Present Ideas

AntoSRFC

Sorry mods but didnt know were i should post this.

Anyway well in the last few months my Dad has really gotten into fnding out about his family and has spent alot of time researching people and looking up records etc. Well he wouldnt be the most organised person and has built up sheets full of names and dates etc and a family tree.

Well my queistion is would anyone recommend anything books wise or software or something that would be a good present so he could organise all the info?

Thanks in advance.

DPRestoration

This is not really a present but try http://www.geni.com/ for organizing all the names, it's free and has a great user interface.

chughes

Another free downloadable system is available on www.myheritage.com

You download a family tree builder and then, if you wish, you can upload your family tree details onto the internet for other members of your family to see.

pinkypinky

You need to find out what he already has in the way of books and subscriptions.

www.irishorigins.net does a subscription for about £50 which has various useful Irish stuff on it but if he's not back that far into the 19th century, it might not be helpful yet.

There's a lot of books, and many of them are terrible. A couple of good ones:

Tracing your Irish ancestors by John Grenham (most recent edition is 2006, I think) - it has good lists of source material by county.

Don't consider an Ancestry subscription unless you have significant UK or non-Irish ancestry, there's just not enough Irish stuff on it.

There's also a book on Irish surnames by Edward MacLysaght - it's a useful parallel guide to what surnames come from what areas.

See if you can find out what he has already and I might be able to point you at something more specific.

It's a cool idea though.