Importing Genealogy Data into Personal Historian 2

So where do you start when trying to come up with stories for a personal history?  If you have been entering data into a genealogy program you can use that information to get you started.

Personal Historian will import the events from any group of people you select, including any pictures or sources (remember, bold items are new in version 2).  You can import from RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker (16 and earlier), PAF, Legacy, or GEDCOM.

You can choose who the personal history will be about, as well as any other family members you want to include.  You can even select which events you want Personal Historian to import.  So you could just choose basic events like birth, marriage and death, or you could choose to include all events like occupations, residences, and more.  Personal Historian will display the imported events on the main screen Story List (click the image to see it in full resolution).

If you have any notes, sources, or pictures attached to events, Personal Historian will import those as well.

You don’t have to write a story for every event that Personal Historian imports, but you can use them as placeholders to write about later, or to just use for context in the person’s life.  If you really don’t want the event just highlight and delete it from the main Story List.  You also don’t have to stick with the computer generated story titles.  You can easily change “Kathleen Peggy Hobbs (Wife) was born” to “Ronald’s Future Sweetheart Arrives”.

Finally, what happens if you add more information to your genealogy software?  Well, just re-import the file into Personal Historian.  In the past that would have been a very bad idea because you would have ended up with duplicate events / stories.  But in version 2, Personal Historian will check as it is importing to make sure it doesn’t import duplicate events.

So once you have imported your genealogy information into Personal Historian, its time to add some context.  Next time we’ll talk about LifeCapsules, an easy way to add historical timelines or memory joggers to your personal history.

3 thoughts to “Importing Genealogy Data into Personal Historian 2”

  1. I am trying to learn how to teach others how to find their roots as I have been trying to find mine for the last thirty years. I have had good luck and I have had bad luck but It is very rewarding to do research in America and Europe and to study and learn about my people from other lands. Now I am helping my husband of one year dig out his roots. He came to America in 1958 from Switzerland and I find it very exciting to learn about his growing up years in a country that was very different from my own upbringing and I also find it hard to hear about his suffering during the second world war and realize that It must seem as though I was spoiled, as I never had one day in my life that I was hungry and he was during the war years. Someday I hope my children and grandchildren will read this and wish they had spent more time getting to know their Step Father and Step grandfather. Grandma Phillips (Truttmann)

  2. I have heard from at least two people recently how great this program is so I want to try it. I have had trouble trying to move my PAF5 from my PC to this laptop so hope this works.

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