Computer Helpful But Not Essential

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released its Personal Ancestral File (PAF) 2.31 for MS-DOS computers. Release 2.31 has all the features of Release 2.3, plus these enhancements:

From “Automatic Match/Manual Merge” you can edit an individual’s information or notes.

The marriage date field now accepts the term “not married.”

The death date field now accepts the terms “dead,” “infant,” “stillborn” and “child.”

Installation procedures have been simplified.

Defects in release 2.3 have been corrected.

PAF 2.31 requires 640K of memory to run optimally as well as a hard disk. In December 1994, complimentary updates were mailed to everyone who had purchased Release 2.3. For information about PAF 2.31 or updating previous versions, call Family History Support at (801) 240-2584.

The update disk is free to prior users, but if you wish the manual for the 2.31 update, the cost is $8. Complete PAF 2.31 packages cost $35 for the first-time purchaser and can be ordered from the Salt Lake Distribution Center, (800) 537-5950.

Whenever I teach a beginner’s class, the question is always asked: “Do I need a computer to do genealogy?” The answer is no, because the computer is only a tool to store and manipulate the data that you use your eyes, brain and fingers to compile.

But, if you do use a computer, you really do need a genealogy program.

“What’s the best program?” is the next question that arises.

I think all computer genealogy computer programs are 80 percent alike - you type names into all of them and they arrange the data into pedigrees and family groups. The remaining 20 percent is the “whistles and bells” that make one program different from another. This is where personal preferences come into play.

If you have a real grasp of the essentials of a genealogy program and have set ideas for a program that you really want, then I say investigate to see which one you like best.

If, however, you are just beginning or just want a “standard, simple workhorse,” then PAF at $35 is a good bet. Other programs cost from $60 to $300. PAF comes fully documented and fully supported with a Salt Lake City telephone number you can call for help. There is even a PAF users’ group in Spokane (call Owen Burgess at 466-0848 for information).

If you’d like to try PAF, take your charts and forms to any Family History Center and they will let you use the program there. You can input some information, print it out, and see what you think. You also might be able to purchase the program at the center (it’s not available in stores).

Good luck and happy “PAF-fing.”

Here’s a story I think you’ll like. There are millions of tombstones in the world, and each is important to the families they represent. But some tombstones are interesting to everyone simply because they are unique. The stone for Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker is an example.

Chang and Eng Bunker were born near Bangkok, capital of Siam, in 1811. The twins, once known as “double monsters,” were joined at the breast bone by cartilage and ligaments. With today’s medical technology, they probably could have been successful separated.

They each married - in a double ceremony - two daughters of a minister. Chang and his wife, Adelaide, had 10 children; and Eng and his wife, Sarah Ann, had 12.

The sisters did not get along, so the twins maintained two separate households. They spent three days with Adelaide followed by three days with Sarah Ann.

They were brought from Siam to Britain in 1829 to go on tour as a novelty. By 1833, they had saved $60,000 from exhibition fees, migrated to America and bought a plantation in North Carolina. They became U.S. citizens, joined the Baptist Church, and spent the rest of their lives in Surry County.

It’s not known how they came to take the surname Bunker, but the name was passed on to descendants.

In 1874, Chang died, probably from arrhythmia. Eng died a few hours later - some said from fright at being attached to his dead brother. They are buried in the cemetery at White Plains Baptist Church near Mount Airy, N.C.

The single headstone, divided into halves, gives the birth and death dates for Chang, Eng and both of their wives. On your next trip to North Carolina, you might want to visit the grave site for Chang and Eng and see their single-yet-double tombstone.

How long ago did you request a catalog from Genealogical Publishing Co.? This Maryland firm publishes new genealogy books and reprints old ones. I’m sure you could find several books in its catalog to include on your Christmas wish list.

Some recent titles are:

“The Great Historic Families of Scotland,” by James Taylor, 1995, two volumes in 1,740 pages, $55.

“The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records,” compiled by Lorraine Cook White, 1995 (the first three in the series have been published and include towns Andover through Bridgeport, $25 each).

“Settlers of Maryland, 1679-1700,” by Peter Wilson Coldham, 1995, 228 pages, $25.

“Second Supplement to Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700,” compiled by Melinde Lutz Sanborn, 1995, 125 pages, $20. Call Genealogical Publishing Co. at (800) 296-6687.

Did your ancestor, born before 1765, provide military service during the eight years of the Revolutionary War? Would you like to find him the easy way? Would you like to pay $15 to a research team to check 53 volumes of records and provide you with a full report on the search, including up to 25 copies of pertinent record pages?

The Southern California Research Team, P.O. Box 4377, Burbank, CA 91503, will provide this service to you.

Write for its forms and information on other search services.

xxxx

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review