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.

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.