I’m happy you dropped by! Are you a descendant of one of Virginia’s immigrants? Do you enjoy researching your family, but sometimes wish the information would fall into your lap? Or maybe you are tired of paying big prices for multiple books, cds, and other sources which contain only a page or two, sometimes no more than a line or two, about the family you are researching. Then you have come to the right place.
“Virginia’s Descendants” has genealogy information on many of Virginia’s immigrants and their descendants. I am constantly researching early families of Virginia and adding information about them, their descendants, and connecting families to my data base. I do not compile mere lists of names and dates. I include all the interesting material I locate from a variety of sources. The information I gather includes court cases; residences; employment; education; deeds; descriptions of homes; physical traits; personalities; burial places; transcriptions of wills; war registrations; personal correspondence; pictures; and even contemporary reports of gossip circulating about individuals during their lifetimes. And I offer these colorful genealogy files to the descendants of Virginia immigrants for a fraction of what it would cost them to obtain the material on their own. See my Catalog of Virginia Immigrants, or search the website for your ancestors. Indexes of the individuals currently included in each immigrant file are available. See Family File Indexes in the menu for a list of the indexes. I am still adding immigrants, so if your they are not included, check back again, soon.
I offer these individual family files on compact discs, or as digital downloads when feasible. I created the files using Family Tree Maker, Version 16. I still prefer that version to the ones thereafter, although I realize I will have to upgrade sooner, or later. I may do so sooner, as the latest upgrade, Family Tree Maker 2012, offers Family Tree Maker 16 Upgrade Tools to make the transition easier for us old timers.
A file can be purchased in one of three different formats: FTM Backup, Gedcom, or PDF. There are several things to take into consideration when making the selection of which format to purchase. Besides requiring a CD drive on your computer for the compact discs, each format also has its own requirements:
The information in the FTM Backup format MUST be restored to a Family Tree Maker 2006, Version 16 genealogy program for Windows 98/ME/XP or later versions for Windows 7 to be accessed. My reluctance to upgrade has aided those of you who also still use the version 16, as you can import older versions into the newer ones, but not vice versa. If you do not currently use Family Tree Maker, or you use an earlier version than Family Tree Maker 2006 (version 16,) you can purchase the latest version from www.familytreemaker.com, or you can purchase one of the other two formats I offer, either the Gedcom format or the PDF format. Another consideration for this particular format is it is the ONLY one of the three formats that retains any pictures or images I have entered into the file.
The gedcom format, although accessible to more people, MUST be imported into a genealogy program which supports importing gedcom files, such as older Family Tree Maker versions, as well as most other genealogy programs. All of the Top 10 genealogy programs allow import and export of gedcom files. Besides Family Tree Maker, which is #1, they are Legacy; RootsMagic; Ancestral Quest; Family Historian; The Master Genealogist; Doro Tree; Genbox Family History; WinFamily; and FamTree. Although not listed among the Top 10 genealogy programs, MyHeritage Family Tree Builder, open source software (and therefore free) allows gedcom imports, as well.
The third format, the PDF, is the most accessible format. Even so, Adobe reader, or equivalent PDF reader software, is required to view the files. The PDF format is modeled after the PostScript language and is device and resolution independent, making it accessible to almost anyone. The Family Report pages in the PDF format can be viewed, searched, navigated and printed from your workstation using the freely available Adobe Reader software from Adobe Systems Inc. Versions of Adobe Reader run on Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems. To download the latest free Adobe Reader, visit www.adobe.com.
As I have already mentioned, you can purchase these files on compact discs. I also offer most of the files as digital downloads. A number of the files are quite large, therefore require considerable time to download if you are using a dial-up internet connection. As an example, a 5 megabyte (MB) file would take about 25 minutes to download with a 28.8 kilobyte speed connection and about half that time with a 56 kilobyte speed connection, provided you are actually getting those connection speeds. A good estimate is somewhere between the times of the two speeds, even for a 56 kb connection. Lol In comparison, the same 5 MB file can be downloaded with a 512 DSL or broadband cable connection in less than 2 minutes. With this in mind, all files of more than the mentioned 5 MB, have the file zip size in the description and can be checked on the Download Speed Calculator to help you make the decision of whether to order the disc or the digital download.
In addition to my catalog of compact discs and digital download files, my site also publishes articles on individuals and their families included in the Virginia’s Descendants Genealogy data base from time to time, which could contain information on your ancestors. Please view my list of Articles published in the past. I also feature a family from my data base on a regular basis, so visit my site often or join my mailing list to receive notice when a new Article or Featured Family is posted. If you have questions about your Virginia ancestors, just Ask Genie and she’ll try to find the answer.
Thank you for visiting Virginia’s Descendants. Please have a look around my site, bookmark it, and visit me again, soon!