EOGN: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

A Weekly Summary of Events and
Topics of Interest to Online Genealogists

Vol. 5 No. 51– December 16, 2000

This newsletter was sponsored by Ancestry.com,
a leader in providing print and electronic
research information to genealogists.

To learn about Ancestry.com’s
state-of-the-art online genealogy databases
and other fine products,
visit the company’s three Internet properties,
MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com, and FamilyHistory.com

Copyright© 2000 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

If you do contact any of the companies or societies mentioned in this newsletter, please tell them that you read about their services in this newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Legacy 3.0 Is Now Free
- Pocket Genealogist for Windows CE
- Comment About Handheld Computers
- "Grow A Family Tree!" by Bill Dollarhide
- Citation of Online Electronic Sources
- 1900 New York Census Index CD-ROM
- eframes.com and MyFamily.com Announcement
- Presidential Family Tree Trivia
- No Newsletter Next Week
- Home Pages Highlighted

- Legacy 3.0 Is Now Free

The Millennia Corporation made an announcement this week that should interest a lot of genealogists: their excellent Windows genealogy program, Legacy 3.0, is now available free of charge. Legacy is one of the better genealogy products available and has had a retail price of $49.95 (U.S. funds). In the May 10, 2000 edition of this newsletter, I wrote, "Legacy has always been one of my favorite genealogy programs since the first day that I saw it in operation. The new version didn't let me down; it improves on an already top-notch program. If you are thinking about moving up to a more powerful genealogy program, I would suggest that you consider Legacy 3.0."

Now it will be very easy to "consider" Legacy 3.0 since you can download it online at no charge. You also can obtain it on CD-ROM disk, although Millennia Corporation will charge a few dollars for the disk and postage.

Millennia first released Legacy over two and a half years ago. Since that time it has grown to be one of the more popular genealogy programs in the market today, even with a retail price of about fifty dollars. "Today's announcement marks a big change in the distribution of the product," said David Berdan, president of Millennia. "We expect a huge increase in our user base in the near future. We also have plans for many new products and features."

It’s surprising to see a program this powerful available for free. How will Millennia make money? By offering a new, enhanced version for $19.95. The company apparently expects that you will try the free program and will love it. They probably expect a lot of people will then pay the extra money to add even more functionality. I believe the Gillette Corporation used to do something similar with razors: they gave the relatively expensive razors away free and then made millions of dollars selling razor blades to fit the razors.

It might be easy to think that the free version of Legacy is a "dummied down" edition. Not true. It is the same as the full commercial version of Legacy 3.0 that Millennia Corporation was selling for $49.95 until this week. The new $19.95 version appears to be what I would call "version 4.0" although the Millennia Corporation prefers to call it the "Deluxe Edition."

The free version of Legacy 3.0 includes the following:

• Easy data entry
• Unlimited file size
• To Do List and Correspondence Log
• Web Page Creation
• IntelliMerge, one of the nicest implementations I have seen for merging two databases together
• A powerful Report and Book generator
• An excellent method for recording source citations
• Multiple family files in split screens
• GEDCOM import and export
• Spell Checking
• Search and Replace
• Much, much more

The Deluxe Edition, available for $19.95, adds the following:

• It can produce PDF files from previewed reports. These can be sent by email and read in the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe.
• Compare Two Files for Duplicates allows you to see if there are individuals or lines in another file that you might want to import.
• The new Advanced Sourcing features lets you assign sources to a group of individuals or marriages at one time. You can select the fields to be sourced.
• Many reports can now include a Location Index showing on what pages each location is used.
• A new Relationship Calculator lets you see every way any two people are related. You can also print nice Relationship Charts with colored boxes and text.
• When doing Merges you can specify any pair of individuals as being "Not Duplicates." Oftentimes you may have felt like you were wearing out the Skip To Next button as you came upon pairs of individuals you knew were not duplicates but had similar names and information. Now you can mark these pairs as Not Duplicates so they don't continually show up in subsequent merge sessions.
• There is a new Last Report button on the main screen that lets you quickly go to the last report screen you used.
• You can now Renumber RINs and MRINs (Record and Marriage Record Individual Numbers). You can renumber specific individuals or marriages as well as groups of records.
• You can now Reuse Deleted RINs and MRINs when adding new records and importing.
• You can select the color of boxes on Ancestor, Descendant and Pedigree Charts.

