Ancestry is one of the big 4 genealogy websites (MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and Find My Past are the others). They have helped so many people build family trees and connect with long lost cousins. Now, they have an added feature called Pro Tools.
In this blog post you’ll learn what the Pro Tools are and how they many be able to benefit you.
Ancestry Pro Tools were introduced late in 2023. It is an add-on membership to your regular Ancestry.com subscription. The cost is $10/month and will automatically renew each month. I have decided to try it out for a month and see what I get.
If you want to try it too, click on the Upgrade To Pro Tools tab and follow the prompts.
What Are The Ancestry Pro Tools?
Pro Tools are used to make your tree more accurate…detect errors, gain insight, and evaluate DNA matches. In this blog post, I’m concentrating on the non-DNA tools. The Enhanced Shared Matches tool will be reviewed in an upcoming article.
Tree Checker
The Tree Checker works with your Ancestry family tree to see if there are any errors, like possible duplicates or no documentation.
Here’s what my Stabley family tree looks like:
This tool makes it easy to spot areas that need attention. When I hover over the number linked to an error, it turns into a clickable link that takes me to a list of ancestors in my tree with that specific issue. From there, I can click on an ancestor’s name to go straight to their profile and see what needs to be fixed.
For example, in the list for possible duplicates, I have two entries for a Mattie/Maude M. Clevenger, both born on the same day, but with two different death dates. Are they one person or two? I’ve got some work to do to find out.
Do you notice the exclamation point to the right? That will also show up in her profile with a white dot to let me know there is a possible error that I need to correct.
Smart Filters
Smart Filters allows you to see your family tree in a list view using filters to narrow your focus:
You can also filter by tags, either created by Ancestry or by you:
Pick and choose the filters that make sense to you. They work in any combination.
Charts & Reports
This feature allows you to see your family in a much different way. When you open it, the home person will be featured. To choose someone else, look to the right under Focus Person and click Change. Type in the name of your ancestor and select.
The report defaults to a descendancy report, but you can choose how you want it look. Play around with the different types of reports to see what works best for you.
You can also customize your report by style and how many generations are included.
Once you’re done and you have it looking perfect, you can download it to your computer, print a copy, or share it with family and friends. All of this with just a few clicks.
Tree Mapper
Tree Mapper lets you see event locations for everyone in your family tree. When you click on a location on the map, it shows you who is connected to that spot.
For example, when I clicked on the state of Maine, five of my ancestors appeared. Their names showed up on the right side, and I could easily access their profiles by clicking on them.
Or, you can use the map filters to focus on a particular ancestor, location, or time.
As of the date of this blog, you are not able to download or print this information.
Tree Insights
This section is the least helpful, in my opinion. It gives you contextual information that you may or may not find interesting.
For example, here are the 5 most common surnames in my tree:
Finally
While having an online family tree is amazing, you also want to consider keeping your tree offline as well. Read Why It’s Important To Keep Your Family Tree Offline to find out more.
If these were the only tools available, I would consider using this for one month to clean up my tree. But, I’m not sure I would keep a subscription for the long haul. Try it out for yourself. Perhaps looking at duplicates or errors in your tree will bring you clarity on an ancestor you have long forgotten.
Genealogy tip: Keeping an accurate family tree is important for many reasons. Many people do not put in the work to make sure their tree is correct. Then others copy and paste that information into their own tree including all the mistakes. Take the time to make sure your tree is as factual as possible.
If you need someone to make sure your family tree is accurate, let me know. I can help you to get your tree into tip-top shape! Click below to get started.
