Question from Jerry,

"I wish to email my cousin one branch of my family history. How do I isolate the one branch and send in an email?"

Our answer:

Good question Jerry. First you would need to decide what specifically you want to send to your cousin. Do you want to:

• send a GEDCOM file so they can import the data into their genealogy computer program
• create some kind of report that only shows the branch they are interested in

I'm guessing that you want to send a GEDCOM. The easiest way to do this is to create a Focus Group. Please follow these instructions....

Creating the Focus Group and GEDCOM file

1. Go to File > Export to > GEDCOM file.
2. Click on the Record Selection button in the lower left.
3. Click in the circle next to "Selected records contained in the Focus Group", then click on the View/Select Focus Group button.
4. Using the 6 buttons at the bottom of this screen, add the desired individuals to the focus group. When you are done, click OK.
5. The "View/Select Focus Group" button's text should now be red. Click Close. The phrase to the right of the Record Selection button should now read "Focus Group records".
6. Click on the "Select File Name and Start Export" button in the upper right.
7. Type the desired name of the GEDCOM, and navigate to the folder in which you want to save the GEDCOM. (Remember where you save this so you can attach it to an email later.) Click Save.
8. Enter the compiler information and click OK.

Now, using your email software, write your message and attach the GEDCOM file (the file will end with the .ged extension). Happy hunting!

Question from Tami:

"Is there a way to search & replace locations? I have several places where I did not include a county, and would like to insert it, but with a huge file, I hate to have to just go through the index looking at places one at a time. I love Legacy, but haven't been able to figure this question out."

Answer from Legacy:

Dear Tami and others - you are going to love our answer - Yes! And it's really quite simple once you understand the purpose of the Master Location List.

The Master Location List is a listing of all locations that you have entered into your Legacy family file. Each location is listed only once, although a location could be linked to hundreds of individuals. In other words, when you click on a location in the Master Location List, it will automatically display all individuals who are linked to that location in any way. Each location in this list can be edited. So, if you make a change to the location (such as adding the county name), this change is updated for everyone. Follow these steps to update a location:

1. Open the Master Location List by going to View > Master Lists > Location.
2. Click on the location that you want to update, then click on the Edit button.
3. Make the change, and click Save.
4. This question will appear: "This change will affect all records using this location. Do you want to save the change?" Click Yes.

I guess you could still go one-by-one, to everyone in your database to update their places, but I'll bet you will prefer the method above. :)

Today, Microsoft released the newest version of their web browser - Internet Explorer version 8. I have not yet worked with it, but from what I have seen, it adds some great new functionality.

Some of the new features are already available in other popular browsers such as Firefox and Safari. According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer still leads in market share at around 67%, which is a drop from four years ago when it held 91% of the market.

The Accelerators feature is one of the most exciting new features. Microsoft describes it well:

How many steps does it take with your current browser to map an address, translate a word, or perform other routine tasks online? Until now it was likely a series of cutting and pasting information from one webpage to another. Now there's a better way. The new Accelerators in Internet Explorer 8 help you quickly perform your everyday browsing tasks without navigating to other websites to get things done. Simply highlight text from any webpage, and then click on the blue Accelerator icon that appears above your selection to obtain driving directions, translate and define words, email content to others, search with ease, and more.

Other new features include:

• Enhanced navigation
• Increased performance
• Improved favorites and history management
• Instant search
• Web slices
• Better security

If you are anxious to try out Internet Explorer version 8, click here to get started. That's where I'm headed now....

We have a great new update for you to download. This update adds new historical timelines and fixes a few minor problems you have reported.

What's New

Historical Timlines

• Canada - Census. A chronology of when the census was taken in Canada.
• U.S. - Oklahoma History. History of Oklahoma, by M. La Nell Shores.
• U.S. States and Territories - Dates of Organization and Admission.

These historical timelines are utilized in the Chronology View. When they are turned on, the historical events will be inserted into the ancestor's personal timeline, giving the researcher a sense of the ancestor's place in history.

1. In the Chronology View, go to Options button > Include tab > Select Background Timelines > Add a Timeline File.
2. Select the desired timeline from the list and click OK > Save.
3. On the Include tab, be sure to place a checkmark next to Select Background Timelines and click Save. The timeline now appears embedded into the ancestor's timeline. It also displays the age of the ancestor at the time of each event.

What's been fixed

For a list of what has been fixed, click here.

How to Update

For our Deluxe Edition users, all you have to do is connect to the Internet, start Legacy 7.0, and click on the "Install and Download Now" link on the Legacy Home tab. (If you're reading this from within the Legacy Home tab inside of Legacy 7.0, you'll first need to click on the Home button in the top left of the Legacy Home tab which looks like the following picture:

If you are a Standard Edition Legacy user, you will need to visit our website. Go to http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/DownloadUpdate.asp and follow the instructions.

