Manasota PAF News
October  2003 -  Volume 10 Issue 1 - A publication of the Manasota PAF User Group, Bradenton, Florida - copyright 2003 
meeting dates & map to the library - members - favorite genealogy links - PAFNews
This is PART ONE - See also PART TWO
PRINT OUT FOR OUR MEETING 4Oct 2003  - Pat Richley, editor.

FGS/FSGS CONVENTION REPORT  "The Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Florida State Genealogical Society held its joint conference in Orlando the 3rd thru 6th of September," reports MPAFUG Treasurer, Barb Schulz, bjsgen@aol.com.  "There were many vendors there displaying their wares.  There were many with books, maps, information packets etc. and best of all were all the companies displaying their new software programs and or new CD's, to see all of them being demonstrated was worth the trip itself."

The Master Genealogist showed their new 5.09 gold edition with all the changes we have been waiting for, such as ease of entry and great new charts and reports. You may download a 30-day free trial (31 Megs) and download the Users Guide. From the web site describing this new version, Myrt's favorite new or improved TMG options include:

• NEW: Beginner and Advanced Data Entry Modes

• IMPROVED: Import Wizard with Simple and Advanced Modes

• NEW: “Cue cards” explain the purpose and options of each major screen when you access it.

• IMPROVED: Expanded Abbreviation fields (Elsie should make note of this, because of her lengthy names of ancestral locations in England.)

• NEW: Use Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar checker as an alternative to the built-in spell checker.

• NEW: Expanded Picklist shows full names of parents and spouse.

• NEW: Conduct one search for all name variations on multiple web sites at the same time.

• NEW: The unique Project Explorer shows people in a Windows Explorer-like interface.

•  
• NEW: CHARTS: Produce flexible hourglass charts. (Gold Edition only)
• NEW: CHARTS: Rescale charts to fit a user-defined size
• NEW: CHARTS: Repaginate so that boxes skip page breaks
• NEW: Image Window displays the primary image of a person on the main screen.
• NEW: Export slideshows send them to relatives with the included Slideshow Viewer (Gold Edition only)
• NEW: Drag and drop multimedia files from the Windows Explorer
• NEW: Direct scanner support.
• NEW: Open multiple projects at the same time and navigate them side-by-side
• IMPROVED: Define Accents based on elaborate conditions (e.g, Born in Virginia, > 10 children, etc.), not just flags. 

(Click to see larger image)

Family Tree Maker gave a great review of their new  11th edition, which had new reports and forms, new features on the screen for adding information. One of the new features spotlighted on the web site is the ability to ADD NOTES to Family Books. If you click this image, it will provide a larger view of the screen. Key features that Myrt finds useful include:

• Back up your Family File to CD - Preserve your heritage by protecting your valuable Family Tree Maker data from viruses, hard drives crashes, and corrupted floppy disks. In the event that you should ever need your backup copy, you can restore it from the CD in seconds.

• View Two Family Files Simultaneously - View, compare, and edit Family Files side-by-side. You can check for similarities and differences between your files and ones you receive from family members or other genealogists, before or after merging.

• Copy and Paste Between Family Files - Now you can copy and paste individuals, family branches, or an entire tree from one Family File to another. New individuals are pasted exactly where you specify, and merged with any identical individuals in that file, so you don't have to worry about relationship errors.

• Export Family Books to PDF - Now you can share your Family Book with family members whether they have Family Tree Maker or not. You can easily create a professional-quality Family Book and export it as a PDF file to send to relatives anywhere in the world!

