Legacy tip: how to view your ancestor’s age

Geoff Rasmussen

01 Mar 2010

Question from Marcio:

"How can I show the age of the persons in the starting display?"

Our answer:

Viewing the age of the main persons in the Family View is simple with these instructions.

1) First, in the Family View, click once on any of the blue labels next to the main persons. The labels, by default, display "Born, Chr, Died, Buried, DthCau". Just click once on any of them.

2) On the resulting Customize Display screen, decide which of the five fields you want to replace by clicking on the small button with the three dots.

3) Click on "Age At Death" and click Select, then Close.

The Family View now displays the Age at Death for the main person and their spouse:

Here's another trick. Go to View > Ages and you'll get a lot of other interesting information about the couple's ages.

Finally, here's a trick to add the "Age at Death" to the Index View.

1) Click on the Index tab, then the Options button, then Customize Columns. Using the same button with the three dots, select Age at Death for one of the fields.

Now look at the Index View. In this example, the first column is the Age at Death. You could also place this column next to the Death Date column if it makes more sense.

Well, Marcio, this answer was way more than you asked for, but I got on a roll…Hope this helps.

Comments (17)

William – when you have the “Customize Family View Information” screen just click on the Defaults button. This will restore everything to normal.

I just tried your second tip, “how to view your ancestors age,” and am disappointed. I usually love your tips.
I followed your instructions and created a “custom display” as a trial. Now, I cannot delete the custom display with a name. How can these be deleted? I just want to get back to where I was without any experimental custom displays available.

Jean – in the list of choices, select “Event”, then select “Occupation”.

Dave – I don’t think this is possible in Legacy. But Legacy’s Add-on, GENViewer, makes it really simple. On the “Highlighted” tab, add a condition (in the left panel) of “Age < 20".

Since so many of you have asked for this, I’ll bring it up with the development team.

I have long wanted Legacy to show a living perso’n present age. This is a major failing of Legacy which is otherwise very good.
Come on guys, give us an option to show age in family view. We know if the person is dead from the death date so we dont need ‘Age at Death’.

Taking this a little further.
How can I search for all those whose age at death is say, under 20 years?
There is no age at death selection in the search fields. (Well not that I can see??)

Vicky – you have to turn on the relationships at Tools > Set Relationships.

Nice info, guys. It would be extra useful if I could get a living person’s current age, like the age at death, on the Index list in a separate column. Is that possible?

Wow, thanks Geoff. Even with the help, the videos & the list there are still more goodies to discover. I love Legacy, it has so many options.

Geoff, I added relationship as one of the options but nothing is showing in the relationship field – it is blank?

It seems to me that many years ago you could show Occupation in lieu of Cause of Death. I don’t find it in list of choices. Can it be added?

Powers – I don’t think current age can be shown as a field on the Family View. You can view them, however, just to the right of the birth information in the Individual’s Information screen or by viewing the Age screen (Control-A).

I knew how to do this, but what I want is *current age* for living people. Age at Death is blank for living people.

Anne – thanks. However, this occurs in the Individual’s Information screen. Good tip.

One that you forgot to mention is, in family view, right click at the side of the birth and death information. this allows a ‘toggle’ to be switched on or off which will show current age or age at death. Very handy if you are trying to remember how old your nieces and nephews are.

I’ve been using Legacy for almost as long as it’s been offered, and every time I read one of the newsletters, I learn something else new about the program. Keep up the good work on the newsletter!! And I love the program, reccomend it to all my new genealogy students.

GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

William – when you have the “Customize Family View Information” screen just click on the Defaults button. This will restore everything to normal.
WT
William Trainor

15 years ago

I just tried your second tip, “how to view your ancestors age,” and am disappointed. I usually love your tips.
I followed your instructions and created a “custom display” as a trial. Now, I cannot delete the custom display with a name. How can these be deleted? I just want to get back to where I was without any experimental custom displays available.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Jean – in the list of choices, select “Event”, then select “Occupation”.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Dave – I don’t think this is possible in Legacy. But Legacy’s Add-on, GENViewer, makes it really simple. On the “Highlighted” tab, add a condition (in the left panel) of “Age < 20".
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Since so many of you have asked for this, I’ll bring it up with the development team.
CS
C Smith

15 years ago

I have long wanted Legacy to show a living perso’n present age. This is a major failing of Legacy which is otherwise very good.
Come on guys, give us an option to show age in family view. We know if the person is dead from the death date so we dont need ‘Age at Death’.
DA
Dave Aitchison

15 years ago

Taking this a little further.
How can I search for all those whose age at death is say, under 20 years?
There is no age at death selection in the search fields. (Well not that I can see??)
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Vicky – you have to turn on the relationships at Tools > Set Relationships.
JL
John Lietzen

15 years ago

Nice info, guys. It would be extra useful if I could get a living person’s current age, like the age at death, on the Index list in a separate column. Is that possible?
S
Sally

15 years ago

Wow, thanks Geoff. Even with the help, the videos & the list there are still more goodies to discover. I love Legacy, it has so many options.
VG
vicky g wilson

15 years ago

Geoff, I added relationship as one of the options but nothing is showing in the relationship field – it is blank?
JG
Jean Gobel

15 years ago

It seems to me that many years ago you could show Occupation in lieu of Cause of Death. I don’t find it in list of choices. Can it be added?
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Powers – I don’t think current age can be shown as a field on the Family View. You can view them, however, just to the right of the birth information in the Individual’s Information screen or by viewing the Age screen (Control-A).
P
Powers

15 years ago

I knew how to do this, but what I want is *current age* for living people. Age at Death is blank for living people.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

15 years ago

Anne – thanks. However, this occurs in the Individual’s Information screen. Good tip.
AE
Anne Eccles

15 years ago

One that you forgot to mention is, in family view, right click at the side of the birth and death information. this allows a ‘toggle’ to be switched on or off which will show current age or age at death. Very handy if you are trying to remember how old your nieces and nephews are.
JR
Joyce Rorabaugh

15 years ago

I’ve been using Legacy for almost as long as it’s been offered, and every time I read one of the newsletters, I learn something else new about the program. Keep up the good work on the newsletter!! And I love the program, reccomend it to all my new genealogy students.