Origins has actually released a brand-new paid add-on to their popular online family tree. Ancestry Pro Tools, which likewise needs an active paid household history membership to acquire, is $10 a month and includes error monitoring, advanced filtering in your tree, reports and a map view of your forefathers’ locations. In this short article we’re going to have a look at this new add-on to see if the month-to-month cost deserves it.

Pro Tools is $10 monthly and renews immediately at that rate till cancelled. Ancestry states on the checkout page that they schedule the right to alter this rate at any time, without notice, so constantly keep an eye on your account.

This package is an add-on to a paid membership so it requires you to be a paid Ancestry customer (or become part of a family account) to participate. This implies that you must be subscribed to among their plans– U.S. Discovery, World Explorer or All Access– first. If you do not have a present subscription you might be triggered to subscribe first before adding the tools.

Once you click the upgrade button you’ll exist with a series of pages to click through before you reach the checkout page, where you can pick your payment approach. When you have actually done so, and selected “Start Membership,” you will be brought to a verification page. You will need to click back over to your tree to begin accessing the features.

To cancel this subscription, roll over your profile icon in the upper right hand corner of any screen on Ancestry, select Account Settings and scroll down to the Membership section. You will see your subscription to Pro Tools beneath your household history subscription, as well as a cancellation button.

Ancestry Membership Page Showing Pro Tools and Cancel Option

If you cancel, Ancestry will not refund the cost you paid. You will keep access to the features until the end of your subscription month and it will not vehicle restore.
The existing process to cancel Pro Tools is really complicated. If you click on the Cancel Membership link for this feature Ancestry’s warning messages make it appear as if you are canceling your record membership.

This is deceiving, as long as you select the cancel link beside the add-on, this is the only subscription that will be gotten rid of (in spite of the cautions that you will lose record and tip access). Let’s hope they clear this up in the future.

Now, let’s have a look at where to discover these tools, how they work and whether or not they are worth the additional expense.

Origins Pro Tools Error Report Feature
Origins has long required an error reporting feature in their family trees. It is basic alternative on a number of other sites (including MyHeritage) and a lot of ancestral tree programs. We highly encourage everybody to run an error report at least a few times a year as it can be a fantastic method to avoid a number of inaccuracies and pitfalls that can result in roadblocks and missed out on records.

However, we do wish Ancestry had simply included mistake reporting as a complimentary option to their trees, or included it together with an active paid membership, rather than requiring yet another upgrade. It appears a bit much to ask paid memberships to tack on another $10 a month for this and other basic tools.

If you are just considering registering for Pro Tools for this feature, understand that there are several methods to run one on your tree if you are currently utilizing another record site, have your tree in a downloadable program (such as RootsMagic) or are willing to upload/download it elsewhere (even temporarily). You can see your choices (totally free and paid) in our post How to Run an Error Report on Your Family Tree.
If you don’t want to utilize another site, however, access to the error reporting might make the price of a periodic subscription to Pro Tools worth it, especially if you have a big tree (or a number of trees).

To access the mistake reporting after you subscribe, you can do so in 2 places. The first is through the dropdown menu under Trees. Try to find the Tree Checker link as seen listed below.

Error Report in Ancestry Drop Down Menu

The 2nd remains in your tree itself. If Ancestry finds mistakes it will show an exclamation point in the menu bar.

rror Explanation Point Ancestry Tree

Clicking either will bring you to the All People page on Ancestry (which is where all of the people in your tree are noted), immediately filtered by errors.

Here is what this looks like for one of my trees. You can see that the two mistake choices, Possible Duplicates and Other Possible Issues filters are both used. These can be turned on and off along with other filters at any time.

Mistakes filter on All People page Ancestry

You can see that Ancestry has actually presented me with a list of 19 possible mistakes it has located, organized alphabetically. Normally, ancestral tree programs mistake reports concentrate on date disparities (somebody born prematurely or late for particular occasions, such as a marital relationship or the birth of a kid) and possible duplicates of individuals. This report is no various. 16 of the errors showing here are possible duplicates and the other 3 include someone with a date disparity.

To access the mistake for an individual, click on the exclamation indicate the far right of their name. The leaf next to it is intended to advise you that there are hints about this individual (if any exist).

