Finding Your Family History
By Robert Cox MVHA Vice President
In my last column , I mentioned that high-quality personal genealogy software is a must for anyone doing serious genealogy research . Since many packages are available for sale , it is useful to know some of the pros and cons of each before making your choice . I evaluated the three top options : Roots Magic , Family Historian , and Family Tree Maker .
Roots Magic ( www . rootsmagic . com ) is a popular program here in the USA . It runs on both Windows and Mac , has a free trial version , and has the lowest price of the three : $ 39.95 . It is easy for beginners to get up to speed . It has some error checking capabilities and makes good use of color . However , I found that it made some serious mistakes merging family trees that I imported from another source . I would primarily recommend it for people who have a moderate interest in family history and are looking to take the next step to organize their data beyond stacks of old documents and file folders and who are looking for the lowest cost solution .
Family Historian ( www . family-historian . co . uk ) is a much better program and has received top reviews on many online genealogy web sites . It performs well on uploading genealogy data from other sources , although I found it did make a few mistakes while uploading my files . It sells for $ 69.95 and has a trial version . One disadvantage for American users is that it comes from the United Kingdom as so is more oriented toward that audience . For example , it features easy communication with MyHeritage and FindMyPast services , which are popular in Europe , but not Ancestry , which is based in the USA . It also has no Mac version .
Family Tree Maker ( www . mackiev . com / ftm ) is a bit more expensive at $ 79.95 , but I found it is worth it . It is now my primary personal genealogy software . It was able to upload and merge my genealogy data without making errors , collecting it in a well-organized , extensible form . Users can perform backups before major changes . It integrates well with Ancestry and supports both Windows and Mac . The only downside is that it doesn ’ t allow let you produce descendant trees while you are entering data . However , it does allow you to create descendant charts in its publishing features . It also does not prompt users for potential errors like birth date after death date and being married too young .
News about exceptional individuals who beat the actuarial tables by living over 100 years grab headlines around the world . “ It ’ s pure luck ,” said 111 year-old Englishman and Titanic survivor John Alfred Tinniswood . His case was verified by Guinness World Records this year . Of course , there ’ s more to any success story . These super-agers are teaching lessons in longevity – practices both physical and psychological .
MVHA will honor our own oldest current resident this fall on or around the International Day of Older Persons ( October 1 ). MVHA will collect stories about what happened during the lifetimes of our elders and show appreciation for their contributions .
Mtn . View Family History Fun Fact !
Mary Lo Zoglin in 1945 and at Mtn . View Mayor in 1999 .
Former Mountain View Mayor Mary Lou Zoglin ( 1928-2005 ) was born Mary Lou Glatfelter in York County , Pennsylvania . The daughter of high school teacher Stuart Glatfelter and his wife Ruth ( Strickhouser ) The Swiss village of Glattfelden Glatfelter . Mary Lou took pride in and exemplified her Swiss ancestors ’ hard work and thriftiness , continuing as a Mountain View council member even as she battled cancer .
Casper Glattfelder ( 1709-1775 ) was Mary Lou ’ s fourth great-grandfather and paternal immigrant ancestor . He immigrated to York County from Glattfelden , Switzerland . His last name was derived from the name of their ancestral town . All of Mary Lou ’ s Glattfelder ancestors lived in York County , Pennsylvania .
Stuart Glatfelter
Mary Lou left York County behind to attend Radcliffe College ( now part of Harvard University ). She met her future husband Dr . Stanton Zoglin while working as a translator and editor in New York City . They first moved to Nashville , TN , then Seattle , WA , and finally to Mountain View , where she and Stanton raised their three children : John , Katie , and Bill .
She was the author of “ Power and Politics in the Community College ,” a work inspired by her 13 years as a member of the Foothill De-Anza Community College Board of Trustees . Stanton was a medical doctor who was chief of staff at El Camino Hospital .
As for Mary Lou ’ s children , John serves on the El Camino District Healthcare District ( ECHD ) Board and works for Blue Cross / Blue Shield . Katie is the President of the Los Altos / Mountain View League of Women Voters and was a lawyer for local government . Bill is a general contractor in Reno , Nevada .
Honor Mtn . View ’ s Oldest Living Resident
Award details and search rules are posted on our website www . mountainviewhistorical . org . You can participate by completing and submitting the nomination form on behalf of yourself or someone else . Please take part in this community search . We are interested to see what insights and experiences will be gathered in the coming months .
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