PAF, PAF Insight and FamilyInsight

PAF Insight (or when updated to become FamilyInsight) is an excellent product by Ohana Software that expands PAF capabilities.

It provides easy ways to enhance usage your existing PAF files It does not replace PAF but works in tandem with it to produce expanded possibilities of organizing and searching online much easier.
PAF Insight offers powerful tools to organize, review and improve your PAF record base. Some examples of the tools included are:
• Search IGI (International Genealogical Index)
• See compare and update data in you PAF file
• Add as new individual or merge duplicate records

• View Pedigrees and correct alter pedigrees

• Assign RIN's as needed
• Sort and view your PAF records by categories (All records, Incomplete Records, Ordinances Needed, etc.). Specifically select items to update with each record reviewed
• Compare ad Synchronize Two PAF Databases. Highlights differences and empty data fields with color to make process easier.
• Merge PAF files• Import GEDCOM files. You can "trim" or cull out unnecessary family trees that are duplications or not wanted in the file you are working on.

It may be just the tool you need to make your Family History work easier.

PAF (Personal Ancestral File), GEDCOMs and You

A common question might be,"I've got a program already so why get and use PAF (Personal Ancestral File)?"

1. It is free. It is pretty powerful too. It gets the basics done for recording information and support resources. You can supplement it with the free PAF Companion for charts and other output in color.
   
2. If your are just starting to keep records on the computer the format used helps you to understand the process of recording individual data and the support documentation. There are enough user groups, family history centers and individual who already use it so there is a huge pool of experienced and willing users to help you get started correctly.
   
3. It allows standard, easy data and file transfer with other researches. This can be done either by a copy of the PAF file (.paf) or by a GEDCOM file (the acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication file)*. The PAF program was the first widely distributed and used software for Family Research efforts. It may still be the most common one in existence. Most individuals who have upgraded to more expansive commercial software still have a copy of the current PAF on their computer. (It is just handy to have around).
   
4. PAF will be the basis for creating and keeping records to interface with upcoming version of FamilySearch (now being developed in and tested as newFamilySearch). For those who are doing and keeping records for Latter Day Saint Temple work using PAF and a commercial add-on package will become extremely important to help merge and submit file information directly from home.

There will be a need of some commercial programs to accomplish the data integration process between PAF and FamilySearch. Whenever you shop for an add-on package to use with PAF be sure it is FamilySearch Certified so it will work with future developments in the on-line FamilySearch environment.

Many commercial companies have introduced genealogy software programs that normally can work with PAF and GEDCOM files, plus they offer additional features that PAF does not have. The variety of features, functions and enhancement is great so choose carefully before you commit to buying. Talk to users whose research habits are similar to yours. Look for free trial offers to do a test run. Once bought you may be living with it for a while. Invest wisely. Just be sure of it is a FamilySearch Certified product. Something inexpensive like the upcoming FamilyInsght may be a choice to consider.

The continued goal is to make the process of family research easier and more fun without avoiding the responsibility to document all entries quickly and clearly. Some say if it is not documented it is only a myth.

• *For a brief description of what a GEDCOM file is go to https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Gedcom. For all the details go to: http://www.gedcom.net/0g/gedcom55/ where the GEDCOM Standard Release 5.5 is described in full by its creators, The Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And yes, the 1996 date is the most current version. Other updates such as the 6.0 versions or XML versions have not yet been defined and agreed on by the gemological community.

Treaty of Paris (1783) American Revolutionary War

A lot of our current research is in family lines in existence before and at the time of the War of Independence. All the real relocation of families into new and expanding areas took place after the completion of the conflict. We often have to remind ourselves that this begins really some 7 plus years after what we celebrate as our Independence day that real opportunity took place.

The conclusion was the Treaty of Paris that was signed at the Hôtel de York in Paris on September 3, 1783, 7 years, 1 month and 30 days after the official date of the Declaration of Independence. Even then it took another 7 months until on April 9, 1784 ratification process was complete between all the parties. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_%281783%29 & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War for a start on details on the war and the treaty.

