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Published on Sunday, 03 August 2008 00:53
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Written by Administrator
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This is a reprint of an article from the printed edition of The FIG Tree Newsletter printed in November 1994, February, August & November 1995
In this issue I'd like to begin a new series of articles that will discuss how the computer is currently being used to help with a researcher's record keeping and as a research tool. We will discuss ways that can be used to help with your research using a computer.
Many of you already use a computer with your research and I hope that you will be willing to share your ideas. This would allow me to pass those ideas along to other researchers to make their task of building on the Fenton line a lot easier.
For those of you who don't have a computer, this might just be the article that you were needing to see how a computer might help you in your research. As the computer will make filing all those statistics and papers a lot easier. it can also make more resources available to you that you did not even know about before.
First, we will start with some of the things that I use my computer with. This newsletter, of course, has been laid out on my computer. I use MicrosoftTM Publisher to put each issue together. This newsletter has become an interesting avenue for helping other researchers with the Fenton line. it has not helped me in my research yet, but it has helped me to develop other ways for me to pass information to others about Fentons around the world.
The major use that I have is for recording the data I have on those families that I have. I currently use two programs for my data entry. The nice thing about these two programs is that they offer easy data entry and each has unique, flexible and well thought out reports. These reports give a good way to gather information as well as share that information with others.
I also have the ability to talk with other researchers around the world with the use of my modem. I am currently connected to the Internet, as well as FidoNet. There are also many other services that are available. These services usually offer an area for genealogists to get together and share information about their families or talk with others who also use these services. Beside the two services that I mentioned above, there is also America On-Line, Prodigy, Genie and I am sure there are a number of others that I do not know about.
These services (Internet and FidoNet for me) have been valuable tools for learning how to research and for gathering additional contacts. On the Internet, I am able to send messages directly to specific individuals on the Internet. What is nice about the Internet is that most of the services are finding ways to connect to the Internet. I have made a number of contacts in the three or four years that I have been on FidoNet. It is similar to the Internet, but is also handled differently (this will be covered in a future issue).
In future issues I will talk about specific genealogy programs that are available, how to use the many tools available on the Internet, and how to share your research with others in a much easier way. I would also like to request that if any reader would like to share his views on a program or service they are using, please send me an article and I will be more than willing to add it to the next edition. I would like to hear what others like or dislike about what they use to aid their research. it would be beneficial to me, but also to other readers of The FIG Tree News.
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In this issue I would like to talk about one of the programs that I have used to help in my genealogy research. Before I begin, I do want to point out three things. First, the program that I use may not be the best for everyone. Each individual needs to look at the program themselves before they decide on which one to use. Second, if you do decide to look at a program, make sure it has GEDCOM capabilities, as this will allow you to save your data and transfer it to another program. Third, I have no ties to the programs that I will discuss. The authors have not requested me to talk about them, but I have found them very useful to me.
My first review will be on the program call Brother's Keeper. The version that I currently am using is 5.2, which I believe is the most current. It allows for entry of 1,000,000 names (if you have the disk space). It has a great variety of interesting reports and charts. The author, John Steed, is very helpful to user.s with problems and is easily accessible via his BBS at (616) 364-1127.
The program is very easy to use once you get use to it. Some people have comments that they do not like the interface the program uses, but I, myself, have learned to like the way it works. Since I first started working with the program, the author has made a number of very interesting and helpful improvements to the program.
This program has many flexible reports available. These reports include descendant, ancestors, family group sheets, alphabetical name lists, descendant trees, birthday lists, ahnentafel charts, box charts and customized reports. The program is so flexible that it allows you to add or delete what ever information that you might want for a specific report. These reports can be very helpful in sharing information with many others who do not have a computer or were not interested in genealogy before you show them the information that you have.
When a person is entered you can include the date of birth, date of death, and three other dates, which can be customized to your specific needs. You are also allowed to store the place of birth, place of death and three other events. There are also two other fields that you can edit and use for what ever purpose you might have.
This program will allow you to connect text or graphic pictures of individuals or places that you want to remember for those people. I have seen some better connections between the data and the text, but this has been an adequate for a DOS version program.
The only downfall I have seen to this program is that it will not work well with Windows 3.1 on my computer. This could be because of my computer or the program itself. I am hoping that the author will be developing a new version for Windows, but I am unaware of him doing that yet. Part of that could be because of the new version of Windows expected to come out sometime this year.
