Frequently, I'm asked what is available on CD for genealogy? Actually, quite a lot. Let's take a look at genealogy on CD-ROM.
There are many programs with diverse approaches to presenting information, using different software. There are two major distinctions in CDs available. Some are marketed to institutions, and others to homes. Home market CDs are produced in larger quantities at lower prices.
FamilyArchives contains census, marriage, death, and other information. Banner Blue is a producer of CDs with data from many sources. One CD set is called World Family Tree, containing genealogies contributed by individuals, then accumulated and produced on CD. They claim 19 million names now, with more coming. Other types of CDs in the FamilyArchives collection are U.S. census indexes, marriage records, Social Security death records, and miscellaneous genealogical data.
U.S. census indexes list every head of household in the various census records, giving name, county, and page number on which he appears. More recently produced indexes also give age. The CDs give the Family History Library film number and the National Archives roll number to obtain additional information (state of birth, age, and other people living in the same household).
Marriage records give only date, county and state of marriage with the names of both parties. World Family Tree CDs give pedigrees complete with sources, notes, and whatever information was submitted by the contributors.
Social Security death records 1960's to 1994 (a few before 1960), with birth and death information on everyone for whom Social Security death benefits were paid (duplicates the FamilySearch version).
Everton's family file is an index to data gathered by Everton Publishers. The index tells little, but gives a reference number to obtain more information from Everton (for a fee).
U.S. volunteer military records (1784-1811) reproduced directly from microfilm. This CD displays the record (a graphic image from microfilm) of each military volunteer, but gives only each individual's unit and rank.
FIDONet messages. This CD searches two years of messages posted to FIDONet, a bulletin board. Find living relatives or individuals working on the same family as you are.
Ireland's few 1821-1851 census fragments are summarized and indexed on one CD.
U.S. mortality schedules (Information on people who died the year before the census was taken, including cause of death), and the Valley Quarterlies (a series of magazines from upstate New York) and First Families of America (Virkus) reproduced on CD.
All this information is viewed from Genealogical Research System (GRS), a DOS program. Broderbund Software (new owner) is revising the CDs from DOS format to a new, Windows format. The newer CDs feature a viewer called FamilyFinder and an index to all their CDs called FamilyFinder Index. They plan to upgrade all their CDs to windows format by the end of 1996.
FamilyFinder Index (FFI) works with Family Tree Maker (a software program reviewed in Oct/Nov Computer Credible). FFI lists every name on every FamilyArchives CD, but gives only the CD number on which it appears and describes that CD. For more information, you must buy the CD or find somewhere to use it (see summary). FFI is available on Internet. Click here to search for a name in FamilyArchives CDs. If you find a name you're looking for, order the CD described or visit a location that allows you to use it.
Infobases of Provo produces genealogy CDs. The Ancestry Reference Library CD contains five major genealogy reference books (The Source, Redbook, The Library, The Archives, and The Library of Congress). The CD offers two advantages over books--a much lower price, and greatly enhanced search capabilities. For example, search for "Georgia tax records," and read every reference to that type of record in all five books. For info on future Infobases releases, check out their homepage.
New England Historical and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has published their register of New England genealogies for over 100 years. They are reproducing these volumes on CDs to be released soon. For further information, contact NEHGS on the Internet or on CompuServe (GO GENSUP).
GenRef, a small genealogy CD-producer offers to help you produce your own data on CD. They have three well-designed products, including ARA Submitter Files I (pedigrees and genealogies submitted by individuals), Vital Records Assistant (helps you order birth records, including writing the request letter and looking up address and cost), and Encyclopedia of U.S. Counties (the history, changes, addresses, and maps of every U.S. county).
Other home-market CDs include:
Pennsylvania newspapers (every article in the county newspaper from 1819-1871 that mentioned a name) produced with an every word search capability (using Folio Views).
The Indian Question is a surprisingly well-done home-produced CD with extensive graphics, yet is more impressive technically than any CD produced to date! It's definitely the most valuable resource for beginning Native American research. It is available exclusively from ARI.
Telephone directories are popular home CDs. These apply to genealogy when you search for living people with the same surname you're researching or when you track down a lost relative or individual who has information you need but is no longer at the address you have. While the CDs are convenient and valuable, I recommend you use free Internet phone directories for U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, or France--they're free, you don't need to buy updates every year, and they may give additional information. Many other countries also have free phone directories on Internet. Click here to see a current list.
Bureau of Land Management CDs contain records of land patents and homesteads filed before 1908. They help by identifying when an ancestor or relative bought land or filed homestead, and they give reference numbers to order additional information from BLM case files. Currently available for Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Virginia Genealogist CD contains all issues of this valuable periodical. Unfortunately, the CD is very slow and difficult to use. Try this one at a library before buying it.
Acadian Genealogies, which utilizes GEDCOM format for genealogy information.
FamilySearch is a series of 40 CD's sold as a set [institutions call (801) 240-xxxx]. These contain programs that present birth and marriage information on over 300 million deceased individuals. See previous issues of Computer Credible, or visit an LDS Family History Center for further information.
Australian state birth, marriage, and death records are available for Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia. These exciting CDs serve as a model for governments to produce vital record indexes on CD. Many U.S. states fear that certificate orders will decline if they produce indexes on CD, but Australia has found that the certificate orders have actually increased since they released these CDs. They contain name, birth year, and parents' names of every birth registered from the beginning of state records through 1918. Many families that came to America from Britain find relatives that emigrated to Australia--you may want to try this.
British, German, and Swiss phone directories on CD are expensive (British Telcom is over $3000), but can be very useful to the genealogist.
National Inventory of Documentary Sources, produced by Chadwyck-Healey, contain brief catalogs of holdings of many archives and record repositories in the U.S., England, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. You input a town or family name, and NIDS tells you what repositories have records cataloged by that name, along with a brief description and the archive's call number. This helps you find where records are available (you still need to visit or write to the archive to get the content). When I typed MANN into NIDS, it reported my family's estate records from 1700-1928 at the Kent Archive Office, my great-grandfather's sister's memoirs at the BYU library, and over 100 other MANN references. To read my article on NIDS, click here.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index, from Gale Research, indexes hundreds of biographical sources including Who's Who as well as many obscure publications. The index gives only the publication, volume, and page number, but searching this CD is equivalent to searching several hundred different biographical sources.
Summary
There are many genealogically-valuable CD-ROMs. I know of several more in production--an index to the U.S. World War I draft registration cards (gives birthdate and place), the 1855 New York census, Philadelphia passenger lists, and more.
If you don't have a computer or CD-ROM drive, you can still use these CDs at the Family History Library's Automated Resource Center (35 North West Temple), or the BYU Family History lab/center. Some are available at other libraries or Universities.
For information on purchasing CDs, visit these homepages:
Automated Research, Inc. American Genealogical Lending Library
Many exciting CD products are yet to come. Find a CD distributor who knows genealogy, gives good advice you can trust, and keep in touch!
For an update to this article (Part 2), click here.
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