Legacy

by Millennia Corp (Dave Berdan and Ken McGinnis)
A comprehensive Windows program with many features, nicely described on their web site. It has a standard version that is free, and is one of the better free genealogy programs available. It compares itself with Personal Ancestral File, Family Tree Maker, Roots Magic, and The Master Genealogist. They have a blog. They have a number of user groups.

Free • Purchase • Windows • Full Featured • Builds Website
http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/
50 Reviews, latest Aug 4, 2010
Enjoy Using It4.54 out of 54.54 out of 54.54 out of 54.54 out of 54.54 out of 5 4.54
Use It Often4.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 54.5 out of 5 4.50
Easy Input4.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 5 4.29
Useful Output4.58 out of 54.58 out of 54.58 out of 54.58 out of 54.58 out of 5 4.58
Overall Rating4.52 out of 54.52 out of 54.52 out of 54.52 out of 54.52 out of 5 4.52
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50 Reviews of Legacy     RSS 2.0 RSS     Showing 1 - 20

Legacy Review by Thomas Wihlman,  Aug 4, 2010

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Excellent program, highly customizable. A little complicated with all its features.

Biggest Pro: Excellent sourcehandling, full feautured, available in several languages (also in Swedish)
Biggest Con: Cluttered interface but can be customized.

Legacy Review by amiable1,  Jul 29, 2010

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There is only one flaw that I have found — difficulty in loading data, specifically having to switch between too many screens. I would like to see the events and their sources on the same window when entering data. Other than that a great piece of software.

Biggest Pro: Thorough and intutive.
Biggest Con: Lack of ease in data-entry.

Legacy Review by Manuel Lopez,  Jun 22, 2010

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I reviewed several programs before I bought Legacy. It is the best for me.

Biggest Pro: Ease of data entry-a lot of good features-General ease of use. The Set Relationship tool
Biggest Con: I wish it had an automatic spell-check-like that on ‘Word’. No spanish.

Legacy Review by Michael O'Neal,  Jun 19, 2010

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I have used Legacy for several years now and although I am frustrated by several things about it, it has been a very good experience overall. I have tried a handful of other programs over the years and every one has ended up being noticeably worse. I am an experienced computer user (I write software for a living) and don’t have patience with poor UIs and complex navigation and I always come back to Legacy pretty quickly when I try anything else.
The Good:
1. Switching between Descendent and Pedigree views to move quickly through my file is a breeze. It is usually faster than going to the name index. This is a huge timesaver for me because I jump around a lot when I am working in the file.
2. The depth of sourcing ability is great (confusing, but great). I try to put lots of sources and it handles them all.
3. The ability to customize my view to look the way I want is very easy.
4. Generating reports that look like and contain the info I want. Other people ask me all the time what software I used to generate my reports I send them.
5. Regular updates and tips are not obrusive and can be installed or accessed as needed instead of being forced on you. And they come at a good price, too.
6. Automatic prompting for backups of all the files you’ve worked on at the right times. This has saved me once or twice after I made a big mistake by not following directions and making some unintended big changes to my file. (This was me being lazy and not a problem with their software and they saved me anyway. Good Job!!!)
7. I’ve never had to open a manual to do most of what I’ve done in Legacy. It’s pretty straightforward to me.
The Bad:
1. Figuring out how to enter sources is very difficult. Every time I have a new type of source, I spend lots of time entering it and reentering it until it appears like I want it and it can be reused correctly, etc. Once I figure it out, though, it is easy after that. The new source writer templates are a great idea implemented in the same confusing way. They need to redo their source entry from the ground up to make it more useable and better support multilevel sourcing where you can reuse whatever parts are appropriate (Of course, so does everyone else in my opinion). However, it still allows me to enter what I want where I want it eventually which is more than most other programs allow.
2. Applying the latest update always loses my custom settings. Very annoying.
3. Occasional glitches in the displays where it loses position or I get a blank screen. For instance, if I am at the bottom of the descendent view and add a new individual to the file there, it jumps up in the list when I return to some fairly random place above and I have to scroll back down to the bottom to add the next one. Very annoying if entering a large family. Once or twice it has then completely lost it’s place and crashed. Their support has been fairly nice about it, but don’t really seem to believe me. I will say that I have never lost any data, though.
4. Uploading my tree to Ancestry has been an adventure at best. It doesn’t work very well for me and I haven’t even tried it with the latest version because of what a hassle it was. The only way I really got my tree to show up correctly was to export it to a gedcom and then import it with Family Tree Maker and then upload it from there. That did work, though.
5. No support for attaching pdf files.

All in all, despite my complaints, I really like it and would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to seriously build a tree and enter their own sources.

Biggest Pro: Navigation to users. I switch back and forth between views all the time and can quickly get where I need to go all the time. Every other program I’ve tried has been much slower to navigate.
Biggest Con: Figuring out how to enter the sources correctly.

Legacy Review by Brett,  Jan 24, 2010

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Works well. Many sites offer support when used in conjunction with their products.