For any of those interested, Brother's Keeper is a shareware program that allows you to look at the program before you have to register it. The cost of registration is only $45, which is not bad for a program that has as many features as this one does. If you are interested in a copy, send me two floppy disks, as well as a self addressed envelope for returning the disks and I will be more than happy to send a copy. If I do send you one, you must agree to abide by the rules of shareware. If you use the program, please do register it with the author and pay the $45 registration fee. If not, please destroy all copies of the files.
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I recently received a question from one of my cousins in New York. She currently does all of her genealogy without the aid of a computer. She asked for my advise on what kind of computer she should get to help her with her research. In this issue I will try to help answer that question for her as well as other readers out there that might be considering the same thing.
I want to begin by stating two things. First, I do not know everything there is to know about computers. I have worked with computers for a number of years, but I am by no means an "expert". Second, really the best computer for you is the one that meets your needs. I use an IBM compatible computer, but there are many users of the Apple. Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses.
Anyone who doesn't have a computer now and really wants to get their genealogy work into a computer (I'm talking IBM compatibles now only because that's what I know best) shouldn.t buy less than a 386DX-33, 4 megabytes of memory, a color monitor, and at least a 200 megabyte hard drive. I feel these are minimums because many of the programs coming out now for genealogy require at least this to run. The 200 megabyte hard drive would be required to store your data and not to worry about running out of hard drive space.
I do not personally have a laptop but it has been suggested that it would make storing your data that you find in the library very easy. This is correct but a laptop computer does not usually come cheap. A lot of what you decide to buy in a computer will depend on what you will do with the computer. Will you have other uses? Does it need to be portable? What is my budget for the computer? Where will I be getting information for my research (library, national archives, LDS library, CDROMs)?
Oh, before I forget, the main reason for the delay of the newsletter in this issue is because of some major upgrades to my own computer. It hasn't been easy and I have run into a number of different problems in getting everything all together and back to a condition that I needed to continue my work. I now have a 486DX2-80, 8 megabytes of RAM, over 1 gigabytes of hard drive space, a super VGA (1024 x 768) color monitor, a 14,400bps Fax/Modem, Quad Speed CD-ROM and 720dpi color printer. Not all of these things are required for my genealogy work and not all were a part of this recent upgrade that I made.
Due to the many upcoming changes in software I felt the need to make the upgrades that I did. I am an avid Windows 3.11 user and love the nice things that it allows me to do when you have the right kind of setup (Windows can be a pain for those users with slower machines or do not have at least 4 megabytes of RAM).
In August the latest release of Windows, commonly called Windows95 will be released. From what I have seen of demonstrations of the program and what I have read, this new release will be a great help to any genealogist. Windows95 will be much easier to use and will not have many of the problems that many users have had with earlier versions. Tasks will be easier to do, even for those that have never used the program before. Many new programs will be developed shortly after it's release to take advantage of the many benefits that it will give to a computer user.
If you don't like Windows, then that's fine too. You may be able to get away with spending less money for your machine, as many DOS requirements are not as high as requirements in Windows. There are also many DOS genealogy programs than there are Windows programs (although my favorite, Brother's Keeper, will have a Windows version by this fall, and from what I have seen so far it is a very nice program).
For most people.s needs, a standard dot matrix printer will work for most programs. But with the lower costs of an ink jet printer, and the "near" laser quality, they appear to be a better buy for your money. There can also be some applications where you might want to print some color charts, but most people do not need them.
There is also a lot of information that can be made available to you without having to leave your home. There are now many indexes, census records, etc. available on CD-ROM. You can access a lot of information via a modem through computer networks like Prodigy, America On-Line and Genie. There are also many other networks that can give you access to the Internet. The Internet can then, in turn, give you access to computers, libraries and other researchers from all over the world.
Information on CD-ROM is becoming more and more popular and available at a much more reasonable price as well. These CD-ROMs can contain volumes of information on just one CD. There are a number of companies now offering many types of information on CD-ROM. I have seen the CD-ROMs that the LDS has, as well as US census records, as well as indexes concerning the Revolutionary War and Civil War in the United States. I am sure there are more out there but that is all that I am aware of at this time.
By having a modem you can have access to a number of different sources. I do not currently have access to one of the information services but I do have access to Internet e-mail. This has allowed me to meet a number of people that are interested in the Fenton line. Within the Internet there are a number of other items available to you which include accessing other computers and being able to share information with people all over the world in a short period of time.
