For those of you eagerly awaiting the latest version of our #1 selling genealogy software, your wait is about to end. Family Tree Maker 2009 will be available to purchase in the Ancestry Store in the near future.

Thanks to all the feedback we received about Family Tree Maker 2008, we’ve made a number of improvements. For example, the amount of time it takes to start the program and load files has decreased, as has the amount of memory the program uses. And, a number of improvements have been made to the Merge feature, which allows you to merge information from other people’s trees into your own.

We have also added some new features. Here is a list of some of my favorites. (As soon as the software is available, you can see a complete list of improvements on the Family Tree Maker Web page).

Single-Page PDF Export
After creating a chart, you can now save it as a single-page PDF. So what? You can save that PDF to a disk, take it to a copy shop (like Kinko’s), and have them print it as a large poster.

Migration Path 
Use Family Tree Maker’s mapping tools to plot your ancestor’s life on a map. All the events (birth, marriage, death) for which you have entered a location will appear. You can also print these migration maps.

Nearby Locations on Maps
Besides being able to see maps of where your ancestors were born, lived, and died, you can now search those maps for nearby cemeteries, libraries, courts, churches, hospitals, etc. This can come in handy if you want to conduct more research. 

New Charts and Reports
In addition to its standard charts and reports, Family Tree Maker 2009 now includes some new charts and reports. These include a Data Errors report (a report of all the instances where there is missing data or where FTM believes there is a mistake), Ahnentafel report (a report containing a numbered list of individuals in your tree, starting with the person you designate and moving through his or her ancestors), and Simple Register report (similar to an Ahnentafel report, except it focuses on descendants instead of ancestors); plus, a Horizontal Hourglass chart, Bowtie chart, 180 Degree Fan chart, and Family Tree chart (a chart where the primary individual appears at the bottom with ancestors branching above him or her in a shape similar to a tree). Now you can also show siblings in charts. 

 
 
An Ahnentafel report. Ahnentafel is a German word for “ancestor table.”

 
 
A Fan chart.

Special Characters
A simple, but important addition, Family Tree Maker now lets you add special characters like umlauts, accent marks, and other diacritics. So you can finally type Bronte as Brontë and Pena as Peña.

What Else to Look For
Make sure to look for our updated Family Tree Maker Web page soon. It will give a full list of all the enhancements and new features added to Family Tree Maker 2009.

Also, The Official Guide to Family Tree Maker 2009 will be available for purchase at the beginning of September. Look for it in the Ancestry Store. 

And, you can always check out our Family Tree Maker blog for the latest announcements and discussion.

Jana Lloyd is editor of the Ancestry Monthly newsletter. She can be reached at AMUeditor@ancestry.com but cannot assist with personal research questions.