Forebears

Forebears

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Logo of Forebears

Forebears: Your Private, Professional Family Archive for Life

Map your history with the interactive Wonder Wheel and take full control of your data. No costly subscriptions, no cloud trackers—just a powerful, portable vault to preserve your family legacy for generations to come.

Download on App Store

Publisher

Opsisoft Limited

Category

Reference

Downloads

20K+

User Rating

4.2/5

Total Ratings

100

Locales

1

A Legacy in View

Discover the interface used by 20K+ users.

Forebears app welcome screen displaying family tree data across iPhone iPad and MacBook

Forebears app welcome screen displaying family tree data across iPhone iPad and MacBook

Forebears genealogy app showing the Wonder Wheel navigation tool with George Washington's family tree and timeline.

Forebears genealogy app showing the Wonder Wheel navigation tool with George Washington's family tree and timeline.

Forebears app interface showing Abraham Lincoln's family tree and birth location map.

Forebears app interface showing Abraham Lincoln's family tree and birth location map.

Interface of the Forebears app showing the Wonder Wheel navigation tool with Queen Victoria family tree data

Interface of the Forebears app showing the Wonder Wheel navigation tool with Queen Victoria family tree data

A circular family tree visualization called the Wonder Wheel in the Forebears genealogy app showing the British Royal Family

A circular family tree visualization called the Wonder Wheel in the Forebears genealogy app showing the British Royal Family

Forebears app interface displaying a vertical family tree for George Washington and his ancestors

Forebears app interface displaying a vertical family tree for George Washington and his ancestors

Forebears app screen showing available family groups and options to import GEDCOM files

Forebears app screen showing available family groups and options to import GEDCOM files

Forebears app interface featuring the Wonder Wheel navigation for George Washington and a log of recent update actions.

Forebears app interface featuring the Wonder Wheel navigation for George Washington and a log of recent update actions.

Forebears app screen showing missing genealogical data statistics

Forebears app screen showing missing genealogical data statistics

Horizontal bar chart showing the distribution of family member birth dates from the 13th to the 21st century

Horizontal bar chart showing the distribution of family member birth dates from the 13th to the 21st century

Preserve Your History with Precision

The tools that make this app stand out, trusted by 20K+ users.

🔒

100% Private Ownership

Your data stays on your device. Import GEDCOM files and manage your records without cloud storage, third-party tracking, or monthly fees.

🎡

Innovative Wonder Wheel

Navigate thousands of ancestors with ease. Our gesture-based interface makes exploring and building complex generational links intuitive and fast.

📜

Ready-to-Print Archives

Generate professionally formatted PDF indexes and ancestral charts designed to be printed, bound, and passed down to future generations.

About the app

Everything you need to know about Forebears.

