Family Tree Maker 2009: Web Clipping

Most Family Tree Maker users are familiar with the process of merging Ancestry.com facts and records into their tree. But did you know you can merge information from other websites too? It’s called Web clipping, and it’s one of my favorite tools.

If you find information on a website (such as a marriage date, photograph, or town description) that you want to add to your tree, you don’t have to type it in manually. Family Tree Maker can do the work for you.

1. On the Web Search workspace, access the website you want to “clip” information from.
2. On the Facts tab at the bottom of the window, click the Person from your tree button and select the individual you want to link the information to.

To copy information for a fact:

1. On the Search Result Detail toolbar, click the Enable web clipping button (the button on the far right).
2. Highlight the text on the website. The Insert Fact drop-down list appears.
3. Choose a fact from the drop-down list.
4. When you have selected all the information you want from the website, click the Merge button on the Search Result Detail toolbar. The Web Merge Wizard will launch.

To copy a photo:

1. Click the Media tab at the bottom of the window.
2. Move the cursor over the browser window until the image you want is highlighted by a green dotted line.
3. Click the highlighted image. A thumbnail of the image appears in the Search Result Detail section.
4. When you have selected all the photos you want from the website, click the Merge button on the Search Result Detail toolbar. The Web Merge Wizard will launch.

1. Click the Notes tab at the bottom of the window.
2. On the Search Result Detail toolbar, click the Enable web clipping button (the button on the far right).
3. Highlight the text on the website.
4. Click the Insert Note button that appears.
5. When you have selected all the text you want from the website, click the Merge button on the Search Result Detail toolbar. The Web Merge Wizard will launch.