Using the 1783 treaty date as a baseline you begin to see how quickly expansion and changes took place. We saw our own family movement into new areas as happening very fast following the completion of the conflict. Within 3 years (1786) the Rountree’s had been grated property in Carolina and the Munday’s in Ohio based on their service during the war. From there the property trading and resettlement that took place once move rapidly.

We suggest you re-look at your particular heritage with new baseline dates. You may see your ancestors’ activity with a new prospective and appreciation for their creation of a new country. Also you may find greater warmth for the French without whom we most likely would not have won the conflict.

Munday related Surnames

These are a few of the surnames that we are interested in for research on the Munday family line. If you have any common linage links we would be glad to hear from you directly.
Primary Surnames:
BILOVA-TETKALOVA, BRAUNER, CERMOKAOVA, FIALOVA, GOODRICK, HARVEY, HORSMAN, JERDE, JOHNSON, KREJCI, MATOUSEK, MATTOCKS, MILLER, MUNDAY, NOVOYNO-MACHATY, PALEK, PETRU, PRIBIL, PRIBYL, PROCHASKA, PROCHAZKOVA, SHEID, SINCLAIR, STEELE, THOMPSON, VAVERKA, WARD and WYNKOOP

Rountree related Surnames

These are a few of the surnames that we are interested in for research on the Rountree family line. If you have any common linage links we would be glad to hear from you directly.
Primary Surnames:
ARENDT, BARTH, BOYD, CATOR, COMMES, COVELLI, DION, DOSSETT, EHLY, FINCH, FINNEY, FIX, GARTNER, GASTALDI, HEIZ, HRONISH, JASMANN, JURGENS, KELLY, KIRKPATRICK, KRANTZ, LARSON, MAGELKY, NORSTRUM, OSBORNE, ROUNTREE, ROUNDTREE, ROWANTREE, SCHAFF, STONE, WILSON, WOOD and ZURFLUH

Family History, Resources and Documentation

Family history research is both fun and challenging. It is a real live investigation of people you share your DNA with. Way better that a T.V. drama or novel or P.O.P 'news' article.
Our family had done some research many years ago and there where a lot of holes unfilled. In fact, in a 100-page history written up by one of them he said, "If I didn't have a name or particulars I made one up to make it read better." Great for a novel for someone who knew Zane Grey while growing up. Not to good for source documentation.
When we started doing more serious investigating into our ancestry we discovered that the facts where more exciting than any created to fill in a story. Revolutionary War veterans, Civil War veterans, founders of frontier cities, real pioneers, friends to the famous and infamous. And that's just on this continent.
We believe every family has stories that need to be told and recorded for their posterity to include the tales that where less talked about. You know, the ones that your parents and elders didn't mention when you where in the room. These stories bring your family to life so you can know who they where and enjoy the results.
But it must be real. Documentation is extremely important. Record you sources clearly. Sometimes it takes longer to record the source information that it did to find the person, but just do it.
Based on our personal experience if you don't all you have is a really good 'fish story' and something that won't be of any benefit to help you or anyone else find the missing people in your family. There are many examples, ours is believing that the maiden surname of a grandmother was Stone for more that 50 years because it was created to make the story read well. It wasn't. It is Wood, found through a chance research result after spending years looking for a relationship to a surname that wasn’t' in that line
The great part of this is that the right name was found, extensive family relationships added, and extreme elation that a mystery was solved. Just enjoy the process, the results are worth it.
Let us know if you have resouces or other things that we should add here. Especially let us know if you have common ancestry where we might share data.

A Beginning

Choosing a name for a blog or other forums seems to become a protracted process. Simple? Cute? Long or short?

Repeatedly you go over your list and end up pretty much where you started. (Besides something about ‘Moose & Squirrel’ was taken.)

The goal is to get started and sort out details latter. So that's what we are doing! We’ll start with actual content soon while we become comfortable with this commuicatons format.

As stated in our introduction a lot of content may be on Family History and research. Some will be about things we find interesting or just humorous. Let us know what you find helpful or worthwhile. Please contribute when possible.