Description

Forebears is a full-function, pocket-sized genealogy app where you, and you alone, own the data. No costly subscriptions. Import a GEDCOM from any of the popular genealogy apps or build your own family tree directly in Forebears. This app has the power to handle huge family history databases (tested on 15,000 members and 5,000 families). There's a unique graphic interface to move around and across the generations by tap gestures. We call it the 'Wonder Wheel' because that's what it is! Best of all, Forebears has been designed as a standalone family history archive that's with you all the time and can be easily updated whilst you're on the go. --- MAIN FEATURES --- GEDCOM Import/Export • Import GEDCOM files of any size to instantly display family trees • Export GEDCOM files to exchange your family history with other Forebears users and other systems • Import/Export Forebears Folders including GEDCOM plus Images and Notes Publish to PDF • A comprehensive index of all the people in a family group, their dates, partnerships, and children. All clearly laid-out and alphabetically sorted, ready to be bound into a book. • The Ancestral Circle can be printed as a digital image or hard copyForebears Wonder Wheel (attractive interactive graphic to build, navigate and view complex family histories) Wonder Wheel • Use the Wonder Wheel to view each 'nuclear family' (parents, siblings, partners, children and step-relationships)  • Use the Wonder Wheel to quickly move around your family tree using simple 'tap' gestures • Use the Wonder Wheel to easily build your family tree using simple 'tap' gestures Forebears Ancestral Circle (familiar chart showing previous generations on both paternal and maternal sides) • View all your ancestors on the Ancestral Circle, refocusing by simple 'tap' gestures • Tap to redraw the Ancestral Circle with different data displayed (dates, places, etc) • Display and Print the Ancestral Circle in large formats (iPad version displays more generations) Classic Family Tree • Display everyone descended from a chosen person (their gene-pool) or just the the patriarchal line • Quick navigation with single-tap anywhere on the tree to refocus the tree and the Wonder Wheel. • Scroll up/down and left/right to move swiftly around the largest Trees. Anniversary Calendar • Generate an Apple calendar for Birth, Marriage and Death events with Notification periods Analysis and Search tools • Find the fastest path between distant relatives and 'tap' named people to take a journey along this path • Search members by name or by position in family • Advanced search by occupation, location and event-date • Identify sub-groups (Kings and Queens, Soldiers, etc) • Identify logical inconsistencies in GEDCOM imports • Bulk 'geo-coding' raw textual addresses to display on a map in Forebears • Display Anniversaries by Month and Day • Chart showing how many people were born by decade (iPad) • Chart showing how many life events have date and address (iPad) • Find most popular boys and girls names • Find the most frequent family names • Count how many life events in the group • Count how many events have dates and locations • Display all the photos Secure data • Safeguard imported databases from change • Enable updates to imported databases • Hide display of living people Build family history from scratch • Build and/or import any number of family histories and easily switch between them • Apple-style contact records with standard gestures to build and display the members of your family tree • Quick entry of dates in all genealogical formats • Place lookups with grid references • Record wide range of life events in detail • Take photos or import from photo library • Display imported notes • Add any number of sub-groups to categorise people Packed with goodies! • Pre-loaded with the British Royal Family and US Presidents to get you started • Change the colour scheme (light and dark mode) • No need for public database subscriptions

Latest Version

4.2

Size

314.5 MB

First Released

Jan 3, 2021

Build a Legacy You Truly Own

Break free from costly subscriptions and take full control of your family history. Download Forebears to secure your data, explore with the Wonder Wheel, and keep your entire archive in your pocket—no monthly fees, no privacy compromises.

Download on App Store
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Forebears

What is the Forebears app?

Forebears is a full-function, pocket-sized genealogy app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It allows users to build and manage family trees without subscriptions, ensuring data ownership.

Does the Forebears app require a subscription for use?

No, the Forebears app does not require costly subscriptions. Users purchase the app once and own their genealogy data directly.

Can users import existing family tree data into Forebears?

Yes, Forebears allows users to import GEDCOM files of any size from other genealogy apps. It also supports importing Forebears Folders, including images and notes.

What is the 'Wonder Wheel' feature in the Forebears app?

The 'Wonder Wheel' is Forebears' unique graphic interface for navigating and building complex family histories. It uses tap gestures to view nuclear families and move across generations.

Does Forebears support large family history databases?

Yes, Forebears has the power to handle huge family history databases. It has been tested successfully with 15,000 members and 5,000 families.

How does the Forebears app ensure data security and privacy?

Forebears is designed as a standalone archive where users own their data. It allows safeguarding imported databases from change and hiding living people's display. Data is stored on iCloud.

Can a user build a family history from scratch within Forebears?

Yes, Forebears allows users to build new family histories from scratch. It provides Apple-style contact records, quick date entry, place lookups, and detailed life event recording.

What analysis and search tools are available in Forebears?

Forebears offers tools to find paths between relatives, search members, identify inconsistencies, bulk geo-code addresses, and chart birth decades. It also identifies most popular names and counts events.

Does Forebears offer an option to publish family trees to PDF?

Yes, Forebears can publish a comprehensive index of all people, dates, partnerships, and children to PDF. The Ancestral Circle can also be printed as a digital image or hard copy.

Are there pre-loaded family trees in Forebears?

Yes, Forebears comes pre-loaded with the British Royal Family and US Presidents' family trees to help users get started immediately with the app.

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