I have created a spreadsheet which I am using to record the mountain of census data that I have accumulated on paper over the years. I like having electronic copies of records for ease of organizing, manipulation, transport and backup. The spreadsheet would also be very useful for those of you who take a laptop to your local FHC for data entry. In just 4-5 days since I offered the spreadsheet on several lists, I have e-mailed over 600 FREE copies of it and I can't keep my inbox empty for more than a few minutes! I have also received scores of kind e-mails with glowing praise for the spreadsheet. I knew I was tired of not having a good way of organizing census records, but I had no idea that so many others were in the same boat. The spreadsheet has a separate page for each census year from 1790-1920, as well as Soundex pages for 1880-1920...great for tracking a single family through the years. The spreadsheet is bare except for the formatting on each page to match the particular census year data fields. No actual census data is included. I used Microsoft Excel 97 to create the spreadsheet and I kept it simple so it should be compatible with most any recent spreadsheet software out there. One lesson learned so far. Excel 97 uses multiple worksheets, like pages of a book. Previous versions of Excel did not support multiple worksheets. You will need a spreadsheet program as least as recent as Excel 97. I have tried opening my spreadsheet with my copy of MS Works 5 and it does not work. No word yet about Works 6. I have received reports that Quattro Pro 8 works great. To reduce the load and to allow me to get the word out to more genealogists, I have created a web site where anyone can go to download a free copy of the spreadsheet. The URL is http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~minder/ and you can also get a look at some screen shots of the spreadsheet and read a Frequently Asked Questions list that I created to answer common questions. To top it off I created a discussion forum where users can ask questions and get answers (a much more efficient way of getting info out than answering individual e-mails). I've sent out hundreds of copies so far and those who have used the spreadsheet have been unanimous in their favorable comments. I have been helped countless times on various lists by people generous with their time and expertise. I'm happy to pay back those kindnesses in this small way. Again, the URL of the spreadsheet page is http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~minder/ Gary Minder [email protected] _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com