Both the free version and the Deluxe version of Legacy 3.0 require the following: a Pentium class computer with a minimum of 16 megabytes of memory (32 megabytes or more recommended), 35 megabytes of available hard disk space, Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me or NT.

- Pocket Genealogist for Windows CE

A new computer revolution has arrived. Handheld computers are popping up everywhere. It seems as if everyone in my office has either a Palm Pilot or a Windows CE device of some sort. The Palm computers produced by 3COM were the first to achieve popularity, followed soon by several clones that use the same operating system as 3COM’s device. 3COM later spun their Palm division off into a separate company.

Microsoft produces Windows CE, a competitive operating system designed just for handheld computers and other small devices. The Windows CE systems were a bit slower to gain popularity in the marketplace, but they came on strong in the year 2000. Windows CE should not be confused with Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000. Although Microsoft produces all versions of Windows, the Windows CE operating system is a completely different product and cannot run programs written for the other versions of Windows. Several hardware manufacturers produce pocket-sized computers that use the Windows CE operating system, including Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, IBM, Phillips, Casio, NEC and others. Windows CE systems are typically very small, usually pocket-sized. They normally have no disk drives at all, storing all programs and data in RAM memory.

Of course, as the hardware proliferated, the demand for application software has increased. Early handheld computers running the Windows CE operating system were simple PIMs (Personal Information Managers) that only kept your telephone directory, personal calendar and possibly a to-do list. However, as memory sizes increased, more and more applications became available. So why not a genealogy program? No problem! You can now carry your genealogy database around in your shirt pocket.

Genealogy applications for handheld computers were impossible to find until about a year ago. Just a bit more than one year ago I wrote about Palm Tree, a genealogy program written for Palm computers. Early this year I reviewed My Roots, another genealogy program for the same operating system. Only five weeks ago I reviewed Pocket Family Researcher, the first genealogy program that I found for Windows CE.

This week I had a chance to take another Windows CE genealogy program for a test drive. Kevin Phillips of Northern Hills Software just released Version 1.0 of The Pocket Genealogist a few days ago. I downloaded it and installed The Pocket Genealogist on my Compaq iPAQ PocketPC. The program also is also available for a wide variety of other Windows CE devices.

The Pocket Genealogist allows you to take your genealogy database with you. It reads GEDCOM format files that you create with almost any genealogy program on your desktop or laptop computer. All modern genealogy programs can export their database in GEDCOM format. The Pocket Genealogist then converts the GEDCOM file to a Windows CE database and transfers the data to the tiny computer. You can easily take your data with you on the handheld device.

The Pocket Genealogist Version 1.0 is used only for data "viewing." That is, you can send genealogy data from your desktop to the PocketPC, but not in the other direction. I consider this to be a minimal problem as the PocketPC isn’t well suited for data input. However, Kevin Phillips says that later releases of The Pocket Genealogist may allow data entry on the CE device with the capability to later send the new data back to the desktop system. Of course, even today you can enter new data on your PocketPC into Pocket Word and then transfer that data back to your desktop. Once on your desktop, the new data can be "cut-and-pasted" into your regular genealogy program.

The Pocket Genealogist installs software on both the PocketPC and the desktop or laptop Windows system. I used my favorite genealogy program to create a 3,000-person GEDCOM file. I then exited my normal genealogy program and launched the desktop component of The Pocket Genealogist. The program read my GEDCOM file and converted it to a Windows CE database in the format required by The Pocket Genealogist. Once completed, the program transferred the new database to my tiny Compaq iPAQ that operates under Windows CE.

