 |
 |
Member Login | My Account | Guest Registry |
 |
 |
| Getting Started | Learning Center | Reference | Publications | Articles & Columns |
| Learn > Articles & Columns > Daily News > Current Article | |
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
| IN THIS ISSUE: |
|
Family Tree Maker Deluxe 10-CD Set Version 5.0 |
| August 10, 1998 |
- Family Tree Maker Deluxe 10-CD Set Version 5.0 Broderbund’s Family Tree Maker is reportedly the best-selling genealogy program of all time. The company recently released version 5.0 and I had a chance to use it this week. I previously had version 4.4 installed on my system and had used it a few times. I replaced that with version 5.0. When I started the new program, I first thought it looked the same as the old one. Then I saw the "Hourglass" icon so I knew that something was different. Then, as I used it more and more, I found other changes. Version 5.0 is not a radical change from earlier versions. Instead, it is an evolution: a few bugs cleared up here and there, along with several new features added. Anyone who is using an earlier version can dive right into version 5.0 with very little time required to learn the new program. Writing a full review of all the features in version 5.0 would require pages and pages of text. I have written before about earlier versions of Family Tree Maker. Also, since it is the best-selling genealogy program I suspect that many readers of this newsletter have either used it or at least have seen the program in use someplace. Therefore, I will focus only on the new features added to version 5.0. The most obvious change is that new "Hourglass" icon near the top of the screen. An "Hourglass Report" consists of both ancestors and descendants of any one individual, all printed on one report. I know of no other genealogy program to offer this style of report. I pressed the icon and was presented with two options: FAN or STANDARD. I tried each of them in turn. The standard version prints what I would call a regular "box chart." I started with myself as the base individual. A box with my name and year of birth was on one line. Beside it was a similar box for my ex-wife. Above me were three lines with boxes for my previous three generations. They too were square boxes showing the names and years or birth and death for my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Below the line containing my information was another line with boxes showing similar data for my children. I don’t have many descendants yet, so I decided to test with someone else’s data. I selected my father as the "base individual" and the program quickly drew a chart showing him, my mother, three generations of his ancestors plus three generations of descendants. Three generations seems to be the limit, as Dad now has four generations of descendants; only three are shown on the chart. This is really a report showing a total of seven generations: the base individual plus three generations of ancestors and three more generations of descendants. Actually, the program will print more than seven generations, if desired. I was able to print the standard box-style hourglass report showing my father and 43 of his ancestors and descendants on one piece of paper. In fact, there was still a lot of empty space on that page. I suspect a different person with more members could still fit onto one page. Next, I selected "Fan Chart" and things became more interesting. Using myself as the base individual displayed the information of my 14 ancestors, my ex-wife and our two children. Since that is only 18 individuals, the chart could be printed on two sheets of normal computer paper and then taped together. Selecting my father as the base individual produced a 4-page printout showing him and the 43 other people. Just for fun, I selected my maternal grandparents. They had sixteen children, and some of those children went on to have large families. A much larger chart was created, of course. This one would have required 24 pages to print the seven generations. I elected not to print that one. Another new report is the Timeline Report. Timelines display a horizontal Life bar for each individual selected. Normally you select a number of individuals, such as all your direct ancestors. The lifespan of each of these people will be shown on a chart with the years calibrated across the top from left to right. Each person shows as a horizontal rectangle; the left edge of the rectangle aligns with the year of birth while the right edge is aligned with the year of death. Major historical events can also be printed on the same display, such as the election of Presidents or wars fought. Most reports have new options for color. You can now color code individuals by gender or by generation. Of course, almost all the reports have options for adding color borders or text or even color graphics in many reports. A new Research Tool is a worthwhile addition to the program. Broderbund describes this as "part To-Do List and part advice column." I’ve always felt that a To-Do List was an important part of any genealogy program, so I experimented with the new Family Tree Maker implementation. It is really a simple notepad system that you can pop up at any time. You can do a number of things here; the To-Do List simply records tasks that you enter, along with an optional date, priority code and category code. But there is only one "scratchpad," and