Biggest Pro: Free version, support.
Biggest Con: Not updated recently and no mention on web site of future developments.

Legacy Review by Alf Johannessen,  Jan 24, 2010

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The best for me.

Legacy Review by Hein Bijlmakers,  Jan 22, 2010

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Easy to use software with a free standard version and a deluxe edition which provides some extra features. It works in several languages and produces excellent reports.

Biggest Pro: Easy input of data and nice reports
Biggest Con: Some text is rather small and difficult to read

Legacy Review by Kathy,  Nov 12, 2009

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I having been using Legacy for several years now; I started with Brother’s Keeper (for dos), then Family Tree, then paf and finally settled on Legacy. As you can see by my rating I enjoy it. I purchased a MacPro and I researched all the gen. programs for it and decided to purchase parallels and windows 7 so I can continue to use Legacy.
Added expense, you bet. I needed some technical support from Parallels to get internet going but everything works great now. I still wish Legacy would make a mac version, this would free up considerable ram on my mac.

Biggest Pro: New source and citation capabilitie
Biggest Con: Not made for Mac; the old citations cannot be converted to the new source and citation capability

Legacy Review by Brent Ropelato,  May 27, 2009

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I started out 12 years ago using the PAF program and ran across Ancestral Quest which I used for a couple of years. Then TopTenReviews.com asked me to create their Genealogy software review site at which time I was able to try all of the programs listed on their site. Since that time - over 5 years now, I have continued to use for my own personal use, Legacy software. You can read what I feel about several different genealogy software products on TopTenReviews.com’s Genealogy Software Review site.

Biggest Pro: Great program for beginners, weekend warriors and overall genealogy enthusiasts.

Legacy Review by Ann,  Apr 23, 2009

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I have been using Legacy for about one year. I’ve used several programs, Family Tree Maker (the older versions were awesome), Roots Magic (wonderful fact and source input), Master Genealogist (very customizable, but about as un-intuitive as you can get), and Legacy (excellent index)
A one word summary: There is no one program that “has it all”.
The biggest pluses for Legacy is the family view screen and the relationship calculator.
The biggest drawbacks for Legacy is the email user group as the main support, and the manual which lacks instructions for many basic tasks.
My wish list for Legacy:
1) Re-write the manual and include instructions for all the main tasks. How about a “Dummies” book for those of us who like things spelled out in detail? I am actually hesitant to use the email group because the whole group is rather quick to criticize.
2) Encourage users to start user groups in other areas of the country. The user groups that exist are few and far apart.
3) Make Legacy’s data and fact input more like RootsMagic4 which is just awesome and very intuitive for this task.
4) Make the sources for each fact or piece of data easier to see. It’s nice to see which items have sources (color change icon) but it would be nice to click on items and see a list of sources for that item somewhere on the same screen. It’s tough having to go back and forth and back and forth when doing analysis. I liked the older Family Maker because in the list of facts, I could click on a fact and see all the supporting sources on the bottom of my screen.
5) On the marriage entry screen, the icon will turn blue if a source is entered for the marriage date and/or place, but there is not a separate icon for “marriage status” and so no quick way of seeing if the marriage status is sourced or not.
6) Pay your support people more so that they don’t sound so harried and under-the-gun all the time.
7) Redesign your web site. It looks old and confused.
8) Give a different name to the email group (maybe “email group”) to differentiate it from the physical user groups.
I am using Legacy for now but my eyes are open for a genealogy program that better fits my needs.

Biggest Pro: Index (showing alterntive names and pertinent individual information
Biggest Con: Lack of decent support

Legacy Review by Sandra Francis,  Apr 3, 2009

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I’ve used many a program over 20 years and have recently switched to Legacy from Generations, which I found extremely easy to use, but was no longer supported.
Beginners would be able to use this no worries

Biggest Pro: ease of use
Biggest Con: too much US content

Legacy Review by Carmel B.,  Apr 2, 2009

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I have been using Legacy since No. 4 and have always been pleased with every aspec;t of its design. I have only once emailed for help with a problem but I was acknkowledged within 48 hours and had my answer the next day. The problem was solved. I would like to belong to a user’s group however there are none near me. I keep watching to see if one starts.

Biggest Pro: Family page at a glance
Biggest Con: Trying to understand source pages

Legacy Review by Carol B.,  Mar 26, 2009

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I am a relatively new Legacy user, having bought the program about 6 months ago. Previously, I used Family Tree Maker for many years, Master Genealogist last year, and was a RootsMagic 4 beta tester very recently.

