Family Tree Maker (FTM) is a popular genealogy software that helps users to organize and trace their family history. Its useful feature is the Individual Timeline, which allows users to see an individual’s life events in chronological order.
This feature was implemented in FTM 2012 for the first time and continues to be added in all iterations since 2008. It helps users to understand an ancestor’s journey through providing important occurrences like birth, marriage, and death in chronological order.
What is the Individual Timeline in FTM?
The Timeline in FTM gives a list of major life events for an ancestor. By clicking on the “Person” tab and then clicking on the “Timeline” button, users are able to see information like:
- Type of event (birth, marriage, death, etc.)
- Date and place of the event
- Age of the person at the time of the event
This timeline simplifies it to follow key milestones and gain an overall view of an ancestor’s life.
Inserting Family Events into the Timeline
FTM also enables the insertion of family events into the timeline of a person. Upon choosing the “Show Family Events” option, the timeline will also feature:
- Births of children
- Death of parents
- Marriages of siblings
This provides a wider perspective on how family events affected an ancestor’s life. FTM has no events listed for siblings, grandparents, or other relatives currently, which may make the timeline even more revealing.
Advantages of Using the Individual Timeline
- Improved Understanding – Events in chronology make family patterns and relations easier to grasp for genealogists.
- Help with Research – Identifying incomplete events can aid further research.
- Easier Storytelling – A well-structured timeline assists in developing a significant family history.
Limitations and Potential Improvements
While the Individual Timeline is valuable, it has some limitations. Adding entries for siblings, step-relatives, and significant historical events would make the feature more useful. It can be added to in future releases to render it more useful to genealogists.
Conclusion
The Individual Timeline in Family Tree Maker is a great feature for graphically depicting the life of an ancestor. Having personal and family events in a timeline provides a formalized format for researching family history. While there is some room for improvement, the feature remains a valuable tool for genealogy research.
For Family Tree Maker support, reach out to our FTM Support experts for assistance.
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