GenealogyTools

Genealogy Software Tutorials for Mac & PC

Mac Software

Extra Commas in Place-Names

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Many MacGenealogists noticed my use of “extra” commas in place-names while viewing the Speed Names screencast. A number of viewers were so curious that they asked why I include them. I chose to write the answer as an article so that those who were not bold (or curious) enough to ask could also be informed.

As we know, the commas in a complete place-name separate the individual elements of the name: city, county or province, state or region, and country. As eagle-eyed viewers noted, I include them even when a part of a place-name is unknown or not specified by a source. So if all except the city is known there is an empty, leading comma like this:

, Washtenaw, Michigan, USA

If the all names except the county is known the entry will be:

Ann Arbor, , Michigan, USA

Where only the country is known you’d see:

, , , USA

And so forth.

I find that this practice eliminates some errors, for example mistaking a county name for a city name. Ambiguity in genealogical documentation can cause wasted time and possibly money. And wasted time delays achievement of our research goals—something none of us wants! The extra commas are simply one my methods for preventing errors I would otherwise undoubtedly make.

What All Reunion 9 for Mac Users Must Know About Surname Prefix Sorting

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Surely somewhere in your genealogy there’s at least one ancestor with a surname prefix. You know, those names that start with “Mc,” “von,” and so on? If you do, you need to know that Reunion has special rules for sorting names with these prefixes. If you don’t set it to sort the way you want, your index may not be sorted as you think it is. This can make finding a person in a list difficult including the index that is included on some reports.

Have no fear! I’ve dug into all the intricacies to figure it out and simplify it for you. In this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, Surname Prefix Sorting in the Reunion for Macintosh Genealogy Software, I point out the pitfalls and show you what your options are, including one you may not know about even if you are familiar with the prefix words preference options.

A Brief, Introductory Tour of iFamily for Leopard

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If you’re interested or curious about what it’s like to use the Mac genealogy software iFamily for Leopard, you’ll like this video: A Brief Video Tour of the iFamily for Leopard Mac Genealogy Software. In it I demonstrate a few features of the interface and adding some people to the sample data that is included in the demo download.

Using Ditto Shortcuts to Enter Surnames and Place Names with One Keystroke

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How efficient are you at entering surnames and place names in genealogy software, Reunion 9 for Mac? Did you know you can enter even very long names in only one keystroke? You can with the ditto shortcut feature and a little help from me.

The help comes by way of this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, Using Ditto Shortcuts to Enter Surnames and Place Names in the Reunion for Macintosh Genealogy Software, in which I show you how to master this efficiency feature. I also share a couple gotchas, so you’ll want to watch this short video even if you already use ditto shortcuts.

How to Quickly Navigate Your Family File Using the Reunion 9 Overview Window

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The overview window in Reunion 9 for Mac makes navigating a family file quick no matter how large. It also provides a fast way to examine relationships elsewhere in the family file without leaving the current family card. There is even a hidden chart type available from this view!

The overview window makes navigating a family file a breeze by displaying a simple, interactive, 5 generation, pedigree chart like the one below.

reunion_9_overview_window

What makes it interactive is that each person on the chart is displayed as a sort of button that can be clicked to change your location in the tree or double-clicked to cause Reunion 9 to display that person’s family card.

Relationships can be swiftly explored in this view by using a popup menu that lists the person’s spouse(s) and associated children. There’s even a way to see this popup menu (shown below) for anyone on the chart, but it isn’t obvious. Watch the video to see how it’s done.

reunion_9_overview_window_pulldown_menu

Every feature and function of the overview window is demonstrated in this video from the MacGenealogist Archives, Overview Window in Reunion 9. In it I show you how to use the overview window in Reunion 9 for Mac to navigate your family file, explore relationships, and generate the hidden, one-page pedigree chart.