you have to print out the entire thing at once. Other programs have selective print capabilities. For instance, the night before I visit the Penobscot County Courthouse, I can use some competitive programs to print out only the research tasks that I have previously identified as Penobscot County tasks. Family Tree Maker 5.0 does not have that capability; you have to print out all tasks. The Research Tool has other features as well. You can scan for information on individuals, looking either at Broderbund CD-ROM genealogy disks or the Broderbund website. You can select all individuals or you can identify only certain individuals to search for. I have written before about many of Broderbund’s CD-ROM disks and their website so I will skip the details here. However, this represents a lot of genealogy information that is "integrated" into the program’s interface. While you are connecting to external sources of information, you can do so without ever leaving Family Tree Maker. I connected to Broderbund’s website via CompuServe’s network, you should be able to do the same with most any Internet Service Provider. Another function of the Research Tool is that it can search an extensive "beginners’ guide" that is included on the installation CD-ROM. This guide includes helpful hints on how to conduct genealogy research, along with thousands of addresses of archives and libraries, a dictionary of genealogical terms, a link to Broderbund’s FamilyFinder databases and also form letters that you can use when writing for information. The form letters are even available in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French. Version 5.0 of Family Tree Maker now supports unlimited "events" in a person’s life. It also has a longer list of such types of events as birth, marriage, christening, Bar Mitzvah, immigration date, etc. I counted 40 different "events" from which to choose. You can add still more events, if needed. Version 5.0 adds "Alternate facts," a very useful function. Like many people, I have ancestors with different records showing as many as three different dates and four different places of birth. Now I can record all of these properly in Family Tree Maker. It’s nice to see the program add the capability to record contradictory data in its database. This, along with the sources and repository databases added some time ago, now make the program suitable for serious genealogy research. One new feature that many people will appreciate is the capability to directly import Personal Ancestral File version 3.0 databases without going through all the translation problems associated with GEDCOM imports. Previous editions of Family Tree Maker could directly import PAF 2.x files; the new Family Tree Maker adds Personal Ancestral File version 3.0 to the list of imported file types. Of course, it can also import and export GEDCOM files. The above describes the major new features in Family Tree Maker version 5.0. You can find a bit more information online at: http://www.familytreemaker.com/newftw50.html. One thing to note is that Family Tree Maker Deluxe requires Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT. It is a true 32-bit program and will not operate on Windows 3.1. I don’t think this should be any surprise since the number of available 16-bit programs that will run on Windows 3.1 is shrinking every day. Genealogy software is no exception. By creating 32-bit programs the developers can create faster software that has new "bells and whistles" not available in Windows 3.1. I spent some time on the Family Tree Maker Tech Support Web pages looking at the descriptions and the support information available there. One statement on the Web pages that I applaud is the very strong Year 2000 statement: "…many people are starting to recognize a rapidly-approaching event in the computer software industry. A new millennium will soon be upon us, and some computer programs that have been used for years may not represent dates accurately after the year 1999. Broderbund Software wants to assure you that Org Plus and Family Tree Maker has been thoroughly tested and shown to be fully ‘millennium ready.’" A bit further down the same page it says, "All versions will accurately present dates well into the new millennium. Shorthand dates after 1999 will be presented as "00", "01", etc. Fully-expanded dates will accurately display the true century ("2000", "2001", etc.). You will NOT need to purchase a new version of Org Plus or Family Tree Maker." I wish that all genealogy software vendors would make similar assurances to their customers! The new Family Tree Maker version 5.0 is available in two versions. The Family Tree Maker Deluxe 10-CD Set that I tested comes with the program and the FamilyFinder Index on two CDs, two Social Security Death index CDs, one Marriage Records Index CD, and five World Family Tree CDs. The average street price for this edition is $82, according to Broderbund. The second version is the Family Tree Maker Deluxe 4-CD Set. The program itself is the same; the differences are in the included CD-ROM disks. The 4-CD Set only has the program and the FamilyFinder Index on two CDs plus two Social Security Death index CDs. The average street price for the 4-CD Set is $45. You can purchase Family Tree Maker version 5.0 at almost any software store or online at: http://www.familytreemaker.com/upgrdftw.html. You can also call 1-800-282-2995.