RootsMagic, a fairly new software,  it has such great features and was admired by all.  At the show we were able to buy the program at a discounted rate and got the book on how to use it and explanations of the many features free. Barb visited the booth a couple of times just to watch Bruce Buzbee in action. This young man really knows his computer and product, Barb was impressed with his enthusiasm, and was shocked to find he wasn't her grandson's age but had children almost his age.  We have heard many great things about this product and Barb looks forward to installing and using it along with her other programs. You may download a demo version, and find out more about these features Myrt especially likes:

• Runs under Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP

• Drag and drop people between multiple databases
• Open multiple copies (and views) of the same database
• Add unlimited people, facts/events, notes, sources, and more
• Automatically checks for duplicates as you add people
• Customize headers, footers, margins, fonts for any printout
• Narrative reports (modified register, indented decadency, Henry decadency, D'Aboville decadency, and ancestor)
• Calendars with birthdays and anniversaries
• Scan photos directly into RootsMagic
• Photo editor lets you adjust sharpness, brightness, contrast, and crop, rotate, and zoom images
• SourceWizard automatically writes proper sources for you
• Automatically create a website including photos, notes, sources, index, surname list, GEDCOM file, email, etc, including six types of websites: pedigree charts, group sheets, combo pedigree chart / group sheet, descendant narrative, ancestor narrative, alphabetical narrative.
• Spell Checker checks the current notes, or all notes.
• Powerful merge capabilities, including SmartMerge and ShareMerge.

The booth from The Family History Library in Salt Lake displayed PAF (Personal Ancestral File) in action along with demonstrating the FamilySearch site, giving demonstrations on IGI, Ancestral File, the 1880 US & 1881 UK/Canada census indexes, the research guides etc.  They were very helpful and I learned more about using PAF and making better use of its resources.

FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS CENSUS SEARCH leading to the online scanned image of the original census page, see PART TWO of this newsletter!

More From Barb: The Legacy had a booth but I am sorry I didn't stop there to watch their demonstration, although I really liked their program when I was using it. Ancestry, Heritage Quest Magazine, Genealogy.com, were among some of the vendors giving excellent demonstrations on using their database sites.  I don't think I realized how much is out there for retrieval, I probably should have spent a couple hours at each of their booths.  There were some new sites I hadn't used before displayed as well as some new companies with different type genealogy CDs. For instance, one vendor had a collection of CDs made from books about Pennsylvania and the ease using them. Pat picked up a copy of the new Cookbook Maker to create a printed version of family recipes to share with everyone. 123Genealogy.com (where we purchase many of our Videos for the PAF users group) had all their videos there along with some great discounts. Guess what, some of their newest, we had just ordered to preview at this fall's MPAFUG meetings and include in our members lending library.

The gist of this article is to let you know that nationally-ranked conferences, provided by the FGS Federation of Genealogical Societies and also NGS National Genealogical Society, are fantastic learning experiences for family historians. In addition to choices of 7-9 classes per session, the vendors' area is the place to see demonstrations of new software programs, and look over new books, CDs, maps, games, even tee shirts. This is the place to get some of the answers to perplexing problems with your own database. If you ever get a chance to go -- do it! 

FREE "500 BRICK WALL SOLUTIONS" BOOK to NEW Family Chronicle Subscribers For a limited time, Family Chronicle, the magazine for people researching their roots, is offering a great bonus for new subscribers. Subscribe before October 10, 2003 and we'll send you a FREE copy of our newest book, "500 Brickwall Solutions to Genealogy Problems." This beautifully bound, 432-page volume contains more than 500 stories of people who have overcome their genealogy "brickwalls." For more information about "500 Brickwall Solutions" and to subscribe today, visit:   https://familychronicle.com/rootsweb/free500.htm From the site we read "Available to New US & Canadian Subscribers Only. Offer Expires October 10, 2003. Three Convenient Ways to Order Use your credit card and the secure online form., Check or money order ( print this printer-friendly form from your browser, complete it and mail to the address below) Call toll-free 1-888-326-2476 (during regular office hours (EST) and have your credit card information ready) Family Chronicle, PO Box 1111, Niagara Falls, NY 14304-1111 (in the USA) or Family Chronicle, 505 Consumers Road, #500, Toronto, ON, M2J 4V8 (in Canada). We do not sell or rent our subscribers' names or addresses."

Date: 21 Sep 2003 15:58:07 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: whoucisme@mindspring.com 
To: VAHANOVE-L@rootsweb.com 
Subject: Re: Robert E. Lee Tree
We presently have no power (includes no water/sewer) and just got phone service back yesterday. I'm borrowing cousin's computer and thought I'd send this for all to read. Keep safe! ~ Sheri Millikin
============================
Tree that cooled Lee went down in storm

BY CHRIS DOVI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 21, 2003
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/vametro/MGB3FUAEUKD.html 

For 450 years, it was first among equals, but on Thursday night, the Lee tree in Hanover County was just one of thousands of trees around the state that succumbed to Isabel's winds. 