I expected the transfer to the Windows CE device to fail. After all, a file containing information about 3,000 people, including full source citations and text notes, is a very large file. My iPAQ has 32 megabytes of memory, half of which was already in use by other applications. I assumed that 3,000 people would overflow the available memory, but I wanted to try the big file just to see if it would work. To my surprise, the conversion worked quickly, and the transfer to the Windows CE iPAQ went without errors. Within a few minutes I was looking at my entire 3,000-person database on my iPAQ PocketPC. When I say "entire database," I mean all the names, dates, locations, source citations, repositories and even full text notes! Everything was there. I was amazed.

Obviously, the success of that kind of transfer depends upon two things: (1.) how big your database is and (2.) how much memory is in your Windows CE handheld computer. Many of the Windows CE devices have only 8 or 16 megabytes of RAM memory, even though the newer ones seem to have 32 megabytes. In addition, some of these units have optional memory expansion capabilities, so the possible RAM memory capacity could be much larger. The iPAQ can even have an IBM MicroDrive 1 gigabyte hard disk drive installed, something I haven’t done yet. Will The Pocket Genealogist transfer all of your data to your Windows CE device? The answer is "Yes, if you have enough RAM memory installed." In my case, a 3,000-person GEDCOM file created a 3-megabyte Windows CE file, which easily fits into the 32-megabyte iPAQ.

The other feature that impressed me was the speed. Other Windows CE and Palm Computing genealogy applications I have used seem to run slower and slower as the size of the database increases. Even with 3,000 people in its database, The Pocket Genealogist responded almost instantly as I maneuvered around the database. As I clicked (or "tapped") on father, grandfather, great-grandfather and beyond, the new screens of data appeared almost instantly. I should point out that the Compaq iPAQ has a 206-MHz processor, which is considerably faster than the typical Windows CE handheld. Even so, I suspect that performance would be quite acceptable even on slower machines.

The data screens themselves were all text-based and very simple. On small screens used in handheld computers, you don’t want to clutter things up with fancy graphics. The Pocket Genealogist doesn’t even display a true pedigree chart in the traditional format. However, it does have a text-only equivalent. I found all the screens easy to read and always intuitive.

Each individual in the database has his or her information displayed in eight different screens of data that you access by clicking on the desired tab:

• An overview showing the person, along with parents, spouse and children along with a pulldown option for multiple spouses
• "Name" tab which indicates the Gender of the individual and any alternate "AKA" names for the person.
• "Vitals" tab which is a synopsis of Birth, Death, Cause of Death, and Burial information.
• The "Events" tab shows all data in a list that is event-oriented (has or potentially could have a date). The Events screen typically displays occupation, military service or whatever events you include in the originating GEDCOM file
• Notes tab contains all the text notes entered. I have written several pages of notes about a few of my ancestors, and everything I have written was available on The Pocket Genealogist
• Facts tab shows the various references, such as source citations
• Address tab which displays mailing addresses of living individuals
• The Sources tab displays a list of all source information by type at the bottom of the screen.

In addition to the data screens for each individual, there are five screens of similar data for each family:

• The Name screen displays the two individuals associated with the current family.
• The Events, Notes, Address and Sources tabs are exactly the same as the "Individual" screens but display data associated with the union (marriage).

The Pocket Genealogist is a shareware program; you are encouraged to download it and to use the program for a period of 30 days. The version available for download is "non-crippled." That is, it has all the functionality with nothing limited. If you continue to use the software, please register the program by sending $15.00 (US Funds) to the author. Full registration details are included with the program.

I was very impressed with The Pocket Genealogist for Windows CE. It is fast, simple to use and very good at displaying data. Kevin Phillips of Northern Hills Software has a winner here. If you have a Windows CE handheld computer, I strongly encourage you to try The Pocket Genealogist. I suspect you will be pleased. If you do not yet have a Windows CE PocketPC, this may be the excuse to ask Santa for one!

