>> From cwns16.INS.CWRU.Edu!ak385 Sat Feb 22 21:41:28 1992 >> From: ak385@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bill Green) >> Subject: Family History News NEWS OF THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY ------------------------------------------------------- 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 ------------------------------------------------------- Vol. 3, No. 4 Winter 1991 FROM THE DIRECTOR: In this issue of the NEWS, we announce a maintenance update for Personal Ancestral File (R) 2.2 and recent agreements to microfilm records in Eastern Europe. We also discuss contributing information to Ancestral File (TM), the Civil War Confederate pension records available at the Family History Library, and a new publication called the "England Research Outline". -- David M. Mayfield UPDATE FOR PERSONAL ANCESTRAL FILE 2.2: A maintenance update of Personal Ancestral File 2.2 (PAF) is now available. In this update, we made some functions easier to perform, fixed some "bugs," and added printer support for PostScript and laser printers. There is also a new feature that helps you use information downloaded (copied) from Ancestral File. This feature allows PAF to automatically combine records with the same Ancestral File number (AFN). The maintenance release works basically the same as the original. The manual is still accurate. Any new instructions needed are included with the update. PAF user groups are distributing the maintenance release. To find out if there is a user group in your area, contact your local Family History Center. If there is no user group near you, order the update by sending $3 to: FamilySearch (R) Support Unit 4 WW 50 East North Temple St. Salt Lake City UT 84150 FILMING RECORDS FROM EASTERN EUROPE: WE have recently concluded agreements to microfilm records in Bulgaria, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, and Russia. The records to be filmed include-- * Bulgarian vital and church records, 1800-1945 * Slovakian parish records, all religions, 1599-1896 * Estonian civil vital records The films will be listed in the Family History Library Catalog when they are available. TIPS FOR CONTRIBUTING TO ANCESTRAL FILE: Sometimes we receive diskette contributions to Ancestral File that are difficult to load into the file. These difficulties can cause the computer to read the information in the file incorrectly. Other problems, such as a diskette that was damaged in the mail, make it impossible to load the information. To ensure that your information can be loaded quickly and correctly into Ancestral File, please consider the following: * Avoid using unusual terms such as "unknown" or "adopted" or special characters such as !, &, or $ in name and place fields. Rather than use these terms or characters, it is better to leave the field blank. * Street addresses and other items with numbers, such as "Living in 1551," should not go in place fields. Instead, put them in the notes. * When typing, do not confuse the letter O with the number 0. * Avoid sending family groups with no birth, marriage, or death dates. * Include an M or F as a sex code for each person. * Avoid sending names with B.C. dates. Today we are more interested in adding names from people who lived 1500 to 1920. * Do not use estimation terms such as "ca." or "about," with place names. * Those using PAF 2.1 should use the Genealogical Information Exchange menu option for "GEDCOM" and not "Ancestral File." If you have questions, call the Help Desk at 1-800-453-3860, ext. 4357. * If a GEDCOM file needs more than one diskette, label each diskette. * Avoid sending only a few families at a time in different GEDCOM files on the same disk, or a few families each on separate disks. Send your entire file, even if you have previously submitted some of the information. The computer program that prepares names to be added to Ancestral File handles large files much better than small ones. It will ignore duplicate information and add what is new. * Please cooperate with other researchers to resolve discrepant or incomplete data. * Make sure that each diskette you send is a GEDCOM diskette. * Label each diskette with the name and the telephone number of a contact person. Also enter the same information when you create the disk using Genealogical Information Exchange (GIE). If more than one person is submitting the information, each diskette should contain each contributor's name, address, and telephone number. * Make sure to mail your diskettes in standard diskette mailers so they will not be damaged in the mail. CONFEDERATE PENSION RECORDS: The Family History Library has the largest combined collection of Confederate pension records from the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Many states granted benefits to and kept pension records for Confederate veterans. Pensions were granted to officers, disabled and needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and veterans who served for a given period of time. Applicants usually filed pension applications with an agency of the state in which they lived after the war. A soldier's pension application might contain his name; wife's maiden name; rank and military unit; period of service; residence; age; date and place of birth, marriage, and death; and affidavits from acquaintances. The records listed below are available at the Family History Library and through Family History Centers. For full details, look in the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE] - MILITARY RECORDS. The published pension indexes for Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas are also listed in the catalog. Pension files are not yet available for Louisiana and South Carolina. * Alabama Pension Commission, "Confederate Pension Applications, 1880-1930's." (276 rolls) * Arkansas State Auditor, "Confederate Pension Records, 1901-1929." (121 rolls) * Florida Comptroller's Office, "Pension Claims of Confederate Veterans and Widows, 1885-1955." * Georgia Department of Archives and History, "Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-." (634 rolls) * Kentucky Confederate Pension Board, "Civil War Pension Applications." (50 rolls) * Mississippi Auditor's Office, "Confederate Soldiers and Sailors, Widows Pension Applications." (94 rolls) * Missouri Adjutant General's Office, "Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Admission Applications." (27 rolls) * North Carolina State Auditor, "Applications for Confederate Soldiers' and Widows' Pensions, 1885-1953." (105 rolls) * Oklahoma Board of Pension Commissioners, "Confederate Pension Applications for Solders and Sailors. (22 rolls) * Tennessee Board of Pension Examiners, "Confederate Pension Applications: Soldiers and Widows, "1891-1905." (181 rolls) * Texas Comptroller's Office, "Confederate Pensions; Applications Approved and Rejected." (700 rolls) * Virginia Office of the Comptroller, "Confederate Pension Applications, Act of 1888." (30 rolls) THE ENGLAND RESEARCH OUTLINE: The "England Research Outline" is now being sent to Family History Centers. This outline discusses search strategies; the thirty-three major types of records needed for English genealogical research; and many of the books, microfilms, and microfiche available for English research at the Family History Library. It also has maps showing the counties of England. You can get a copy of the outline from your local Family History Center (FHC). If there is not an FHC near you, you can order it for 75 cents (with a $2 minimum order) from: Family History Library -- Correspondence Unit 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City UT 84150 ----------- 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 1052-8644. Not available by subscription. 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. ----------- ********************************************************************** * Bill Green Minot, North Dakota * North Dakota * * Internet: green@plains.nodak.edu * We put the Wheat * * ak385@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu * in your * * America On Line: Bill USPS * Wheaties! * *--------------------------------------------------------------------* * Researching: LAMB, BROWN, STANLEY, COOK, MASON, GLEASON, WILSON * * KOTCHIAN, ANHORN, KOHOUTEK, MARSCHALL, HALVENA * **********************************************************************