Personal Ancestral File (PAF) was a free genealogy software program provided by FamilySearch, a website operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was first released in 1983, last updated in 2002, and formally discontinued in 2013. It allowed users to enter names, dates, citations and source information into a database, and sort and search the genealogical data, print forms and charts, and share files with others in GEDCOM format. PAF also linked images and other media files to individual records.

History

The history of PAF ran in parallel with the evolution of GEDCOM, the de facto specification for GEnealogy Data COMmunication or exchange. Version 2.3.1, released in 1994, was the last version written specifically for the Macintosh operating system, though PAF 5.2.18, written for Windows, can be installed on Apple Mac OS X using CrossOver Mac. In 2004 there were speculations about PAF being made open-source. Version 5.2.18.0 began with an adaptation of Incline Software's Ancestral Quest program, written by Gaylon Findlay. Findlay has been involved in updates of PAF. Ancestral Quest has been developed separately, although it retains much of the basic visual layout and file structure of PAF. In June 2013, FamilySearch announced that, effective July 15, 2013, PAF would be discontinued, and that support and downloads would no longer be available.

Releases (1984–2002)

The following is a selected release history:

Multilingual support