Last minute update: Just as I was about to send this newsletter, I received an e-mail from Kevin Phillips, author of The Pocket Genealogist. He reports that version 1.01 is now available on the Web site mentioned above. I haven’t yet seen the newest version, but I would imagine that it is very similar to what I have just reported.

- Comment About Handheld Computers

I suspect the next year or two will see more and more pocket genealogy applications become available for both Palm and Windows CE systems. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the present producers of Windows genealogy software release pocket versions. Perhaps by Christmas, 2001, we will see The Master Genealogist for Windows CE or Family Tree Maker for Palm Computers or similar programs. These will be tightly integrated with the desktop programs and will exchange data directly with the desktop database without resorting to GEDCOM files.

That’s just guesswork on my part, not based upon any inside information or rumors. However, it seems to make sense to me. Genealogy software producers are always looking for new features and options to add in order to sell new software. It strikes me that the next logical step is to add pocket versions of their programs.

Stay tuned!

- "Grow A Family Tree!" by Bill Dollarhide

Bill Dollarhide has a new "how to get started in genealogy" book, called "Grow A Family Tree!" and subtitled "Seven Simple Steps." The book is sort of a basic training manual for new genealogists. It is written in simple language, carefully explaining the buzzwords and terminology found in researching one’s family tree. It also discusses the latest technology in some detail.

"Grow a Family Tree!" is divided into seven steps of research:

1. Do Your Homework. Dollarhide tells how to collect information from sources found at home.
2. Start Family Sheets. Learn how to use this key organizational tool used by professional genealogists.
3. Locate More Relatives. Tips for locating lost relatives who can be the key to unlock untold caches of valuable family history.
4. Get the Vital Records. Learn how to obtain written proof of a relative's existence.
5. Search the Census Records. Dollarhide is an expert at finding information --such as where a relative lived, when they were born and how many children they had -- in the Federal censuses taken every 10 years since 1790.
6. Survey the Local and State Resources. Here are tips for obtaining genealogical data from the local courthouse, library or other public facilities near where a relative lived.
7. Survey the National Resources. Tells how to find what you need in the National Archives, one of the best resources for finding solid evidence of an ancestor's life.

"Grow a Family Tree!" also includes two other sections to aid the novice researching his or her family tree. One section provides five essays that illustrate many important aspects of genealogical research, including examples and case studies. Another section provides "hands-on" research forms that can be used to aid the research process.

Bill Dollarhide is a well-known genealogy lecturer and author. He has a great sense of humor, and I have always enjoyed listening to him speak. I wasn’t too surprised to find this book liberally laced with humorous "genealogy rules" and even several cartoons by the author. Some of his "rules" include, "I’m crazy about genealogy, but not necessarily yours!" and "Don’t put the hearse before the horse." This isn’t a dry book! You will smile often while learning.

When you purchase "Grow A Family Tree!" you actually receive two copies: one printed and one on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM attached to the back cover contains a complete copy of the entire book in Adobe Acrobat format. The electronic version has an every-word search capability so that you can quickly find any topic in the book. You also can print any of the forms on your local inkjet or laser printer. In the chapter entitled "On the Web" you can click on any of the URLs listed and immediately your Web browser launches and displays the cited Web site. The CD-ROM also contains a demo version of Generations Grande Suite 8.0 and a demo of GenealogyDatabase.com, along with Heritage Quest’s catalog.

"Grow A Family Tree!" is a 183-page paperback published by Heritage Quest. It would make an excellent Christmas gift for the person just getting started in genealogy as well as for experienced genealogists. The book retails for $24.95 (US funds). You should be able to order it through any bookstore or online. You may have to specify ISBN 0944931421.

