Cousins, Please forgive the "commercial", but I use Family Origins and I couldn't resist sharing this review of the latest version that was published by Dick Eastman recently. If you don't have a genealogy program, perhaps you should consider this one. My apologies to those of you who subscribe to his newsletter and have already seen this review. Nevada Jack Jack@Ralph.org ============================================================ The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 1999 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. ============================================================ - Family Origins 8.0 Family Origins by Parsons Technology has always been one of my favorite Windows genealogy programs. It combines low cost, ease of use and almost all the features that a serious genealogist would ever want. That's a dynamite combination! Parsons Technology became a subsidiary of Broderbund some time ago, and then the new parent company itself was acquired by other companies. The management at Parsons/Broderbund/The Learning Company/Mattel has wisely decided to keep the Family Origins product alive, and they continue to refine the program. Family Origins version 8.0 is now available in two versions. The regular version contains the genealogy program itself while the deluxe version has the same program bundled with two other programs from Parsons: Family Reunion Planner and Place Finder. I had a chance to use the brand-new Family Origins Deluxe version 8.0 this week and can report that it still is an excellent, low- cost genealogy program. It is still easy to use, and it remains an excellent software tool for serious genealogists. Installation of the new program was a snap. If you have ever installed another Windows program, you can install this one. Once installed, the program asks if you would like to register the software online. However, online registration is not required. The program's documentation states that Family Origins 8.0 requires Windows 95 or Windows 98, a 486 or higher IBM PC or compatible, 8 megabytes of RAM memory, a minimum of 8 megabytes of hard disk space (a full installation requires 40 megabytes), a double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive or faster, and VGA video with at least 256 colors. Family Origins 8.0 also works with most popular printers (monochrome and color) supported by Windows. A modem and Internet Service Provider account are required if the user wishes to use the online features. Even though Parsons Technology says that the program requires Windows 95 or Windows 98, I ran it on Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and did not encounter any problems with its operation. When I first started Family Origins 8.0, it automatically found a database on my hard drive that had been created with an earlier version of the same program. It then asked if I wanted to use this database and if I wanted to convert it to the version 8.0 format. I clicked on "yes" and a minute later I was looking at all my data in the new program. One of the things I have always liked about earlier versions of Family Origins is the clean, simple interface. Version 8.0 continues to use essentially the same "look and feel." When launched, a "tree view" appears that is a traditional pedigree chart. The screen is not filled with a lot of detail. If anything, I could even say that the simple tree view has a lot of wasted space that could be used to display information. However, by keeping the tree view simple, the display is always easy to read. The user can instantly switch to "Family View," a form of the standard Family Group Sheet. This view shows the father, mother and all the children of that couple. It also displays the names of the father's parents and the mother's parents, making it a 3- generation display. Again, the display is clear and uncluttered. Information is added or manipulated either by using icons across the top of the display screen, by selecting items from the pull- down menus, or by using a right-click of the mouse. I found the icons to be a bit cryptic at first. However, as I became more familiar with the program, they became much more intuitive. Another nice feature is "bubble help;" simply keep the mouse cursor over the icon for a second or so, and a small pop-up window appears that gives a one-sentence description of the underlying operation represented by that icon. To see all the available details about any individual in either view, place the mouse cursor over the person's name, right click and select "Edit Individual." A pop-up screen appears with dates and places of birth, marriage and death, along with almost all the other available information such as dates and places of residence, military service, Ancestral File number, Bar Mitzvah, education, physical description, public offices held, naturalization, occupation and a bunch more possible fields. You can instantly add or change any of the information from this same screen. Each fact in the database can be fully referenced with both text notes and with the source of that information. Sources are kept in a true sources database, not in simple text files. The sources database has room for the following on each source: * Name of the source (which will appear in the Master Source List) * Description (two or three sentences, usually including full title) * Author of the original source document * Publisher of the original source document * Source text, a large text field for verbatim transcriptions * Repository name * Repository address * Repository telephone number * Text notes about the repository * Call number of the original source document at the repository cited * Any other comments you may have about the source document In this day and age, I would suggest that all genealogy software should have a sources database as good as that of Family Origins version 8.0. Some programs do, but sadly, others do not. If your present genealogy program does not properly document sources, you might want to switch to another program that will fully document your research efforts. Unlike some of the simpler programs, you can add multiple events for any individual. If you have two or three different dates or places of birth found in contradictory records, you can enter all of them. For instance, you are not limited to only one occupation; if your ancestor