- American Naturalization Records 1790-1990 John J. Newman has written a book with the full title of "American Naturalization Records 1790-1990 – What They Are and How to Use Them". This new book is actually an update of his earlier book that had a slightly different title: "American Naturalization Processes and Procedures 1790 – 1985". The new edition is hot off the press right now; I read it this week. Quoting from the book’s back cover:
While the back cover describes the book as "a genealogy of American naturalization records", the first chapter in the text says, "This study is not a history of naturalization laws and procedures; it abstracts record requirements and processes from such laws and rules and compresses over 200 years of legislation and tradition into a few pages." In fact, the book serves as a "mini-history" of U.S. laws and regulations. The book is divided into chapters that logically divide the study first into the different years that certain laws were in effect. Next, it dives into detailed descriptions of certain types of records and then gives background information on how these records may be found. The Table of Contents includes:
This entire subject could make for some dry reading. Mr. Newman manages to present the information in a matter-of-fact style that doesn’t bore the reader. He often inserts his own advice based upon his many years of experience. His two-page chapter called "Pointers" alone is worth the price of the book. It is his checklist of records to find and things to be aware of. "American Naturalization Records 1790-1990" is also filled with illustrations showing examples of the actual documents you can expect to find in your research efforts. Such examples include Declaration of Intentions, Certificates of Naturalization, Voter Registrations, Minor’s Petition, Selective Service Registration Cards and more. The appendix on "Internet Connections for Naturalization Research" is actually a two-page list of websites that offer information about the various repositories. Mr. Newman correctly points out, "The Internet is changing and growing so rapidly that website addresses tend to become obsolete as fast as the mercury runs through one’s fingers." He then gives a brief list of websites that probably will be around for a while, mostly those that describe the services of U.S. and state archives agencies. All in all, this is a good book. If you are trying to find a U.S. naturalization record for an immigrant ancestor, this book may be valuable to you. The price for this 127-page paperback is only $12.95 although shipping charges add another $4.50 to the total price you must pay. It is available now from:
- Save Our National Archives website I have written several times about the developing plan by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration to remove records from present storage places and then consolidate them into fewer facilities. There is a significant risk that the new storage areas will introduce new difficulties for genealogists who require quick and easy access to the records. Now a new website has popped up that gives lots of details on the developing plans. This website is often critical of the government’s plans. The site is devoted primarily to the risk of Asian immigration records being lost or made inaccessible. However, many of their concerns apply equally to the records of other ethnic groups as well. You might want to look at the Asian Community Online Network at: http://www.igc.org/acon/sona/
- Ancestry.com’s New "Partners Program" Ancestry has a new program that will interest many people. They "partner" with individual genealogists to publish genealogy data online. I believe that online publishing is the genealogy publishing medium of the future. Up until now, publishing your own genealogy books containing the results of all your hard research typically cost $2,000 to $10,000. In fact, some people who printed a lot of books have spent well above $10,000. Unfortunately, these authors almost never recover these expenditures. Such financial burdens obviously reduce the amount of genealogy information passed on to future genealogists. I suspect only a small percentage of past genealogists ever published their work. For most others, their many hours of hard work simply faded into obscurity as the years passed. As a result, later generations had to retrace the steps of earlier generations, time and time again. Electronic publishing has to be much more cost effective. A large company like Ancestry can spend the money for hardware and high speed Internet connections, then add thousands or even hundreds of thousands of databases. The cost per genealogist then becomes almost trivial. In the past, the advance of technology meant that data had to be recopied every few years. (I still have some 8-inch floppy disks here that contain genealogy data I entered on my old CP/M computer long before the invention of MS-DOS.) There are many stories around about the horrors of data lost because no one ever copied the data onto newer-format media. However, as hardware costs keep dropping, the ease of maintaining this data for future generations constantly improves. And having the data online simplifies the tasks of making new copies. Ancestry wants to publish your data whenever you are ready. There is a chance you could even get paid for your information, assuming it meets certain guidelines. Here is the text of Ancestry’s announcement:
A FREE one-year subscription to Ancestry.com--just one more way to help you complete your genealogy. The option of earning cash or credit towards Ancestry products. Ask us how to take advantage of Ancestry's Bonus Product Plan. Ancestry publishes amazing resources such as: "The Source," "Land & Property Research in the United States," "Printed Sources," and the "Periodical Source Index (PERSI)" on CD-ROM. Your name published with each database you submit. This means you are now a published database provider. A referral program that pays you for sending more people just like you to Ancestry's Partner Program. Help your friends and loved ones benefit from Ancestry's invaluable resources.
The following is a list of some of the genealogy-related World Wide Web home pages that have been listed recently on http://www.rootscomputing.com. Some of these sites may charge a fee for their services:
To submit your home page to this newsletter, enter the necessary information at: http://www.rootscomputing.com/register.htm. Due to the volume of new Web pages submitted, I am not able to list all of them in the newsletter.
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to earn a living may create an occasional delay.
COPYRIGHTS: While the contents of this newsletter are copyright by Richard W. Eastman and by Ancestry Publishing and by others so designated, you are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute articles from this newsletter to other parties provided you do so strictly for non-commercial purposes. Please limit your re-distribution to one or two articles per newsletter; do not re-distribute thenewsletter in its entirety. Also, please include the following words with any articles you re-distribute:
Thank you for your cooperation.
Subscription information: To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an e-mail message to the following address: The message title is unimportant. The first line of text in the message must have the words SUBSCRIBE ROOTSCOMPUTING followed by your first and last names. For instance, if your name is Jane Doe, you would write a message of: subscribe rootscomputing Jane Doe That is the entire message; nothing else should be in the message text. To cancel an existing subscription, send an e-mail to: The message title is unimportant. The text of the message must be exactly: signoff rootscomputing Please note that the address of listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com is an "e-mail robot" and messages sent to that address are only read by a computer. If you send any more text in the message, it will be ignored. If you want to see the current issue as well as back issues of the newsletter, look on the World Wide Web at: Please feel free to copy this subscription information and pass it on to anyone else who you think might be interested in obtaining a free subscription.
|
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Statement |