iPhone & iPad for the Genealogist
Donna M. Moughty, Lakewood Ranch · 2012
It’s amazing how far technology has brought us as genealogists. It’s been a catalyst to bring millions of people into the field of genealogy. In an article in September from Bloomberg Businessweek, genealogy ranks second as the most searched topic on the Internet. Many of us began in the days of pencil, paper and microfilm readers and graduated to the use of desktop computers with genealogy databases. The next step was a laptop or notebook computer. During the time we were becoming familiar with our computers and software, the Internet was expanding and databases were beginning to appear online. Today, small devices such as the iPhone and iPad, as well as their various competitors are more powerful and connected than the computers we used ten years ago. The convenience of being able to carry with you (at all times) your genealogy makes the iPhone or iPad a unique tool. Whether traveling on business or pleasure, you might just need to check on the details of an ancestor as you visit a local library, or meet with a family member. For me, having a little more flexibility with the iPad, larger screen, larger keyboard, or even a separate bluetooth keyboard allows me at times to leave my laptop at home. While software for a computer can cost up to $100 or more, apps tend to run less than $10, with many being free. Genealogy Apps Genealogy software companies (both computer and cloud based) have jumped on the bandwagon to provide complementary apps for the iPhone and iPad. Ancestry allows you to download your family tree from their site, view hints and update the tree. Reunion (Mac) has an app that syncs with your computer to keep things up to date. If you computer software doesn’t have a companion app you can use a generic app such as FamViewer that uses a GEDCOM to move the data.