GenealogyTools

Genealogy Software Tutorials for Mac & PC

Mac Software

Keeping Logs in Reunion for Mac

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I touched on the practice of logging genealogical research efforts in my recent article, Documenting Unknown Dates. I kept that article mostly computer platform agnostic so it could be as universal as the topic is for genealogists. A side effect of that generality is that I got questions about how to keep a research log. I already had an article series planned, of which this is the first on the subject. I’ll be doing a series on keeping genealogy tasks lists as well, so look for that in the future.

I plan a series of articles because there are myriad ways of keeping research journals. In fact, if you have a favorite you’d like to share, leave a comment so others can benefit from your knowledge and experience. Since most of you are Reunion users, I’ll start there. I’ll cover the other genealogy software in future articles and videos as well as other Mac based software to get this important job done with a minimum amount of fuss.
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Walkthrough: MacFamilyTree V5.4.1 Update

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I just put together a screencast video to show you most, if not all, of the visible changes in the recent 5.4 and 5.4.1 releases of Synium’s Mac genealogy software, MacFamilyTree.

The Varied Ways to Add a Spouse in Reunion 9

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Adding spouses is a common task undertaken with any genealogy software. It’s also one of the sources of dreaded duplicate records. Considering the frequency of use and the perils, it makes sense to take the time to understand the subtleties of how to add spouses in your genealogy program.

In the genealogy software, Reunion 9 for Mac, you can add new people as spouses (people for whom there is no record in the family file) or people for whom a record already exists in your family file. You can add a spouse to a family card where there is already a different spouse and to one where there is not. In combination there are four situations, all of which I cover in this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, Adding a Spouse in the Reunion for Macintosh Genealogy Software. I also show you how to add a same-gender partner.

Setting the Preferred Spouse in Reunion 9

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Tired of having to switch spouses after navigating to a family card for a relative with multiple spouses? Well, you’re in luck. The spouse you want displayed by default can be configured quite easily in genealogy software, Reunion for Mac.

In this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, Setting the Preferred Spouse in the Reunion for Macintosh Genealogy Software, I show you how it’s done.

How to Order a Spouse

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No, this isn’t about telling your spouse what to do, or even obtaining a new partner via mail-order; it’s about how to change the order of spouses in the genealogy software, Reunion 9 for Mac.

Putting spouses in the correct order—ascending order of marriage—improves consistency of the spouse popup menu and prevents a problem in lists: when a record for a woman with multiple husbands is in a list that includes the married name field, and the married name fact is not populated, the most recent husband’s surname is used for the woman’s. Okay, that explanation is a great example of how trying to teach with the written word isn’t as effective as a demonstration. It’s actually quite simple when you see it.

Watch this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, How to Change the Order Spouses in the Reunion for Macintosh Genealogy Software, so you can change the order of spouses in Reunion 9 for Mac and clear up any confusion I may have caused by my description of the potential problem with lists.

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day!