"I'm just sad," said Sheri Millikin, a local historian who worked last year to preserve the tree." I guess all good things must come to an end - it's part of life."

The tree, an ancient white oak, is said to have provided shade to Gen. Robert E. Lee and his staff while they camped in the area during the Civil War. Millikin said she had never measured the Lee tree, but it was huge compared to other trees in the area. Located in the Sledd Run subdivision in Mechanicsville, the tree was not a protected historic site. But in 1987, a local group, Friends of the Lee tree, raised nearly $2,000 to help preserve it. Last September, a large section of the tree - itself the size of a typical full grown tree - fell, leading to renewed preservation efforts. Those efforts stalled, Millikin said, after the Association for the Preservation for Virginia Antiquities stepped in and took over.

"I'm just sad more wasn't done last year to preserve it or to get it down before this happened," she said. "It's just a good thing that it fell into the road and not into somebody or somebody's house."

The tree remains in the roadway until removal can be scheduled. On Friday afternoon, officials with the Hanover Volunteer Fire Department came to rope off the area to protect neighborhood children who had been playing on the massive trunk.

Contact Chris Dovi at (804) 649-6061 or cdovi@timesdispatch.com 

RARE 2-PAGE KENTUCKY DOCUMENT forwarded by Elizabeth Powell Crowe, author of Online Genealogy, and a lecturer at a MGS luncheon meeting several years ago.  History Center Gains Priceless Frontier Record, by Jennifer Hewlett, HERALD-LEADER Staff Writer.

CITING MILITARY TITLES IN GENEALOGY PROGRAMS  From: ehgaulin@att.net.  DearMYRTLE,
I read with interest your response to the following e-mail: "When should one enter a military prefix title in a genealogy program? I know we enter ranks (officer and enlisted) from the early wars, Revolutionary, 1812, even Spanish American, but how about the more contemporary conflicts? Where are the lines drawn? I am not aware of any set guidelines."

As mentioned, military titles have been used in this county since pre-Revolutionary days for both officers and enlisted men as a mark of respect, although it is seldom used today.  Whereas in Europe only high ranking officers were addressed by their military rank, especially in the early days.  More recently, say from 1939 onward, former military titles have been used in Europe even for junior officers - lieutenants, captains, and majors as well as their naval and air force equivalents.  

Former US and probably most foreign military officers are entitled to be addressed by their highest rank for life.  I seldom use mine but I know a number of others who use it all the time.  Retired US officers, irrespective of rank, commonly address other retired or active duty officials, except close friends, by their titles as a sign of respect. All official communication and most social correspondence is usually addressed by title.

In my own PAF databases I use the individual's highest military rank (abbreviated - PVT, PFC, CPL, SGT, LT, CAPT) and his branch of service (USA, USN, USMC, USAF [or USAAF], & USCG) in the TITLE suffix blank.  More recently I have dropped the branch of service abbreviation because it doesn't look right when printed:  "LTC - USA Edward H. Gaulin."  Now I put the branch in the notes associated with that individual.  

I always caution folks when asked about how military should be shown in genealogies to decide early on how they will handle it and to stick with that procedure.  Full titles are frequently too long, so I recommend the current standard US military abbreviations, but because these change every 50 years or so you should make a list of abbreviations used in your papers.  Some of these are less than intuitive unfortunately: Staff Sergeant - SSG; Command Sergeant Major  - CSM; Lieutenant Commander - LCD; Lieutenant Colonel - LTC; Major General - MG; Lieutenant General - LTG.  Just a few examples.  

It's important in my judgment to show the branch of service and/or nationality because personnel with the same title may be superior in grade to those in another branch or nationality.  One of the best examples is that a Captain USN (O-6) is several paygrades higher than a Captain USA (O-3).  Also a naval captain is usually a far more important position as well because he is frequently the supreme authority of naval vessels varying in size from 100-man submarines to 5,000-man aircraft carriers and battleships.  