View Error Ancestry Pro Tools

Clicking on a mistake exclamation point will bring you to the profile page for that ancestor and the error will show up in a sidebar. Here is one showing a date disparity in my tree. Mistake in Ancestry Family Tree Clicking on the More link merely brings up some ideas from Ancestry about how to fix this problem. You can also see here that you can pull up the mistakes for an individual using either the exclamation point on top or by clicking the Check Facts links.

With this specific error, it is pretty simple to see what failed. Wesley and Lois’s child is listed as having actually been born in 1899, when the parents were born well after.

I proceeded and inspected the record for her birth and found it came from the 1940 census, where Bette was noted as having actually been 4/12 months.

Transcription Error in Census Record The transcription on Ancestry rather reveals her age as 41, so when I included the record I must have copied this incorrect date into my tree.

I took a moment to head over and make a correction to the transcription on Ancestry (so others would not have the exact same concern) however found I had actually already done so in the past.

Origins Transcription Error

Clearly, I acknowledged the mistake when I included the record initially however forgot to alter it in my own tree. This is where error reports can be extremely helpful because this problem was no doubt restricting tips about Bette, and possibly her parents. Had I actively been investigating this part of my tree I likely would have discovered this earlier, without the need for a mistake report, however you can see how easy it is to miss out on these things when we are not putting in the time to be as careful as we should.

This was a great catch by Ancestry’s system, however it is the only issue it found other than the 16 prospective duplicates it presented me with.

A quick check out the replicate mistake ideas discovered that the majority of them were not, in reality, duplicates– just similarly named people born in comparable period. Due to the fact that almost all of these accompanied brother or sisters on lines that had actually just been briefly looked into (with only a number of records or household connections) it is simple to see how the system may have tagged these as potential cross overs.

However, it did turn up several where there is an opportunity that replicates do exist and I will now have an opportunity to check out these and merge if required.

If you do get a replicate suggestion the error sidebar will show up with a Review button and a place to mark as Not a Duplicate if you find the tip is not remedy.

Possible Duplicate Close Up Ancestry

Clicking the evaluation button will show a page where you can compare the 2 people included. Take your time on each of these to make sure that they are not two different people before merging.

Combine Duplicate Person Ancestry

In general, I did not find the error report on Ancestry to be as detailed or helpful as a few of the others I have run in the past, but it did get some issues so it wasn’t a waste of time either. If you have a large tree that you have never ever ran an error report on, and do not care to use another service, it is worth your time.

However, this is definitely not a service you will need to utilize on a monthly basis so, if you do sign up for Ancestry Pro Tools to try it out, possibly consider a short-lived membership.

Obviously, error checking of your tree is not the only function consisted of in Ancestry’s new add-on. You will likewise receive advanced filtering, map views and reports. Let’s take a quick look at what each of these consist of.

Pro Tools Advanced Filtering
The sophisticated filtering function included in Pro Tools is designed to help you much better organize and locate individuals in your family tree. It is utilized in combination with the search feature and filters can be used on the All People page.

To access advanced filtering, see your tree and click the discover button seen in the screenshot listed below.

Usage Advanced Filters via Search in Ancestry Tree

This will open a side panel where you can search for an individual and filter by MyTreeTags (a free tagging function you do not require Pro Tools for). You will also see a link to List of All People. This will bring you to a full list of people in your tree and where you can apply the filtering options you have access to with the add-on.

As soon as on this page, click the More Filters button to open a sidebar where you can access all filters.

Advanced Pro Tools Filters on All People Page Ancestry

You can now pick to sort by direct ancestors on your paternal and maternal side, find end of line forefathers (the last individual gone into in a family line), sort ancestors by dates and locations (such as everyone that was born in a particular town, or all those that died in a specific years), and see all ancestors with Hints.

If you visit the All People page without having the Pro Tools add-on you will not see any filters at all, just a name search. The only pro filter that can be accessed without this membership (through another page) is view all forefathers with tips. We discuss this in our Ancestry Crash Course.

This is definitely a great addition to your tree if you are looking for a particular piece of info, understand your household connections in brand-new methods or get more organized. You can find out more about the filtering options in the Pro Tools bundle here.

Utilizing the Map View
The map view is another aspect of the Pro Tools add-on and, undoubtedly, is a lot of fun. To find it, see your tree and roll over the tree icon in the small left toolbar. Choose Map.

