained in the Master Event List. Both individuals and facts can be marked private. You will be able to choose to exclude private items from reports and charts. You also have advanced color-coding options available to make it easier to trace ancestor lines. Explore Tools to fully appreciate the flexibility and customization of this product.
All facts should be sourced. Legacy lets you rate each source on a scale from zero to four … ‘have not decided yet’ to ‘convincing evidence’ or simply check the box to indicate the source has been verified.
When you’ve added the existing information on your family, it’s time for research. Turn to Legacy’s Research Guidance to accomplish the most research in the least amount of time. You’ll start with a Timeline Review and end with a To-Do List with detailed source tips along the way.Accuracy is essential and Legacy provides tools to help you check facts. At your direction, Legacy will produce a Potential Problems Report highlighting inconsistencies like death after 120 years old or possible title in the name field. You choose which problems to check and who to include in the report. Look for it under Reports. Use the U.S. County Verifier to confirm the county associated with an event. U.S. county names and boundaries change and protocol says to use the county name as it existed at the time of the event. Discrepancy? Legacy will show you a map with the current location superimposed on the corresponding historical map. You make the correction.
Bonus Features
- Genealogy is about the present as well as the past. Compile an address book and use it to easily print address labels and nametags complete with photos and three-generation pedigree charts. Legacy’s home page automatically posts birthdays and anniversaries from your information.
- Intellishare option manages group updates to the family file. Assign a Keeper of the Family File to coordinate participants. The Keeper uses Legacy’s Intellishare function to merge and reconcile records at their discretion.
Ease of Use:
Most genealogists will be familiar with both the terminology and the layout of Legacy. Logical, traditional and easy to use, but staid compared to the more innovative Family Tree Maker 2008. You decide which tools to use and how to use them, every step of the way, across all tasks. The result: You’ll sacrifice fun for features with Legacy.
Reporting & Publishing:
Find an unprecedented number of reports including Descendant Narrative, LDS Ordinances and TempleReady Instructions, and Family Picture Tree in Legacy’s Report pane. Blank forms are also available. You may save as a PDF file to share electronically or print to your computer.
Legacy offers new charting capabilities with a friendly, graphic interface and new types of charts. Choose from six types of Ancestor Charts, two Descendant Charts, four Fan Charts, an Hour Glass Chart and a Bow Tie chart. Colorful images illustrate each format. Now its time to customize the appearance of your chart with themes, colors, text and format, lines, borders, and backgrounds. Print from your printer, email, export to a file or order a wall chart from Legacy. Every conceivable option is available.
In the Publishing Center, create books with selected reports. Legacy will automatically create a table of contents, index of names, preface page and more. You have control over layout and design. Books and other reports can be sent to your printer or published in the following formats: Text, HTML, Rich Text and PDF. Note: Chart-type reports (ancestor, descendant, timeline, pedigree and lineage) are not printed to HTML. Other reports can be used on a web site or sent as an email message.
Help/Documentation:
Look for the integrated video tutorial in Research Guidance, an informative guide to using this powerful feature. Text help is available on every screen. It’s searchable and provides detailed instruction on specific tasks. Find FAQs, technical support, tips, and user forums online. Two volumes of video training CDs and a 400 page manual are available online in the Legacy Family Tree Store.
Summary:
Legacy offers options from simple to complex. You are in the driver’s seat. Take the time to learn its full capabilities and you will be able to do the work of a professional genealogist. When you are ready to share your findings, Legacy offers the most comprehensive printing tools to produce a variety of charts and displays. Use Legacy. Produce an organized, accurate record of your ancestry accessible around the world for generations to come.
©2008 TopTenREVIEWS, Inc.
