DON'S FREEWARE CORNER -- AUG 2014
  TREESEEK:  A FAMILY TREE COMPATIBLE PROGRAM

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DON'S FREEWARE CORNER  2014-08
TREESEEK:  A FAMILY TREE COMPATIBLE PROGRAM

©2014 Donald R. Snow

These notes are published in TAGGology, our Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group (UVTAGG) monthly newsletter, and are posted on  http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html  where there may be updates, corrections, or additions.


TREESEEK

OVERVIEW
This month we discuss TREESEEK available from  http://www.treeseek.com  .  This is Matt Misbach's FamilySearch Family Tree Compatible or Affiliate program.  That means it has been certified to work with Family Tree data.  See  https://familysearch.org/products/  for the list of currently certified FamilySearch Compatible products.  Here is a quote about TREESEEK from the FamilySearch Compatible Products page  https://familysearch.org/products/treeseek  and there is more information about it there.

"A fully automated service that creates unique high quality genealogy charts from FamilySearch data. You specify the starting person for your chart and we do the rest. No data entry, no waiting, no high prices, and no GEDCOM files. Visit our website to see all the types of charts we can create for you."

TYPES OF CHARTS
This freeware program uses your FamilyTree data to generate various charts and reports, so when you log on to the TREESEEK website it asks you also to log on to your LDS or FamilySearch account on FamilySearch.  If you are doing this from home and you have asked FamilySearch to remember your information, your user name and password will be in the boxes so you can just click on it without having to type it in again.  In a public place, such as a FHC or library, you wouldn't want to have it remember your FamilySearch log in data there.  Since TREESEEK then knows your PID (Personal Identifier number) it downloads your ancestors' data and shows you the following list of charts you can create:   9 Generation Fan Chart (color), 9 Generation Fan Chart (black & white), 7 Generation FamilySearch Fan, 4 Generation Photo, 5 Generation Family Photo, 9 Generation Pedigree, 4 Generation Pedigree, Name Cloud, Create a Chart From a GEDCOM File, Source Tracker (for US Census and Vital Records data), and Solitaire (Family History card games).  Since this uses your Family Tree data, this is an incentive to have that accurate so your charts will be accurate.  You can generate a chart for persons other than yourself by entering their PID in the box, but the person must be deceased or it won't be able to find their data.  All the charts can be downloaded as pdf's so they can be expanded to view the words even when there are many names on it.  The fan pedigree charts are semi-circular.  The other pedigree charts are in standard format.  The photo charts use photos that have been selected as the primary ones on Family Tree, if there are any.  The 4 Generation Photo chart shows the starting person on the left and ancestors on the right.  The 5 Generation Family Photo chart shows photos of starting person's children and their spouses in the middle with photos of the father's ancestors to the left and the mother's ancestors to the right.  This format is sometimes called the Bow Tie format.  The Name Cloud charts show all the surnames, or male or female given names, with the font size of the name proportional to the frequency that that name is used in your ancestral lines, so the larger the name, the more often it occurs in your ancestors.  You can order hardcopy prints of any chart from TreeSeek for a nominal fee, but all can be saved as pdf's so you can expand, print, or project them for family reunions, etc.  To show them on your big-screen TV you can use an inexpensive HDMI cable to connect your laptop to the TV.  These cables are available at computer stores, but are usually much cheaper at online retailers.

AHNENTAFEL CHART
The data on your lines downloaded from FamilySearch is saved temporarily in the browser on your computer.  It can be seen in the form of an Ahnentafel chart (German for pedigree chart), a list-formatted pedigree chart where the numbering is as on a traditional pedigree chart, i.e. the father's number is twice the child's and mother's is twice the child's plus 1.  To view this chart click on your log in name in the upper right corner.  On mine the later Ahnentafel numbers don't seem to be in order.  The format of this type chart is more compact than a standard pedigree chart and has one row for each ancestor.  With this format it is easy to recognize some things that need to be corrected or added in your ancestors' data in Family Tree, things such as dates or locations that have been left out or abbreviated and need to be put in standard format.  By clicking on the portrait icon by your ancestor's name in the chart TREESEEK takes you to Family Tree to correct these.  This is very helpful to find and correct some problems in your Family Tree data.

SOURCE TRACKER AND VITAL EVENTS CHARTS
The Source Tracker chart shows your ancestors up to Ahnentafel Number 31 with the US Censuses that they should be in according to their birth and death years.  If there is a US Census source for the person for that year, there is a check mark.  If there is no US Census source for that person for that year, you see a magnifying glass there.  As in the Ahnentafel chart clicking on the portrait icon by the name takes you to that person's record on Family Tree so you can look for them in the appropriate census and include a source with a link to it.  At the top left of the Source Tracker chart is a button labeled Vital Events.  Clicking on this shows the same individuals (Ahnentafel Numbers 1 - 31) with checks if there is information in Family Tree for their Name, Gender, Birth, Christening, Death, Burial, and at the end is the number of Sources for that person.  These reports are very helpful and make it easy to find and do some editing that needs to be done on your Family Tree data.

FAMILY HISTORY SOLITAIRE CARD GAMES
A recent addition to TREESEEK and still in beta is a set of card games called Family History Solitaire.  Each of these games uses 52 cards which TREESEEK generates.  The 4 card suits are your ancestral lines starting from one of your grandparents .  Your grandparent is card number 1 and his parents are cards numbers 2 and 3, etc., up to card number 13.  The numbers, your ancestors' names, and photos, as far as there are any, are on the cards.  The beginning game is the standard face card Solitaire, only here you have to know which lines your ancestors are in to be able to place the cards correctly.  You use your mouse to click on a card and drag-and-drop it.  The program won't allow you to make an incorrect card move.  It is fun and helps you learn your ancestral lines.  When you click View The Card Deck, you see the entire deck of 52 cards that it has generated.  This could be saved as a pdf and printed on card stock for games for family home evenings or family reunions.  When you click on Play Full Screen you see outline boxes of where the cards are to be stacked, so you can place them more easily.  When you hover your mouse over the word Solitaire in the upper left corner, you see several buttons, including one that says Select Game.  This shows you a list of about 60 different solitaire card games in various categories that you can play using your Family History cards.  I will warn you now, these games are fun, but addicting!

OTHER INFORMATION
In addition to using Family Tree data you can upload a GEDCOM to the TREESEEK website and form these same reports.  The TREESEEK logo in the upper left corner always takes you back to the home page from anywhere in the program and there is a Help menu in the upper right corner which has lots of FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions).  You can also get to the FAQ's directly at  https://treeseek.com/help .
TREESEEK is a very helpful program for reports, editing your Family Tree data, and even for interesting Family History card games.  It's all free, but you can have large wall-size charts printed for a small fee.

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