News of the Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 Vol. 1, No. 1 July/August 1989 News of the Family History Library is published six times yearly by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ISSN applied for. General information about the hours and services of the Family History Library is available at 801-240-2331. Comments are welcome. Please address them to Editor, News of the Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150. From the Director I am pleased to introduce this first news release from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. We hope to share news of our programs and activities with the entire genealogical community. For this premiere issue, we have a number of important developments we wish to announce: Expanded indexing programs Personal computer software Enhanced catalogs New acquisitions News of the Family History Library will be printed six times each year. You are welcome to reproduce the text in full or in part; we ask only that you acknowledge the source. One more important point: we would like to hear from you. Please share any comments with the News Editor at the address above. We appreciate your cooperation in sharing our news, and look forward to meeting you sometime in Salt Lake City. Our new phone number is 801-240-2331. David M. Mayfield International Genealogical Index The 1988 edition of the International Genealogical Index is now available in our family history centers worldwide. The new index lists the names of over 147 million deceased persons dating back to the early 1500s. It includes vital information indexed mainly from christening, birth, and marriage records. The index is published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), but the names are not limited to LDS Church members or their ancestors. The index does not list information about living persons, nor does it link records of related individuals. It does, however, list names of relatives such as parents or spouse. A reference "batch" number in each entry leads you to the original source of the information. Since the data has been indexed or submitted by many individuals, some entries contain errors. Names in the International Genealogical Index come from three major sources: Most of the names have been extracted or indexed, by volunteers, from civil and church vital records. Some names have been submitted by LDS Church members. Some names have been indexed from records of the LDS Church. Individuals in the index are generally listed according to the place of their birth or marriage. Similar spellings are grouped together by a standard spelling. The names in the index come from more than 90 countries, including: England 47,155,000 Mexico 24,205,000 Germany 18,675,000 U.S.A. 18,660,000 Scotland 10,745,000 Finland 5,045,000 The following states have the most names indexed: Massachusetts 2,370,000 Ohio 2,340,000 Missouri 1,065,000 Tennessee 990,000 New York 945,000 Pennsylvania 815,000 Virginia 795,000 Connecticut 775,000 Kentucky 655,000 The 1988 edition of the International Genealogical Index has almost 40 percent more names than the 1984 edition. We encourage all genealogists and other researchers to make use of this valuable tool. Individuals and institutions may purchase the index on microfiche. The 9,200 microfiche can be ordered as a set, or by region, country, or state. The cost is $.15 per fiche. Free order forms are available from: Family History Department Sales Unit 50 East North Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150 Personal Ancestral File~ Personal Ancestral File is a software package for home computers. It enables users to assemble their pedigree, group families together, list genealogical data for each ancestor, and manage research information. It is an excellent tool for the essential task of organizing genealogy. Version 2.1 of the software includes important new features to facilitate submitting records to the computerized, lineage-linked Ancestral File(TM). It also converts data to the current version of the Genealogical Data Communications (GEDCOM) program. This communications program transfers data between any two programs that support it, regardless of the operating system software or hardware. Version 2.1 of Personal Ancestral File, designed for IBM and similar computers, is available for $35 from: Distribution Center 1999 West 1700 South Salt Lake City, UT 84104 The MS-DOS version for 3.5" diskettes is stock number PBGS1802; for 5.25" diskettes, order PBGS1642. Requirements for this software are two disk drives, DOS 2.0 or above, 320K memory, and a printer. User support is provided by the Ancestral File Unit at 801-240-2584. Personal Ancestral File for the Macintosh A new Macintosh version of Personal Ancestral File is also available from the Family History Department of the LDS Church. It requires 512K RAM, 1 double-sided or 2 single-sided drives, and a printer. The program allows users to enter data for as many as 7,000 persons per disk, with room for notes and sources of up to 20,000 characters for each entry. This program does not have all the utilities of its MS-DOS cousin, but it does have an improved display interface, and better data entry and form generation. As with the MS-DOS program, users may print out a descendants chart for as many as ten generations, pedigree charts, or a family group record with or without LDS Church notes. The Macintosh version of the software supports color monitors on the Mac II and uses the current version of GEDCOM. Therefore, exporting and importing data to and from other researchers is remarkably easy. The software comes with a utility that converts data from IBM versions of the program to the Macintosh format. Another utility called PAFCOM allows users with a modem to exchange information via telephone. Personal Ancestral File does not, however, permit you to receive data from any library data base. Personal Ancestral File for the Macintosh is stock number PBGS161A (also $35), and may be ordered from the Distribution Center at the address given above. The Library Catalog The new, 1989 edition of the Family History Library Catalog can now be purchased on microfiche by individuals or institutions. The catalog is a tool that describes the holdings of the world's largest repository of materials of genealogical value. The library is eager to share the catalog to aid all researchers, and to encourage them to send their completed research to the library. The catalog has many uses. Since it refers to over 1.6 million microfilms of original documents and research materials (the equivalent of six million books) researchers may use it to plan effective trips to the library or to a family history center. The 1989 catalog is available for use at each family history center. The catalog is in four parts: Surname section (lists more than 85,000 family histories and compiled genealogies) Author/Title section Subject section Locality section (lists all of the books and microfilms available in the library for each locality) Each catalog section can be purchased separately, and the locality portion may be purchased by countries or states. Current prices are $.15 per fiche. The complete catalog costs $363.65. Ask for free order forms from the Family History Department, Sales Unit, at the address given on page 1. A future issue of the News will discuss the Family History Library Catalog on compact disc. Increased Indexing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sponsor of the Family History Library, is greatly expanding its records indexing program. In 1988 an estimated 12,000 LDS volunteers transcribed 14 million names from valuable documents that had