Author: Michael Booth

We are delighted to announce the launch of RootsMagic 10, the latest version of our award-winning genealogy software that takes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history to the next level. This release comes with an exciting update to the free RootsMagic Essentials product and introduces a limited-time discount offer for both new and existing users.

What’s New in RootsMagic 10

We’ve packed RootsMagic 10 with innovative new features designed to enhance your genealogy experience and bring your family history to life.

• DNA Match Management: Record and analyze DNA matches, predict relationships, and generate reports using the Leeds method to help organize your genetic genealogy.
• Health and Medical History Tracking: Document detailed health conditions for individuals with the ability to generate comprehensive family health history reports.
• Advanced Search Features: Experience powerful new search capabilities, including rules-based searching and dynamic group management for more accurate and flexible data retrieval.
• Enhanced Data Management Tools: Customize the display of names for different cultures, copy or move facts between individuals, and share facts with multiple people more efficiently.
• Dynamic Group Features: Quickly refresh and update groups based on new data directly from the main screen without navigating through multiple forms.
• Simplified User Interface: Enjoy a streamlined interface with improved color coding, easy navigation between color code sets, and enhanced editing features for a more intuitive user experience.
• Context-Sensitive Help: Access help tailored to the specific screen or function you’re using, with both online and offline options to suit your needs.

New Book

We’re also excited to announce the latest edition of our comprehensive guide: “Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 10.”

This book is perfect for users who want to explore RootsMagic’s full capabilities. It covers everything from basic data entry to advanced techniques like custom reports, citing sources, research tasks, and more.

Available for $19.95 and printed by Amazon.com, this book is your go-to resource for mastering RootsMagic 10.

New Videos

To help you get started with RootsMagic 10 and understand its new features, we’ve produced a series of free tutorial videos. These include “Getting Started with RootsMagic,” “What’s New in RootsMagic 10,” and detailed tutorials on individual features.

Free “RootsMagic Essentials”

RootsMagic 10 is also available in a free edition called “RootsMagic 10 Essentials.” This version includes many core features and is perfect for those who are new to genealogy. Available for both Windows and macOS, RootsMagic Essentials offers a risk-free way to begin your family history journey.

Download RootsMagic 10 Essentials at https://rootsmagic.com/try.

Special Discount Offer

NOTE: This discount offer has expired.

For a limited time, you can purchase RootsMagic 10 at a special introductory price of $20 for existing users, and $29.95 for new users. This offer is available until Sunday, July 7, 2024, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time. After that, RootsMagic 10 will return to its regular price of $39.95, with existing users able to upgrade for $29.95.

Take advantage of this exclusive offer and join the thousands of family historians who trust RootsMagic to preserve their family trees.

RootsTech 2024 is the world’s largest in-person and online family history celebration! And we’re offering RootsTech attendees a special discount. Save up to 50% on our software including Personal Historian 3, Family Atlas, and RootsMagic 9!

At our booth, take advantage of our special conference pricing. You’ll get RootsMagic for only $20!

Those who can’t attend RootsTech this year can get the same conference special online by visiting www.NotAtRootsTech.com. The offer is only available through Monday, March 4, at 11:59 pm MST.

It’s almost time for the largest genealogy conference in the world- RootsTech!

It’s being held Thursday, February 29, through Saturday, March 2, 2024, online and in-person at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ve been there from the beginning, and we’re pleased to sponsor this event again in 2024.

Attend Online for Free!

Register for free for the RootsTech online conference! It only takes 10 seconds, and you will get access to hundreds of class sessions, a virtual expo hall, outstanding keynote addresses, and other unique experiences to help you discover more about your story.

Relatives at RootsTech

There is also an improved “Relatives at RootsTech” feature that lets you see how you’re related to the other RootsTech attendees. Just use RootsMagic to update FamilySearch Family Tree to see how you connect to interested genealogists worldwide.

Expo Hall

Don’t miss the expo hall, which is the country’s largest gathering place for genealogy products and services. Be sure to visit the RootsMagic booth #1301 (right up front) to meet our staff, ask questions, view demonstrations, and get special discounts on RootsMagic products.

Expo Hall hours (subject to change) are:

• Thursday, February 29, 2024, 9 am–7:30 pm
• Friday, March 1, 2024, 9 am–6 pm
• Saturday, March 2, 2024, 9 am–3 pm

In-Person RootsMagic 9 Class

While the virtual RootsTech is free, the in-person event in Salt Lake City includes:

• 250+ exclusive sessions only available in-person
• Access to the world-renowned FamilySearch Library
• Face-to-face connections with friends and industry experts

Plus, if you are attending in person, you can come to a RootsMagic 9 class, taught by the RootsMagician himself, Bruce Buzbee!

RootsMagic: Growing a personal tree in a connected world
Friday, March 1, 3:00–4:00 pm
Salt Palace Convention Center, Room 155 D

Join us for a friendly, easy-to-follow guide to starting your very own family tree using RootsMagic. We’ll learn how to grow your personal family tree in today’s connected world using the powerful tools of RootsMagic. We’ll show you how to handle private information about living or unproven family links while connecting your non-sensitive findings with larger family history platforms like FamilySearch and Ancestry.

For years, RootsMagic users have enjoyed integration with leading online genealogy services like FamilySearch and Ancestry. This collaboration has let our users search records, synchronize data, and more.

RootsMagic has always been at the forefront, staying up to speed with the latest technologies and online services.