I find Legacy to be a very good program. Some of the best features of Legacy are:
—The “Family View” screen which is well-designed, showing a great deal of information about a particular family while also being easy on the eyes.
—The “Legacy Home” tab which allows for easy updates and has great tips and genealogy news.
—The “Set Relationship” tool which allows me to see how I am related to just about everyone in my family file.
—The person index is the best index of any of the genealogy programs that I have used.
—The tabs are great for navigating through the program quickly.
—The available CDs which are available to get a better understanding of the program without having to do research on how to do simple tasks.
Some of the things I’d like to see offered, changed or improved upon are:
—I’d like to have the ability to purchase a real “how to” manual with specific procedures on doing specific tasks. Online tutorials with screen shots would be good, also.
—Encouragement by Legacy for users to put up their own user web-owned sites with user-defined help for using Legacy. There are dozens and dozens of user-owned sites for other genealogy softwares such as Family Tree Maker, Master Genealogist, etc. each with their own hints, tips, faqs, and tutorials, but I have not found a single one by a Legacy user.
—I agree that the E-mail user group is rather mean-spirited. I feel sorry for people who have simple questions sometimes, because I have seen them ridiculed by the group. It is also true that people have been threatened with being kicked out of the email group because they made an “off topic” remark such as a general genealogy statement rather than a specific Legacy statement. The official user group support—the official Legacy staff responses–are often snippy.

All in all, I think Legacy is a very worthwhile program. If I could design a perfect program, it would have the look of Legacy with the data entry of Roots Magic.

Biggest Pro: The Set Relationship tool (you don’t have to wonder who your 2nd cousin is ever again)
Biggest Con: Lack of user-owned sites which might have tutorials, faqs, etc.

Legacy Review by Ann P,  Mar 24, 2009

  • Not Rated
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  • Not Rated

Legacy 7 is a good software program in general, however, the manual isn’t very helpful and the main help is from an email user group who is decidedly unfriendly and unnecessarily terse. Beware what you say on the user group because Legacy’s big brother is paranoid and will bump you off if you are too critical of the program. A good example of Legacy’s user group support:
User Question: What are the file extensions used in Legacy?
User Support from Sherry the Legacy Tech Person: You don’t need to know that. You’d never understand.
User Question: Will Legacy consider a digest form of this email group or improve support options?
User Support Answer: No.
If you like dealing with assholes, then Legacy is the program for you.

Biggest Pro: Lots of bells and whistles
Biggest Con: Unfriendly, inefficient support

Legacy Review by Barbara Pixley,  Mar 13, 2009

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I looked around to find a good software program for my 40+ years of genealogy in order to finally write my famly history book. LIke so many others, I was first ’suckered’ into gettng Family Tree Maker-buying into the Ancestry.com hype…and the classes that were offered locally…etc.
I took a class, ‘thought I was the only one who disliked it, until others started grumbling too. it grew into a loud grumble! The usual response re: FTM was always: “but it has nice charts”…so?
When I searched again, and decided on Legacy, the instructor of the FTM class-who lived close to me-came over to take a look at it. After seeing it she said that she wished she’d started out with Legacy. Remember, she was the FTM teacher!
I have really liked it. I have over 6,000 names entered-back to and beyond Charlemagne-and still addding. (Need to get this done someday!) I am certainly not a computer ‘nerd’-so figure if I can easily use it, anyone can.
Anyway, I’ve looked at a lot of genealogy programs, but I think Legacy is the best I’ve seen. Family Tree Magazine concurs with this. I recommend to all of my friends and on my website I give the caveat about Family Tree Maker which so many people buy blindly. It certainly is not the best-too bad the ‘power’ of Ancestry.com continues to make it the ‘elephant in the room’. In my opinion, they should put in out to pasture.

Biggest Pro: Ease of data entry-a lot of good features-General ease of use.
Biggest Con: I wish it had an automatic spell-check-like that on ‘Word’. The one it has, is a little ‘tricky’ to use.

Legacy Review by Tom Koor,  Feb 16, 2009

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Had been using old verion of Family Tree maker. The free version of Legacy has more features and functions than Family Tree Maker!

Legacy Review by Chris,  Feb 15, 2009

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Switched from Family Tree Maker, loved the ease of inputting data and all the separated areas of noting sources. Just an overall thought out structure, Plus twice as fast and doesn’t hog system resources.

Biggest Pro: Detailed information areas for entering information and noting sources with viewable documentation image support.
Biggest Con: hard to learn at first - you need to practice using alittle first to become familiar with all the areas of data entry.

Legacy Review by dragonasbreath,  Feb 11, 2009

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  • Not Rated
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not all that much different from FTM - but you can’t really see the whole pedigree at one time.
you have to click to enter each child, which makes it a bit more cumbersome than ftm’s simply tabbing to the next field.

Biggest Pro: ease of use
Biggest Con: can’te see the bigger picture

Legacy Review by Sally,  Jan 15, 2009

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I’ve been doing genealogy for 20 years & have worked my way through most of the software out there. Legacy has been the easiest to use of all of them. It is intuitive, complete, easy to navigate, and filled with options for just about every screen, report & printout. The support is strong & readily available.

The program can be used by both the casual family genealogist & the most detail-compulsive genealogist.

I really think this will be my last genealogy software program as its creators keep improving it & adapting it to new information sites & sources.

Biggest Pro: It’s just so easy to use & get around in…
Biggest Con: Updates require a full download that is difficult on slooooowwww dialup.

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