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RootsMagic for Family Origins Users

RootsMagic comes from Bruce Buzbee, the same person who created Family Origins. It imports your Family Origins file directly, on Windows and Mac, so you can pick up where you left off. The free edition, RootsMagic Essentials, does it too.

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RootsMagic 12

Plant and grow your family tree.
Genealogy & Family Tree Software

RootsMagic 12 is award-winning genealogy software that helps you discover, document, and share your family history.

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Two ways to bring your tree over

Import your Family Origins file

RootsMagic reads Family Origins files directly, from version 4 and later. Your names, dates, places, the links between people, notes, and links to your pictures all come over into a new RootsMagic file.

Use a GEDCOM file

Using a version older than 4? Export a GEDCOM file from Family Origins and import it into RootsMagic.

RootsMagic 12’s Import from Another Program list, with Family Origins, versions 4 and later, outlined
On the File page, choose Import from Another Program, then Family Origins.

From Family Origins to RootsMagic

Family Origins began as AncestraLink, a program Bruce Buzbee finished in late 1991. Unlike most genealogy programs of the time, it let you enter a source once and reuse it for other people and facts. Parsons Technology published it as Family Origins in 1992, and a new version came out every year for ten years.

As Family Origins changed hands from one company to the next, each new owner put its effort into Family Tree Maker instead. So Bruce started over and wrote a new program from scratch, designed to feel familiar to Family Origins users. That program was RootsMagic.

Read the whole story on our blog

  • 1991Bruce Buzbee finishes AncestraLink.
  • 1992Parsons Technology publishes it as Family Origins, for DOS.
  • 1990sFamily Origins 3.0 becomes the first Windows version, with a new version every year.
  • 1997Parsons is sold to Broderbund, the owner of Family Tree Maker. More owners follow.
  • 2002Bruce unveils his new program, written from scratch.
  • 2003The first RootsMagic ships on February 3.
  • TodayRootsMagic 12, for Windows and Mac.

What you'll find in RootsMagic

  • FamilySearch Certified: download from Family Tree and share changes back
  • Works with Ancestry: upload or download your tree free, with TreeShare sync and Ancestry hints in the full version
  • WebHints from Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast
  • Source templates based on Evidence Explained (4th edition), with suggestions as you type
  • 100+ reports and charts, plus wall charts as large as you need
  • DNA matches with Leeds Method clustering
  • Windows and Mac, and it can run from a USB flash drive
  • Yours to keep: no subscription, free updates to RootsMagic 12, and personal technical support

Try it with your own tree

Download RootsMagic Essentials free, import your Family Origins file, and see your tree in RootsMagic. When you're ready for more, the full version is a one-time purchase of $29.95.

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Questions from Family Origins users

Yes. Bruce Buzbee wrote Family Origins, starting in 1991. He then wrote RootsMagic from scratch, released it in 2003, and founded RootsMagic, Inc.

RootsMagic imports Family Origins version 4 and later directly, with names, dates, places, the links between people, notes, and links to your pictures. For an earlier version, export a GEDCOM file from Family Origins and import that.

Yes. RootsMagic Essentials, the free edition, imports Family Origins files directly too.

Yes. Copy your Family Origins file to your Mac and import it into RootsMagic there. RootsMagic runs on Windows and macOS with the same features. More about RootsMagic for Mac.

No. RootsMagic reads your Family Origins file and copies it into a new RootsMagic file, so the original stays as it was.

RootsMagic Essentials is free, with no time limit. The full version of RootsMagic is $29.95. It's yours to keep, with no subscription, and updates to RootsMagic 12 are free. When a new version comes out, upgrading is optional, and owners get a lower price.