Step 1: Begin with You

Have some family information ready. If it's not in your head, assemble the immediate family details before proceeding.

• If you are male, begin by entering information for the "male"of the current family card -- your family card. Click Add a Male Person.
• If you are female, click Add a Female Person.

When you add a new person to the family file, a big Edit Person window will appear.

In the Edit Person window, begin by typing in your name. You can point and click the mouse to reposition the blinking cursor within any of the data entry boxes (aka "fields") or use the Tab key to advance the cursor from field to field. Pressing Shift + Tab will move the cursor backward through the fields. Each field in this window holds a basic genealogy fact relating to the name of a person.

First Name, Last Name

As you can see in the Name section of the Edit Person window, your last name is recorded separately from your first (and middle) name(s). Be sure to type your last name (surname) into the Last Name field. Type your first and middle names into the First Name field.

Titles

If your name carries a title such as Jr., Sr., II, or III, type it into the Suffix Title field. If you want to record a prefix title, such as Dr., type it into the Prefix Title field. We don't recommend that you record everyday titles like Mr. or Mrs.

Maiden Names

Female names should be entered using the maiden name. If a maiden name is unknown, we suggest that you leave the Last Name field empty or enter a question mark (?). Or use the married name, but, as a visual reminder, you might want to enclose it in brackets or parentheses.

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