- Citation of Online Electronic Sources

Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger have written a new book, called "Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources." This book isn’t written for genealogists; it is a general-purpose manual describing how to find information on the Internet and especially how to cite document sources found there. The book’s Table of Contents includes:

I have not yet seen "Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources," but I doubt if this new book will replace Elizabeth Shown Mills’ excellent "Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian" (published in 1997 by Genealogical Publishing Company, ISBN 0806315431). Mills’ book is specific for the genealogy community, whereas the new publication by Harnack and Kleppinger addresses a much broader audience. Mills’ book also discusses all genealogy source citations in great detail, whereas Harnack and Kleppinger’s new book only discusses online citations. Your requirements may dictate one book or the other.

My thanks to Chandra Roman for telling me about this new book.

- 1900 New York Census Index CD-ROM

Heritage Quest has a new CD-ROM available: the 1900 New York Census Index. This is a new extraction that captures America's great immigration wave at its peak. The 1900 New York Census Index includes the entire state -- where 41 percent of the population were immigrants to the U.S. The index contains over 2.5 million entries, listing 11 data fields including source document series, roll and page numbers. You will note that this is an index; once you find an ancestor listed on the CD-ROM, you can write to obtain a copy of the full record cited, which will give you more details.

- eframes.com and MyFamily.com Announcement

eframes.com and MyFamily.com have announced a new service that will enable users of MyFamily.com to purchase framed photos or photo merchandise using photos uploaded to their private MyFamily.com site. eframes.com brings custom photo printing, more than 100 specialty frames, and -- coming soon -- fun photo merchandise to family members who want to create tangible mementos with their digital images.

Customers use the eframes.com Framing Engine to preview their photos in frames or on other photo merchandise, from romantic his-and-her calendars or mousepads to cookies, cakes or boxer shorts, which they can order for themselves or send as gifts.

- Presidential Family Tree Trivia

Every time a new President is elected in the United States, several genealogists research his family tree. Of course, half the work was already done for George W. Bush when his father was elected to the same office twelve years ago. I assume that this time researchers will focus on George W.’s maternal ancestry. I find it interesting that the several reports of George Bush and George W. Bush’s ancestry seem to disagree with each other. Of course, that’s not new in genealogy research, is it?

Here’s a bit of presidential trivia about a much earlier president and his wife: which First Lady did not change her name when she got married?

The answer is Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt was a distant cousin of Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, and his wife Eleanor was Teddy's niece. Her maiden name was Roosevelt, as was her married name. She and Franklin were not only husband and wife, they were also fifth cousins.

- No Newsletter Next Week

I’d like to wish every reader of this newsletter a happy holiday season. This past year has been a very satisfying one for me, in part because of the folks who send comments back about the words I write. I want to thank you for helping make this a great year as I finish the fifth year of writing this newsletter.

I will be spending this Christmas with my friends and family. I’ll take a week off from the newsletter, so don’t look for it in your mailbox next week. However, I will write one the following week, just in time for the New Year.

I hope that each and every person reading this newsletter can also spend the season with family and loved ones. Happy Holidays!

- Home Pages Highlighted

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: The contents of this newsletter are copyright by Richard W. Eastman with the following exception:

Many of the articles published in these newsletters contain quotes or references from others, especially from other Web sites, software users manuals, press releases and other public announcements. Any words in this newsletter attributed to another person or organization remain the copyrighted materials of the original author(s).

You are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute articles from this newsletter to other parties provided:

1. You do so strictly for non-commercial purposes
2. Your re-distribution is limited to one or two articles per newsletter; do not re-distribute the newsletter in its entirety
3. You may not republish any articles containing words attributed to another person or organization until you obtain permission from that person or organization. While you do have permission to republish words written by Richard W. Eastman, you do not have automatic authority to republish words written by others, even if their words appear in this newsletter.

Also, please include the following statement with any articles you re-distribute:

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2000 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Subscription information: There are two different methods to subscribe to this free newsletter:

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.