been microfilmed. Also in 1988, the Church dramatically expanded the program by making it possible for members to extract information in their own homes, at their convenience, by studying photocopies of microfilmed records. The complete 1880 United States census is one of the key indexing projects. In a few years this automated census index will have 50 million names (the 1880 Soundex has 23 million). Special emphasis in indexing has been given to U.S. marriage records. This marriage information is added to the International Genealogical Index. This project includes pre-1895 marriages from many counties in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, and Tennessee. Details on the indexing of vital records are given in the Parish and Vital Records List . The list is on microfiche at each family history center, with monthly updates available in Salt Lake City. It is arranged by countries, and then states, provinces, or counties. Did You Know? A recent survey of 3,300 patrons in the U.S. section of the library revealed that most questions were about these record types: Census 43% Vital 15% Immigration 12% The states most asked about were: New York 200 Pennsylvania 125 Illinois 90 Ohio 80 Wisconsin 70 Missouri 70 Massachusetts 65 Utah 65 Indiana 55 Iowa 55 These top ten states were the same as those measured in surveys in 1986 and 1981. Family History Centers The number of LDS family history centers has risen to a total of 1,300. Formerly known as branch genealogical libraries, the centers are usually located in LDS Church meetinghouses. The centers to most recently open include: Aarhus, Denmark Antioch, California Bluefield, Virginia Kawloon, Hong Kong Oklahoma City, Oklahoma At each center you will find the International Genealogical Index, Family History Library Catalog, and other resources to help you with your research. Each center has a microfiche collection of popular reference books, video training programs, and research outlines that assist you with the "how to" of genealogy. Many centers are receiving important new books, such as the Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 and the Vital Records Handbook. Visitors may also use microfilms on loan from the Family History Library. Automated circulation and the use of United Parcel Service has reduced the wait after ordering a microfilm in the United States to generally three or four weeks. Nearly 500,000 reels of microfilm were circulated in 1988. Each family history center is staffed by volunteers who are happy to help you. The centers are open various days and hours. Before you visit, please contact the center nearest you to find out when it is open. Address lists are available from the Family History Library. Family Registry The Family Registry, now in its sixth year of operation, includes nearly 270,000 entries. The registry is a research exchange file designed to help genealogists coordinate their research with others. Here you will find the names and addresses of active genealogists, as well as the names of their "lost" ancestor. Each registrant has agreed to cooperate with others in researching specific pedigrees. The Family Registry is available on microfiche at hundreds of family history centers and several major libraries in the United States. It grows by 600 entries per week. There is no charge for registration or use of the registry. We encourage individuals or family organizations to register. Acquisitions Program: the Accelerating Growth of Library Collections Since 1985, the Family History Library has almost doubled its annual rate of preserving original sources on microfilm. The library is now conducting 180 microfilming projects in 40 countries. In 1988 alone, our camera operators filmed 85 million exposures of valuable sources. These new acquisitions include the names of an estimated 700 million deceased persons from throughout the world. Fortunately, you need not look through all 85 million new pages, because enhanced cataloging and indexing in the library will aid your search. Fiftieth Anniversary In November 1988, the library celebrated its fiftieth year of microfilming. If we continue filming at the 1988 acquisitions rate, we will acquire as many records in the next 12 years as we did in the first 50 years. We produce about 7,000 miles of microfilm each year. The library also buys significant genealogical collections. For example, University Microfilms International (UMI) is microfiching important genealogies, periodicals, and local histories. In 1988 the library acquired 1,840 UMI microfiche, including 500 titles for the state of New York. Over 19,500 microfiche from the UMI series are now at the library. These microfiche may not be circulated to family history centers. New U.S. Sources In 1988 the library acquired records from 94 county courthouses, seven branches of the National Archives, six state archives, and other repositories such as church historical societies and public libraries. At one microfilm reader you may retrace the many migrations of your ancestors. Since processing and cataloging time vary with each project, you should check each new edition of the library's locality catalog as well as library registers to determine the availability of each set of records. Library collections for the following states have seen major increases: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Wisconsin. Significant acquisitions of national scope include: 745,000 passport applications, 1795-1918 2,250,000 Soundex cards for Canadian border crossings, 1895-1924 1,750 microfilms of naturalizations from federal circuit and district courts, 1906-1940s 7,400 microfilms of Confederate service records from the National Archives 300 microfilms of family histories and military unit histories from the Library of Congress Western Europe New microfilming projects were initiated in these countries: Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Spain Sweden British Isles In three years the number of microfilm cameras being used in the British Isles has increased from 3 to 26. Our emphasis is on acquiring parish registers, probate records, marriage licenses, tax assessments, census indexes, court records, poor lists, voting lists, and occupational records. Major new collections include: General probate indexes to all English courts, 1812-1957 Scottish probate indexes, 1876-1935, and Welsh indexes, 1858-1957 Civil registration indexes of births, marriages, and deaths, 1837-1980 Numerous Irish Catholic Church records, 1780-1880 Canada More than 2,300 microfilms of pre-1930 probate records have been acquired from the provincial archives of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The library has received notarial records, dating from the 1780s to the 1860s, from the Quebec Provincial Archives. These records are contained on 1,200 films. In addition, most Catholic pre-1875 parish records can also be used at the library. Donations of Books The Family History Library welcomes donations of family histories and compiled genealogies. The library is also interested in receiving published histories of churches, towns, and counties, as well as transcripts of vital, cemetery, census, immigration, military, and other similar sources. If the copyright of the book is in your name, please include a brief signed statement authorizing the library to microfilm the book. This will allow its preservation and distribution to family history centers. Donations may be sent to the Gifts Librarian. Note Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Family History Library Catalog, Family Registry, and Personal Ancestral File are trademarks of Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.