A caution here - US naval tradition calls the commander of any vessel from a launch to a cruiser "Captain" irrespective of his actual paygrade.  Example - most small US Coast Guard vessels are commanded by petty officers (enlisted men equivalent to sergeants in the Army) and they are addressed as "Captain."

Sorry for the length of this message - I just get carried away. See you Saturday. All the best. 
Edward H. Gaulin
LTC     USA (Ret)
(this is typically as much as I ever use and then only when dealing with something of a military nature.)

DearED, Thanks for a detailed e-mail. We agree that the TITLE field in a genealogy program, NOT the name field should be the place to insert the title, military or otherwise. Incidentally, dear readers, Ed is referring to our upcoming Saturday meeting of the Manasota PAF Users Group. Its the first of the new fall season, and we're all eager to see what other members have accomplished over the summer. If you are in the area, you are most certainly invited to attend. See: www.DearMYRTLE.com/PAF  The newsletter for the group should be on the site by the end of the week. Happy family tree climbing! -- Myrt :)

NEW TITLES IN OUR VIDEO LIBRARY   submitted by instructor, Pat Richley. Just when you thought you might catch up viewing relevant titles in the Manasota PAF Users Group video library, we found a few new ones, as indicated in our inventory below. Elsie Naylor mans the check-out desk at our meetings October-June. As usual, we preview part of at least one video during each meeting.

	Heritage Album Tips and Techniques by Maureen Taylor
	Identifying & Dating Your Family Photographs by Maureen Taylor
to be released soon	Learning Genealogy.com by Rhonda McClure
to be released soon	Using RootsWeb.com by Rhonda McClure

The is the complete listing of CDs and Videos in our collection for lending to members of the MPAFUG:

ROOTSMAGIC: Finding a GEDCOM File is Easy   When installing RootsMagic Version 1.03 on my computer, I discovered it wasn't hard to have the program search my hard drive for any GEDCOM files. As show in the diagram below, its just a matter of choosing the option to "FIND WHAT FILES" and specifying GEDCOM files. Then click the BEGIN SEARCHING button, and as files are found the links populate area "C" on the diagram below. Then its a matter of clicking on the file you prefer, and clicking OPEN ("D"). Alternately you may double-click on the file you prefer, as it will automatically incur the default OPEN button. [NOTE: the OPEN button is designated as the default button, because it has a slightly darker border.]

ROOTSMAGIC: Preventing Mistakes in Family Traditions    About the first thing I noticed in RootsMagic is the interesting indication of AGE at the time of an event. Its merely a calculation comparing stated birth date and stated event date, like marriage or death. But in the case of my Grandfather Shirley Player, it will lay to rest a misconception I've had for  years. The story was that he smoked 3 packs a day,  and died in his 40s of lung cancer.  However, my mind's eye never compared the birth and death dates 4 August 1888 - 15 March 1942 for an accurate calculation of his age at death. Its not a difficult task. Faced with myriad locations, events, bios and documents on literally thousands of ancestors, I just didn't take the time. RootsMagic clearly displays the results of this calculation. Grampa Shirley died at age 53 -- but he did die in the 40s, the 1940s to be more accurate.

This is the end of PART ONE - See also PART TWO
The Manasota PAF Users Group is a non-profit educational organization in the State of Florida. Copyright 1994-2003. All Rights Reserved. dearmyrtle@aol.com Webmaster. Personal Ancestral File is the registered trademark of the Corporation of the President, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Master Genealogist and FamilyTree SuperTools are  the registered trademarks of Wholly Genes, Inc. Family Tree Maker is the registered trademark of Mattel. RootsMagic is the registered Trademark of Formal Soft. The ideas expressed in this the Manasota PAFNews are merely the opinions of the contributors. The writers, editors, publishers, and the Users Group are in no way responsible or liable for any damages resulting from articles, opinions, statements, advertising, representations or warranties expressed or implied in this publication nor do we endorse or recommend any products or services mentioned or illustrated herein.
meeting dates & map to the library - members - favorite genealogy links - PAFNews