Member Login | My Account | Guest Registry

Getting Started | Learning Center | Reference | Publications | Articles & Columns

Shaking Your Family Tree

July 30, 1998
	OLD GENEALOGY TREASURE GOES HI-TECH by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.
At last, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), one of America's leading scholarly genealogy publications, is available on CD. This provides a golden opportunity for researchers to have access to its treasures that date back to 1912. For the past 85 years this quarterly has published thousands of compiled and documented genealogies, along with essays and previously unpublished source materials from private and public archives. These include such things as tombstone inscriptions, old Bible entries, church records, and land records. Additionally, it has published many outstanding how-to articles. In fact, its methodology articles should be required reading of all aspiring family historians. Few genealogists can afford, let alone have space to store, 85 years of NGSQ's; and only a few libraries have a complete collection of this periodical. But now genealogists and libraries of all sizes and budgets can afford to own this CD. NGSQ on CD is not only easier to store than its 85 printed volumes, it is much easier to search than the paper editions, which had a single index for each volume. The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volumes 1 through 85, 1600s to 1900s is actually on two CDs. Produced by Broderbund as part of its Family Archives series, it requires either Family Tree Maker software or the Family Archive Viewer software. The latter can be obtained (free) from Broderbund or one of its dealers. The NGSQ CDs can be used on Windows or a Macintosh. The requirements are version 3.02 or higher of Family Tree Maker for either Windows or Macintosh, or version 4.01 or higher of Family Archive Viewer for Windows. These CDs contain the actual scanned images of each page of NGSQ, volumes 1 through 85. Additionally, the CD-ROM discs also contain four supplements and four other pamphlets. A separate every-name index is included. You can specify a search for a surname and quickly find the page(s) where that name appears. While you do not get a pointer to the exact location of that name on the page, you'll know that the name appears somewhere on that page. There is a zoom-in/zoom-out function to help you read the text more easily. You also can print pages from the CDs. A nice feature of the printed copies is that each page is automatically documented as to source on the CD. Clicking the ``Introduction'' button yields some lengthy details on the type of information contained on the CDs as well as searching and printing tips, plus additional information about NGS itself. This is a must for serious researchers, particularly of American lines. Libraries, even with small genealogy collections, will want to obtain a copy for their patrons. The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volumes 1 through 85, 1600s to 1900s (No. 210) retails for $49.99, plus shipping and handling. It can ordered directly from Broderbund at (800) 474-8696, or online at the Family Tree Maker Web site: http://www.familytreemaker.com. (c) 1998, Los Angeles Times Syndicate Myra Vanderpool Gormley and Julie Case are co-editors of Missing Links, a free weekly genealogy e-zine. To subscribe, send your request to: Missing Links Newsletter Return to Myra Vanderpool Gormley Main Page Return to Columns Main Page
Copyright 1998, 1999, Ancestry.com Inc. and its subsidiaries. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Statement