Discover Map View in Your Ancestry Tree

This will bring you to a page revealing your where the people in your tree were born. You can apply filters to rather show circulation of your ancestors by where they passed away, were buried or lived– along with filter only for direct forefathers and more.

Map View With Filters Ancestry Pro Tools Add-on

Zooming in and out will provide more or less information and clicking a number will list individuals appropriate to that area in the sidebar.

Map View with Ancestors Shown Ancestry Pro Tools

Like the innovative filters, this is just another way to see, find and comprehend the people in your tree, but can be a good addition for those who prefer to examine their information visually. To use all of the functions for the map view you will require to have “set who you are” in your tree. This is various than setting a home individual and you can learn how to do it here.

Charts and Reports in Ancestry Pro Tools
The final function consisted of in this add-on is a collection of downloadable and printable charts and reports for your tree. To find this feature, roll over the same tiny tree icon in the left tool menu or discover it in the dropdown under Trees in the primary menu.

Ancestry Pro Tools Charts and Reports in Menu

Once you follow this link you will exist with a page where you can create among 4 reports for anyone in your tree. These consist of Descendancy (list of descendants), Ahnentafel (list of ancestors), Register (numbered list of descendants by family group and generational order) or Family Group Sheet (reveals only one household group of parents and children). Charts and Reports in Ancestry Pro Tools

You can alter the focus person for these reports on the lower part of the sidebar, as well as discover download and print buttons.

These reports are text-only and pretty fundamental. They are something we would expect to see included in nearly any family tree program. If you are not utilizing another program and requirement or desire access to these charts and reports, this can be a beneficial function to have.

Do understand that you can already produce a visual household group sheet (without the Pro Tools add-on) by going to the profile page of anybody in your tree, clicking the tree name in the upper left and selecting Family Group Sheet. This is what it looks like.

While this is, perhaps, not as printer friendly as the one provided by Pro Tools it shows the same details. To have access to other reports you will need to spend for the add-on. Or, as pointed out, you can include your tree to another website or program like RootsMagic, MyHeritage, RootsFinder or Family Tree Maker that also provide these. Check out family tree choices here.

Are Ancestry Pro Tools Worth Your Money?
Ancestry’s Pro Tools add-on does provide a number of beneficial functions to assist you make the many of the information in your household tree. The error reporting and advanced filtering choices are particularly valuable.

Because these basic tree tools are typically already included in the rate of a paid subscription (such as seen with MyHeritage) or in the expense of a downloadable program (such as with RootsMagic), we are a bit dissatisfied that Ancestry has selected to charge extra for these. It would, perhaps, make good sense to charge overdue members who are using the ancestral tree at no charge, but we would have liked to have seen those with paid memberships having the ability to access the features as part of their memberships.

We likewise noticed that those who are taking advantage of the household plan (4 extra accounts included with an All Access membership) will not have the ability to share Pro Tools with their relative’ accounts. Each family account would need its own separate membership to these tree features.

There are a number of other sites and programs doing a much better task of offering similar tools, and certainly for less. RootsMagic, for example, costs simply $39.95, synchronizes with your Ancestry tree, and provides comparable tools (a lot of which are more advanced) without a regular monthly membership. We cover the syncing feature in RootsMagic here.

MyHeritage likewise has comparable tools (and advanced mistake reporting and charts) for a great deal less than Ancestry. Of course, they fall brief in other ways, like the number of records offered. Still, if you have memberships to both companies we recommend simply utilizing the tools on MyHeritage.

If you choose to deal with Ancestry only, and do not feel comfy downloading or syncing your tree with another program or site, than the $10 cost may effectively deserve it to you. If you are a bit more spending plan conscious you can choose a range of other alternatives for less or simply spend for the Pro Tools for a month or more to get what you need.

We hope this review assists you choose whether Ancestry’s most recent add-on is worth your time, and money. For more assistance utilizing Ancestry, take a look at our Crash Course in the Family History Daily Course Center.
A Review of Ancestry Pro Tools
There are four functions included in the brand-new Pro Tools add-on to your ancestral tree. First, we’ll take a look at how to add Pro Tools, if you pick to subscribe, and after that we’ll look at each of the consisted of features to see if they deserve the extra regular monthly charge.

How to Add Ancestry Pro Tools to Your Family Tree
If, after checking out this guide, you decide to give Ancestry Pro Tools a try you can quickly include them by clicking the Upgrade to Pro Tools button in the top menu bar above your tree.