Family Tree Maker Hits the Road: California Tour, February 16–21, 2026

Family Tree Maker is coming to California! In February 2026, the Family Tree Maker team will embark on a six-stop tour across the state, bringing live, in-person presentations to genealogy societies and Family Tree Maker user groups from San Diego County to Sacramento.

Executive Director Duff Wilson and Genealogy Community Ambassador Mark Olsen will lead each event, offering interactive demonstrations of the latest edition of Family Tree Maker, a preview of what’s ahead, and plenty of time to ask questions and connect with fellow researchers.

All events are free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

What to Expect at Each Tour Stop

These sessions are designed for both new and experienced users and will include:

• An introduction to Family Tree Maker 2024

• Highlights of features found only in Family Tree Maker, including tips and tricks for experienced users

• A look at Connect!, the new workspace designed to help relatives collaborate on your tree

• A demonstration of Easy on the Eyes®, a long-requested feature that improves screen readability

• Improvements to managing and reporting relationships

• Tools for cleaning up orphaned media, sources, and citations

The presenters will also cover:

FTM Connect 2.0

A demonstration of the expanded mobile app (Android, iPhone, and iPad), including:

• How relatives can help fact-check your tree and introduce you to extended family

• Using a tablet as a touchscreen companion to Family Tree Maker on your home computer

• Taking your tree with you when visiting relatives and syncing updates back to your desktop

  
  
  
  

  AlbumWALK® Mobile App

A look at this new tool for capturing and preserving photo memories, including:

• Identifying people in photos by simply tapping and talking

• Creating instant documentary-style presentations

• Using TreeVault to sync and back up photos between Family Tree Maker and AlbumWALK

  
  

Ask the Presenters

Each session will include time for Q&A, and hands-on help with Family Tree Maker will be available after the presentation, as time permits. Attendees are also encouraged to share feature ideas for future editions.

Special event pricing on Family Tree Maker software will be available at each stop.

2026 California Tour Schedule

Monday, February 16: North San Diego County Genealogical Society(Family Tree Maker User Group)📍 Vista, CA | 🕑 2:00–5:00 PM

Tuesday, February 17: Chula Vista Genealogical Society📍 Bonita, CA | 🕐 1:00–4:00 PM

Wednesday, February 18: San Luis Obispo Genealogical Society📍 San Luis Obispo, CA | 🕑 2:00–5:00 PM

Thursday, February 19: Fresno County Genealogical Society📍 Fowler, CA | 🕑 2:00–5:00 PM

Friday, February 20: California Genealogical Society(Family Tree Maker User Group)📍 San Francisco, CA | 🕦 11:30 AM–2:00 PM

Saturday, February 21: Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society &Placer County Genealogical Society(Family Tree Maker User Groups)📍 Sacramento, CA | 🕙 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

👉 Registration links and venue details for each event are available via Eventbrite.

Why No Los Angeles–Area Stop?

The Family Tree Maker team explored venues in the Los Angeles area but was unable to secure a space large enough to accommodate the event format. As a result, no LA-area stop is scheduled for this tour.

Looking Ahead

The Family Tree Maker team has expressed interest in working with genealogy societies and user groups nationwide. Organizations interested in hosting a future event or starting a Family Tree Maker user group can contact societies@familytreemaker.com for more information.

For those able to attend, these California tour stops offer a great opportunity to see what’s new in Family Tree Maker, ask questions directly of the team, and connect with the genealogy community.