Suppose you need to browse the Internet and have Legacy open at the same time. Typically, when you open a program, it fills the entire screen. Then to switch to the other open program, you either use the ALT-TAB keyboard shortcut or you click on the other program in the Windows Taskbar (usually the blue bar on the bottom of your screen, to the right of the Start button).

Ideally, you would hook up two monitors to your computer and have Legacy open on the left monitor and the Internet browser open on the right monitor. Click here for more information about this. If you do not have two monitors (or a laptop and an extra monitor), you can display both programs side-by-side. Follow these steps below:

1. Make sure that you have opened/started both programs.

2. Right-click in an empty space in the Windows Taskbar, and select Tile Windows Vertically.

Your monitor will now display both programs side-by-side. If you had three open programs, it would display all three side-by-side.

If, when the two programs are side-by-side, they appear so large that you cannot reasonably work with them, you could increase your monitor's resolution to fit more on the screen. To do this, follow these steps (steps are for XP):

1. Go to the Windows Control Panel and double-click on the Display button.

2. Click on the Settings tab.

3. In the screen resolution area, increase your monitor's resolution by dragging the handle to the right (towards the "More" label). So, if your monitor is set to 800 by 600 pixels, move it to the right and select 1024 by 768 pixels.

4. Click OK. Now the screens/text of your programs will be a bit smaller, but now you are able to display more information on the screen.

If you would like us to speak to your genealogy society, please let us know. If you know of a Legacy-related event that is not included here, please let us know.

March 2009

USA | Utah | Bountiful - Saturday, March 7, 2009. South Davis Regional Family History Fair. Utah's largest free genealogy fair. Come visit our booth and meet the developers. We will also be teaching the following classes:

• Mapping Your Ancestors: Using the Latest Software and the Internet
• Organizing, Planning, Charting, Mapping, and Sharing with Legacy Family Tree
• Getting Even More from Legacy Family Tree

For more information, please visit www.familyhistoryfair.com.

USA | Utah | Provo - March 13-14, 2009. Computerized Genealogy Conference at Brigham Young University. Visit our booth and get a peak at the upcoming FamilySearch synchronization tools! Visit http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwcompu/ for more information.

USA | Arizona | Youngtown - March 17/24/31 and April 7, 2009. West Valley Genealogical Society's Advanced Legacy course, taught by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Topics include searching, tagging, custom reports, sources, source clipboard, timelines, events, tips & tricks, and likely much more. Registration is limited. Visit http://www.azwvgs.org/Classes.htm for more information.

USA | California | Sacramento - Saturday, March 28, 2009. Sacramento Genealogical Society's Root Cellar sponsors a full-day workshop featuring Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Registration is limited. Visit www.rootcellar.org for more information.

April 2009

USA | Arizona | Sun City Grand - Thursday, April 2, 2009. Sun City Grand Computer Genealogy Club will have a class on Legacy taught by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Contact Leon Chapman for more information.

USA | Arizona | Scottsdale - April 6, 13, 20, 27. Via Linda Senior Center is sponsoring a four week Advanced Legacy course held at the SeniorNet Computer Center at 10440 E. Via Linda in Scottsdale. Call 480-312-7957 to register or contact Barbara Despenza for more information.

USA | Arizona | Scottsdale - April 11, 18, 25, and May 2, 2009. Via Linda Senior Center is sponsoring a four week Advanced Legacy course held at the SeniorNet Computer Center at 10440 E. Via Linda in Scottsdale. Call 480-312-7957 to register or contact Barbara Despenza for more information.

Canada | Alberta | Edmonton - April 18-19, 2009. Alberta Genealogical Society Conference 2009. Classes on Legacy Family Tree taught by Legacy's Jim Terry. Held at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre, 11727 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta. Please visit http://abgensoc.ca/events.html for more information.

Canada | Saskatchewan | Regina - April 24-26, 2009. Saskatchewan Genealogical Society Seminar 2009. Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen will present two plenary sessions:

• Genealogical Mapping
• Blogging

Visit http://www.saskgenealogy.com/events/Conference_2009.htm for more information.

May 2009

USA | North Carolina | Raleigh - May 13-16, 2009. National Genealogical Society Conference 2009, "The Building of a Nation from Roanoke to the West". Legacy's Jim Terry will teach "Legacy Family Tree: An Overview" on Thursday, May 14th at 11:00am. Click here for more information.

USA | California | Hemet - Saturday, May 16, 2009. The Hemet - San Jacinto Genealogical Society will feature an all-day seminar presented by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Classes will include:

• Organizing, Planning & Sharing Using Legacy Family Tree
• Tips & Tricks with Legacy Family Tree
• Mapping Your Ancestors Electronically: Using Software and the Internet
• Sharing Genealogical Electronically: Publishing to CD/DVD, the Internet, and E-Mail

Registration is required and seating is limited. Visit http://www.hsjgs.org/ for more information.

June 2009

USA | California | Burbank - June 26-28, 2009. Southern California Genealogical Jamboree 2009. Visit http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/ for more information.