I hope this has been of some help to many of you thinking about getting a computer. If there is anything else I might be able to help any of you with, please let me know. I will be sure to try to share that advise with all the other readers as well. If you fell you know quite a bit about computers I will also allow differing opinions to be voiced in this column.
I look forward to helping others in this area and I hope others are willing to share their experiences as well.
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In this issue we will review another genealogy computer program that I use occasionally called Family Scrapbook. The program has special features and reports that I like and may not be available in another program and that is why I use more than on program. This program has GEDCOM capabilities that allows you to transfer data from one program to another without having to type it all over again. As I have mentioned in a previous issue, that is a very important feature for any program that I use.
The current version that is out is 2.02. The program is written by Chris Long and is available as shareware. This “marketing concept” allows you to try the program before you have to buy it. You are allowed to try it for 40 days. It is agreed that if you continue to use the program you will send the author his fee. Chis Long’s “fee” is only $50.00.
Family Scrapbook has a lot of nice features to it. It is also very easy to enter data using this program. It allows you to enter data as an individual or grouping data as a family. It will allow you to look at a family via a Tree or Pedigree chart.
It has 23 different types of reports that the program can generate. The reports vary from address lists for mailing labels, Ahnentafel chart, blank chart & forms, chronological report, descendancy chart, end of line person report, family chart, family group sheet, family report, lineage chart, missing information report, narrative report, pedigree report, person report, possible record problem report, register chart, relationship diagram or report, reverse register report, sort list, statistical report, time line report, and tiny tafels (which help you share your information electronically).
Besides all of these reports, which are very flexible you can have more than one database. If you happen to be tracing your line and your spouse’s line you can keep the databases separate. Some people may not want to do that but it can come in handy at times. I also use this feature to help keep all of the databases that I maintain separate. I have my Robert Fenton line in one database and my Thomas Fenton line in another database. Since there is no direct connection between these two lines at this point it makes it easier to search for data on a specific line.
It also has the ability to do maintenance on each of your databases and keep data entry quick and easy. You can also import and export data with this maintenance subroutine. If you find this information interesting I will be glad to send you a copy of this program but you must agreed to pay the author if you decide to use it. The author can also be contacted about this program via the following address:
Christopher LongVisionary EndeavorsP.O. Box 330439Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-0439
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In this last article about software we will talk about the only Windows based version of a genealogy program that I have (Expert's Personal Roots for Windows).This program was attractive for me due to the price. It is available from many computer retailers for less than $10. When I purchased the program I was wanting an inexpensive Windows type program to play with. Although I am sure there are better Windows programs available, I am waiting for the Brother's Keeper for Windows version that will be out later this year. But back to Personal Roots for Windows.
This program has a lot of nice features for those who are new to computing that makes data entry easy and creating reports just as easy. With the typical Windows interface, a lot of things are made a lot easier by the click of a mouse button.
The program does have a good number of reports as well as the ability to create some custom reports. The program has reports to show the ancestors, descendants, personal data sheets, family album, alphabetical, birthday, wedding, death date listings, longevity, cause of death, duplicates, unlinked individuals, missing information, mailing labels and calendars.
It also allows you to print blank ancestor, family and descendant charts for use when collecting data from other individuals. These come in handy when you want to visit a relative and get information about their family line. It also helps you to see how this person fits into the family line.
It's data entry is fairly easy to do once you get use to the method that is required by the program. It also allows you to add scanned images to your database so that you can view a picture of the person you are accessing data on if you have a picture. For those of you who don't have a scanner, it still can be a nice feature to have. There are many companies out there now that will take a picture and change it to a file you can view on your computer.
This program will also allow the input of data from other programs via GEDCOM. This is a feature that I require for any program that I use. It allows you to transfer the information that you typed in using one program to a new program. It can be a very time conserving feature, especially if you're not a fast typist. It also allows you to try a number of programs without having to retype your data each time.
So if you like using the Windows environment and you don.t want to spend a lot of money on a genealogy program, this is a nice program to begin working with. It has it's limitations, but at a price of less than $10 it will get you going and prepare you for what ever program you might wish to grow into next.
As it stands right now I believe this will be the last article of this column for a short period of time. If you have suggestions on what to write about next please feel free to send your information to the address of The FIG Tree news shown on page 2 of this issue.
