Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants on CD-ROM – Dick Eastman This week I had a chance to use a new CD-ROM disk from Heritage Quest: the Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants. Actually, this is a series of 898 CD-ROM disks. I had a chance to use just one of the disks, No. 293. The CD-ROM disks contain images of original records and are in alphabetical order by applicant’s name. Disk No. 293 that I used conveniently has the records for all the applicants with the same surname as my own. The Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants contain images of original records. The National Records and Archives Administration originally microfilmed these records, and genealogists have used those microfilms for years. Heritage Quest has now scanned images of the same microfilms and made them available on CD-ROM disks. Each CD-ROM disk holds the contents of one reel of microfilm. The order number of the CD-ROM disk that I looked at, M805-293, is the same as the reel number of the microfilm. The indexed files originated from a variety of sources, including: Pensioner application statements Muster rolls Orderly books Witness affidavits Family Bibles Diaries Pay receipts Enlistment papers Commissions Warrants Other original records from this period The extracted information usually found in these applications includes: Last Name First Name(s) Organization (typically state) Application Number Roll Number The M805 series reproduces papers that the National Archives considered genealogically important from each file. Original papers may provide: Applicant's place of enlistment Age Birthplace Unit(s) served Battles Campaigns Individual activities Widows who filed pensions provide: Maiden name Age Place of birth Current residence Place and date of marriage Place and date of husband's death The Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants CD-ROM disks use Heritage Quest Resource Viewer software to display the data. The required Windows software is included on each CD-ROM disk. Installation only took a minute or so and was simple to follow. Upon inserting the CD-ROM disk, an image of the first page appears. Below this page is a listing of all the images on the disk. Since the list is in alphabetical order, I found it easy to scroll down to the one I wanted. This list shows the surname and given name of the applicant. A wife’s name is often included. The list also displays the state, the image number and the page number. To display a particular record, all you have to do is click on the entry in the images list. I have viewed these same records on microfilm in years past, so I was able to quickly locate records of interest. I simply scrolled to the name I was interested in and clicked on it; an image then appeared on my screen, showing the pension application. The image on CD-ROM is identical to the image on microfilm. I first looked at the application of Jacob Eastman and his wife, Abigail. I was able to "page" through the multi-page application by clicking on the forward and back buttons. On every page I was able to zoom in and out on the image as much as I pleased. This capability of "zooming in" is a big help when reading poor handwriting. I spent some time viewing the CD-ROM "enhanced image." I then dug out a photocopy that I made from microfilm some years ago and compared it to the image on my screen. I also made a printed copy from the CD-ROM disk and compared it to the photocopy made from microfilm. The CD-ROM version seems clearer and easier to view than the copy I made from microfilm. Admittedly, this depends upon the quality of the microfilm copy and of the photocopying machine used. I suspect the CD-ROM images were made from a rarely used "master copy" of the microfilm, not from a well-used and scratched copy that typically is found in your local genealogy archive. The images I printed on my inkjet printer are clearer and easier to read than the photocopies I made at the National Archives’ Regional Library. Obviously the CD-ROM images will not deteriorate from constant use, another advantage of CD-ROM disks over microfilm. The printouts made from CD-ROM are also labeled, "Copyrighted by Heritage Ques! t" and include the date and time the local copy was produced. These CD-ROM disks require a modest Windows system to operate. The minimum requirements include: Windows 2000/ME/NT/98/95, a Pentium or compatible CPU, 16 megabytes of RAM memory, 88 megabytes of hard drive space, a 4-speed or faster CD-ROM drive, 16-bit color depth and at least 800x600 screen resolution. Any Windows computer sold in the past few years should meet or exceed those requirements. The "Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants" on CD-ROM is an excellent example of the use of today’s technology for genealogy research. The CD-ROM contains images of original source records. It stores the data in high-quality scanned images. Unlike the microfilm version, the CD-ROM images do not deteriorate with usage. The CD-ROM disks are both cheaper and easier to store than the microfilms. Best of all, Windows computers are more plentiful than microfilm viewers. And I dare say today’s computers are probably cheaper than microfilm readers. The Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants CD-ROM disks are selling right now for $14.96 U.S. funds. Members of Heritage Quest’s Research Club receive a discount, with a final price of $11.21. These prices do not include shipping. For more information about the Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrants on CD-ROM, or to order the disks directly from Heritage Quest’s safe and secure Web site, go to http://www2.heritagequest.com/qsearch/sr.asp?s=M805