The Next Step: Introducing OAuth in RootsMagic 9

The latest release of RootsMagic 9 (version 9.1) marks a significant upgrade in how users interact with these online services. Adopting OAuth technologies, this update introduces a new online sign-in system, supporting more sign-in options — including two-factor authentication — ensuring that users’ online data remains secure.

Why are Ancestry and FamilySearch making this change?

Ancestry and FamilySearch, understanding the importance of data security, will soon discontinue support for the old sign-in methods. The goal is to safeguard user data and provide more flexible account creation and access. It’s a necessary step forward as web technologies advance and security needs become more complex.

When this happens, users of RootsMagic 7 and 8 will no longer be able to sign into them. RootsMagic 9 users who have installed the latest update will not be affected.

When will these changes take place?

Ancestry and FamilySearch, working independently from each other, will make the changes on their own timetables. The exact dates aren’t known at this time, only that they will be soon.

We wanted to give our users advance notice so that they will be able to move their data to RootsMagic 9, and become familiar with it before the changes occur.

UPDATE: As of Monday, December 11, 2023, Ancestry has shut off external sign-in access to their API. FamilySearch remains unchanged.

Why can’t RootsMagic update previous versions to support the new sign-in methods?

We cannot update previous versions to support the new sign-in methods because they are built on older technologies that are not compatible with the new security measures.

RootsMagic 9, however, has been developed with these changes in mind, thanks to considerable time and effort from our development team.

I use RootsMagic 7/8 and want to keep using Ancestry/FamilySearch. How do I get version 9?

If you use an earlier version of RootsMagic and wish to continue using its Ancestry and FamilySearch features, you will need to upgrade to RootsMagic 9.

Special Limited-Time 50% Discount

We are excited to offer a limited-time discount — upgrade to RootsMagic 9 now and gain access to the latest version, including enhanced integration with Ancestry and FamilySearch, for only $20.

This offer represents a significant saving of 50% off the regular price. To take advantage of this special offer, use the code UPGRADE9 at checkout.

Not only will you get uninterrupted support for Ancestry and FamilySearch services, but you will also enjoy all the new features and enhancements available in RootsMagic 9.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence, this is the perfect time to upgrade to RootsMagic 9. But hurry, this offer expires soon!

RootsMagic 9, the latest version of our popular genealogy software, introduces an exciting new feature called “Associations”. This innovative addition, also known as the “FAN method” or “cluster research”, is a powerful research tool that provides a unique way to expand family research and discover connections beyond traditional family lines.

It allows you to document relationships between two people in your file that aren’t necessarily related. They could be friends, neighbors, or even something like an enslaver / enslaved person relationship.

Adding an Association

You can add an association in two different places:

1. From the Add button on any of the People views
2. From the Add fact list when editing a person

When adding (or editing) an association, you can enter the following information:

• Association type: The type of association (friends, neighbors, etc.). You can also create your own association types.
• The 2 people: You can select the two associated people using the selection list. If the two people are reversed, you can use the “Switch roles for the 2 people” button to switch them.
• Date: The date (or date range) for the association
• Sort date: A non-printing date used to sort the association with other events and associations
• Place: The place for the association
• Place details: The place details for the association
• Description: A short (one line) description for the association
• Note: Any text you want to enter describing more details about the association

When editing from the Edit Person screen, you can also add source citations, media, and even tasks to the association.

Association View

On the main screen, the new Association view is a list of all the associations in your file.

From the association view, you can:

• Sort the list: Click the header of the column to sort by
• Filter the list: Type in the name of the person you want to filter by
• Edit either person: Click “Edit person 1” or “Edit person 2”
• Edit the association: Click “Edit relationship”

Association List

There is also a new report called the “Association List”. It displays an indented list of the highlighted person’s associations. The list will include all associations for the person, plus all the associations for the associated people for as many levels as you select.

To print an association list:

1. Select the Publish page
2. Select “All reports and charts”
3. Select “Association List (Individual)”
4. Select your options from the Report Settings panel

For a demonstration of Associations in action, watch the video tutorial available here. This new feature is a powerful tool for genealogists and family historians, offering a new way to explore and document the complex web of relationships that make up our pasts.

The world’s largest genealogy conference is 100% virtual this year as well as 100% free!

RootsTech 2022 runs March 3-5, 2022 at RootsTech.org. It has an impressive list of keynote speakers and over 1,500 class sessions on 185 topics in over 30 languages. Did we mention it’s all free?

Relatives at RootsTech

There is also an improved “Relatives at RootsTech” feature that lets you see how you’re related to the other 650,000+ RootsTech attendees. Just use RootsMagic to update FamilySearch Family Tree to see how you connect to interested genealogists around the world.

RootsMagic Users Group Chat

We also set up a group chat room in the RootsTech chat feature. To access it:

1. Visit https://www.familysearch.org/messages/chat/fullpage. Sign into FamilySearch, if needed.
2. Click on “Groups”, to the right of “Chats” on the header bar.
3. In the “Search for groups” box, type “RootsMagic”.
4. The “RootsMagic Users” group will appear in the search results. Click on it to join the chat group.

Special RootsMagic Discount

While RootsTech Connect does have a virtual expo hall, we’ve been putting all of our time and efforts into improving RootsMagic 8 and, unfortunately, don’t have a virtual booth this year.

However, we’re pleased to offer RootsTech attendees a special discount. Save up to 37% on our software including Personal Historian 3, Family Atlas, and the NEW RootsMagic 8!

Through March 19, 2022, use the code ROOTSTECH to receive your discount. There is no limit on the number of discounted copies you can buy during this limited-time offer.