NSGS--NEBRASKA ANCESTREE Vol VIII, no. 3, page 82 - Winter 1986
The fall conference of the Nebraska State
Genealogical Society in Grand Island, Ne was an interesting
session as far as I was concerned.
I gave one lecture and had two computer
operation sessions which seemed to be appreciated. It was a joy to
me to talk with everyone who had questions or some experience that
they wanted to share.
Only after one person asked me, "Is it worth it
to buy a computer to make up ancestor charts and family group
sheets?", did I realize that I had not talked about the overall
use of a computer.
Sure its nice to be able to change or add data
and push a button to print out a new sheet with all the changes.
All of us can remember adding material and then having to retype
an entire page. The computer can delete and add data for an
individual and then print a new page with the changes whenever
that individual is used in a tree or chart. You can also add
history and source notes in most Genealogy program including LDS
Personal Ancestral File program which is currently being updated
and will have many new features. There are many new or updated
computer programs on the market and one of the newer programs is
discussed below.
But first, "Is it worth it for trees and
charts?" I would answer, NO! !, unless you look at the overall use
of a computer in your own situation and then the answer may be a
resounding YES.
Our two year old granddaughter is using it for
Early Games for Young Children to learn numbers, letters, ABC's,
drawing designs and to spell her name with dancing musical
letters. The computer will become a major part of the future and
can give even preschoolers an early start. Kids in school use
computers and take to them like a duck to water. Some older people
are afraid of them but I have had 80 year olds in my classes at
Southeast Community College who enjoy them after learning that a
computer doesn't bite, yell or snarl. It will wait patiently for
you to tell it what to do and even gently remind you of an error,
with a soft beep, of course.
I use it primarily for correspondence and am
working on some family books. You can call up summary family
paragraphs to insert in a letter or even modify a previously
written letter by adding or changing a few details. After you have
written something, you can easily make changes without retyping
full pages. Letters can be stored on disk and recalled a push of
the button. With my WordPerfect program, I can index names
and the computer will keep tract of its location no matter who
(sic) much I move, add or delete and print out the index when I am
ready. It will maintain footnotes to cite sources and print the
footnote on the proper page no matter who (sic) much the material
is moved around. In other words, it is a super typewriter and file
cabinet. Most programs will also allow you to automatically search
for a name, word or phrase in an document including a complete
book.
We also use spreadsheet, data base and other
programs. My suggestion, is evaluate the whole system and talk
with others who have computers or sign up for an introductory
class at your local community college.
Genealogy is only part of the overall computer
picture but it sure saves a lot of retyping and helps you keep
track of details. A decision should be made in terms of overall
use.
Albert P. Weeks, owner of Computerology,
donated a First Family manual and demonstration program to
the Nebraska State Genealogical Society. I received it a few days
prior to the Grand Island meeting and only had a short time to
look it over and was very impressed with some of its
capabilities.
Mr. Weeks is a genealogist who is also a
computer expert. His program has structured to provide the normal
person, marriage, parent, child linkage and goes one step further
by integrating the ability to add almost unlimited text, footnote
and source notes. The text file will work with almost all word
processor programs.
His program will also let you print out
descendant charts, ancestor charts or family groups in many
formats and deserves your consideration.
NSGS--NEBRASKA ANCESTREE Vol VIII, no. 3, page 83 - Winter 1986
COMPUTER CORNER continued:
I only spent a few hours with the program but
the potential is obvious. It uses a lot of computereze such as
"CTRL K D" for saving data; "CTRL E" to move the cursor up; and in
general follows many old style computer commands. I would prefer
the use of function keys and the arrow tuchpad to save, move, etc
but the old style commands are not too difficult to learn. The old
LDS Personal Ancestral File program uses many menus and is
slow by comparison because it leads you step by step thru the
various actions. The slow menu format is probably helpful to those
who don't work with computers regularly but it can also be a pain
in the neck when you are in a hurry. The updated LDS program is
scheduled to be released in the spring of 1986 but will not offer
all of the features of First Family.
Albert P. Weeks can be contacted at P.O. Box
30113, San Antonio, Tx 78285 or by calling him at (512) 492-5151.
The retail cost of his program is $139.95. The only 'bad" thing I
discovered about Mr. Weeks was that he is a graduate of the
University of Oklahoma but don't let that stop you from having a
first hand look at First Family. It has excellent
potential.
Mr. Weeks provided NSGS with his demonstration
package and NSGS members may borrow it by contacting NSGS, Box
5608, Lincoln, NE 68505. It will run on IBM's and IBM compatibles
and will provide members with an opportunity to evaluate the
program to see if it fits their needs.
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