Kerinor Family Tree Builder Instructions
Build your family tree as a connected railway network, one Family Station at a time.
Contents
1. Welcome
Welcome to the Kerinor Family Station Builder.
Unlike traditional genealogy software, Kerinor is built around Family Stations rather than a single branching tree. Every Family Station represents one family unit.
Each Family Station connects to other Family Stations to form your wider family network.
2. Starting Your Family Tree
To begin, either import an existing GEDCOM file or native Kerinor KFT file, or create a new family tree by adding your first Family Station.
Before saving your tree, give it a clear family tree name. This name is used in searches if you choose to make the tree public.
What is a GEDCOM file?
GEDCOM is a standard family tree file used by many genealogy programs. If you already have a family tree in another program, you can usually export it as a GEDCOM file and upload it into Kerinor.
What is a KFT file?
KFT means Kerinor Family Tree. It is Kerinor's native family tree format and preserves Kerinor features such as Family Stations, memorial links and KFT-specific information.
3. Public or Private Tree
Magnifying Glass Toggle
Controls whether the family tree is public or private.
Use the magnifying glass icon toggle to choose whether your tree is Public or Private.
A Public tree appears in Search in the Kerinor Eye, allowing other users to find it by its family tree name.
A Private tree is not included in Search in the Kerinor Eye and remains visible only to you.
4. Creating Your First Family Station
A Family Station consists of two parent platforms at the top and bottom, with one or more children displayed between them.
All information for a Family Station is entered on a single form, making it quick and easy to build your family tree.
Required information
Only an individual's name is required, allowing you to build your family tree immediately.
Main form
On the main form, you select the individual's sex (Unknown, Male or Female), status (Unknown, Living or Deceased), enter the date of birth and date of death, and, if available, add a link to the individual's Kerinor memorial.
Additional Information
If you wish to record more information, expand the Additional Information section. Here you can enter the individual's place of birth, place of death, occupation, education, nationality, religion, and any additional information you wish to record.
Saving
Press Save when the station is complete. Remember to save your family tree regularly, particularly after adding or editing Family Stations.
5. Single Parents and XXXXX Placeholders
If only one parent is known, create the Family Station with the known parent. Kerinor automatically creates an XXXXX placeholder for the unknown parent.
The XXXXX placeholder allows the family structure to remain complete while you continue building your tree.
When more information becomes available, edit the Family Station and replace the XXXXX placeholder with the correct individual.
6. Expanding Your Family Tree
Once you save your first Family Station, it becomes part of your family tree. Building your tree is simply a matter of adding additional connected Family Stations.
Select Edit Station to open the Family Station form and update existing information whenever required.
Round Icon
Opens a new Family Station form with the selected parent automatically populated as a child.
Square Icon
Opens a new Family Station form with the selected person automatically populated on a parent platform.
Parent platform icons
Next to each parent platform are two icons: the round icon and the square icon.
- Round icon – Opens a new Family Station form with the selected parent automatically populated as a child. From here, you can add that individual's parents and siblings.
- Square icon – Opens a new Family Station form with the selected parent automatically populated on a parent platform. From here, you can add a partner and children.
Child icon
Next to each child is a single square icon.
Selecting this icon opens a new Family Station form with the selected child automatically populated on a parent platform. From here, you can add that individual's partner and children.
Repeat the process
Repeat this process to continue expanding your family tree. Each new Family Station becomes immediately visible within your family tree, making it easy to build generation after generation.
Remember to save your family tree regularly to preserve your changes.
7. Memorial Links
If a Kerinor memorial has already been created for an individual, you can add the memorial link from the main Family Station form.
Once linked, the memorial becomes available throughout Kerinor's native KFT features.
9. KFT File Safety
Only supply your KFT file to people you know and trust.
Once you supply your KFT file to another Custodian, you are choosing to collaborate on the same shared family tree.
Important: Once you export a native KFT file to add a new Custodian, do not make any further edits until the new Custodian has imported that KFT file.
Importing a KFT file from any Custodian replaces the existing live family tree with the contents of the imported file. If edits are made after the KFT file has been exported, those later edits will not be present in the exported KFT file.
When that older KFT file is imported by another Custodian, it will overwrite the current family tree and any changes made since the file was exported will be lost.
Kerinor cannot determine which historical information is correct. Accuracy remains the responsibility of the Custodians.
Regular backups of your KFT file are strongly recommended. A backup protects you against accidental mistakes, disputes or malicious changes.
10. KFT, GEDCOM and Backups
KFT is Kerinor's native family tree format and preserves all Kerinor features, including Family Stations, memorial links and other KFT-specific information.
You can export your family tree as a KFT file at any time.
Exporting a KFT file is recommended for:
- Regular backups
- Moving your family tree to another computer
- Supplying your KFT file to another trusted Custodian
Exporting a GEDCOM file
If you wish to use your family tree with other genealogy software, you can export it as a standard GEDCOM file. This allows your family tree to be imported into most genealogy applications.
However, because GEDCOM does not support Kerinor's native Family Station architecture, memorial links or other KFT-specific features, these features are not included in the exported GEDCOM.
11. Building Tips
- Start with yourself or a known family.
- Build one Family Station at a time.
- Save after adding or editing each Family Station.
- Use XXXXX placeholders when one parent is not yet known.
- Replace XXXXX placeholders as new information becomes available.
- Only add memorial links after a Kerinor memorial has been created.
- Verify information before saving.
- Export regular KFT backups.
- Only supply your KFT file to people you trust.