was a sailor in his younger days, a farmer in middle age and a merchant still later in life, you can enter all three occupations, along with corresponding dates, into the database. When first installed, Family Origins version 8.0 has more than 50 different types of facts that can be added to the database, including all the items I just mentioned. However, if you want to add still another fact not on the list, just click on "Add" and you can enter whatever event types that you wish. I added "Filles du Roi" (Daughters of the King) to the list of facts available. Anyone researching French ancestors arriving in Quebec province in the 1600s will recognize this term. If you, too, have unique fields (or facts) that you wish to record about your ancestors' lives, those facts can easily be added to the database. Anyone using an earlier version of Family Origins will be interested in the new features added to version 8.0: * The new Missing Information List will quickly provide a list of individuals and the type of information, such as birth date or marriage place, that is missing in your file. * The Surname Statistics List makes it quick and easy to compile a summary of all the surnames in your database. Not only can you see how often each surname appears in your database, but you can also see the earliest date and the most recent date each surname appears. * You can now create and filter a To-Do List based on surname or individual name, a nice tool to use before visiting a genealogy library or archive. * The Family Origins Explorer is the new heart of Family Origins' search system. Once you've found some new facts to add to your file, you can easily search for individuals in your database based on the criteria that you specify, such as any marriage date prior to 1850. Then, directly from the Explorer screen, you can add and edit individual and family notes, sources, and pictures, as well as addresses, photos, LDS ordinances and to-do list items for all individuals in the database. You can also use the Family Origins Explorer as a navigational tool to quickly view any individual's vital information as well as instantly see every immediate relative of the highlighted person. * Version 8.0 includes a method to easily prepare files for future publication at LDS Family History Centers and FamilySearch.org. * You can open databases created in the LDS Personal Ancestral File (PAF) program without any additional conversion steps, even for the just-released PAF version 4.0. * Version 8.0 now operates with multiple databases at the same time. * The user can open multiple copies of the same database. * A new feature allows for "Drag and Drop" of people between different databases. That's much easier than the normal "copy- and-paste." * Family Origins version 8.0 automatically checks for duplicates as you enter names. * The new "Hourglass Tree" report even includes photos. This "Hourglass Tree" is a great method of showing both the ancestors and descendants of a particular person. * Family Origins version 8.0 now has a new page layout option that lets the user set margins, define headers and footers, and more. The program also will automatically open your word processor when printing to file. * Family Origins version 8.0 also has an improved Family Scrapbook. This lets you add photos, audio clips, and videos to individuals or families in your database. Each person and family in your database has its own scrapbook where you can add, edit, remove, and rearrange scrapbook items. Photographs, sound clips, and video clips can be attached to any family. A new photo editor allows for rotating, image manipulation and printing of images. New printed reports include: * Henry descendant book (individuals are numbered as: (1211, 1212, 1213, ...) * D'Aboville descendant book (individuals are numbered as: 1.2.1.1, 1.2.1.2, 1.2.1.3, ...). * Calendars with birthdays and anniversaries * Address (mailing) labels * Surname statistics list * Missing information list Family Origins version 8.0 does not come with a printed manual, nor does it seem to need one. The online help is excellent. Whenever I clicked on Help, the Windows Help system brought up a fully detailed description of the use of the page that I was viewing at the time. In addition, the Help system is fully searchable. Want to read about adding sources? Click on Help, click on Search, and then enter "sources." You will then see several pages of information about how to enter sources into the program as well as information about why recording of sources is so important to genealogy research. The Family Origins version 8.0 Help system also includes a rather complete Glossary of Genealogical Terms and an online reference manual that describes: * Relationship Terms * Calendars and Dates * The Importance of Dates * Collecting Family History Documents * Published Sources and Libraries * State and Local Sources * Federal Sources * Records Selection Table * Possible Sources * Ways to Avoid Grief in Genealogical Research * Family History Centers * Interviewing Relatives All in all, this is an excellent genealogy program. The above information describes only a few features available in this powerhouse. Many examples of the screens and the printed reports can be seen on the company's web site. Note that you can see many sample screen shots and printouts at: http://www.familyorigins.com/samples.htm Family Origins version 8.0 sells for $29.95 U.S. funds and can even be downloaded from the company's web site. You could be using the program within an hour or so after reading this newsletter. Registered users of earlier versions of Family Origins can purchase an upgrade for $19.95. Family Origins Deluxe includes two other programs from Parsons: Family Reunion Planner and Place Finder. That version is available only on CD-ROM and will sell for about $49.95 at retail outlets. If you are undecided about switching to Family Origins version 8.0, you might want to first download the free demo from the Family Origins web site. This demo allows you to try all the features in Family Origins 8.0, including printing trees, for 15 days. Data entered into the demo will be preserved if you later purchase the regular version. For more information about Family Origins version 8.0, look at: http://www.familyorigins.com ============================================================