Thankfully, the Standard version contains everything you need to record your family history on. Freebies are thin on the ground, but Legacy 7.5 is one such tool that exists as both a cut-down freebie (Standard) and paid-for (Deluxe) version. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of dedicated family history packages out there, but most cost money.
This is all well and good, but having used your computer to research your family history, it also makes sense to record the database-like details of your family tree on it too. Websites like and make it easy to search millions of digitised records in seconds, helping you piece together the past lives of your ancestors.
And thanks to the internet, discovering your past doesn’t have to involve trips to track down local records offices or dusty church registers, opening up what was a niche pastime to millions. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have an interesting family history.
