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NGS
Quarterly Now Available
The
National Genealogical Society Quarterly,
Volumes 1-85, 1600s-1900s
(CD 210)
Reviewed by Marthe Arends
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The National Genealogy Society Quarterly — the granddaddy
of all genealogy publications — has long been one of the
most interesting and learned sources of genealogy in the U.S.
The NGS Quarterly was first published in 1908, and now
for the first time is presented in electronic format. This Family
Archive contains images of volumes 1-85 of the NGS Quarterly,
and covers more than 701,000 individuals. You'll also find four
historical pamphlets from NGS, showing members, officers, and
proceedings for the years 1908-1911, and four supplements (Index
to Revolutionary War Pension Applications, Index to Revolutionary
War Pension Applications — Additions, Reconstructed
1790 Census of Delaware, and Passports Issued by Governors
of Georgia, 1810-1820).
All U.S. genealogists should be familiar with the NGS Quarterly;
its articles offer readers instruction in methodology, genealogical
resources, and guides to specific facets of research. Studying
the genealogies presented in the NGS Quarterly can give
insight into how dedicated researchers solve (or work around)
difficult research problems, and will help develop research skills
and techniques. The NGS Quarterly is recommended reading
for new and experienced researchers alike.
Items in the NGS Quarterly include detailed family histories,
genealogies, case studies, helpful articles, location resources,
land records, census records, immigration records, journal and
diary entries, cemetery records, vital records (birth, death,
and marriage records), town records, religious records, Bible
records, biographies, informative book reviews, research guides,
and more. Still not sure of what sorts of things can be found
in the NGS Quarterly? The following are the contents of
two issues chosen at random (issues, note — not an entire
volume — each volume contains four issues):
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June
10, 1998
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Related Data on CD-ROM |
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Volume 77, June 1989
- The Adeustone-Rogers Families of Virginia: Tracing a Colonial
Lineage Through Entailments...
- Genealogical Research in Colorado When a Revolutionary War Pensioner's
Claim Can't Be Found
- Student Enrollment in Early-American Schools for the Deaf
- Ralph Hill, William Young, and Joseph and Lydia (Gorham) Worth
- Mr. John Holmes, Messenger of Plymouth--Revisited
- Kelty-Colt-Parker: Illinois, Georgia, and California
Volume 69, September 1981
- Jacob Kobel (1682-1731) of The Palatinate, New York, and Pennsylvania
- Urban Finding Aid for Manuscript Census Searches
- Indexes to Savannah, Georgia, Newspapers
- Belmont County, Ohio, Census of Blacks, 1863
- Detroit 1796 Census
- Genealogical Gleanings in England
- Maryland Runaway Convict Servants, 1745-1780
- First Fifty-Two Years of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Alexandria,
Virginia
- Book Reviews
- Northern California Bounty Land Grantees Under Acts of 1847-1855
You can see the variety of items that appear in just those two
issues...now multiply that by the 340 issues, and you get an idea
of how much material is available.
Imagine making room for 85 large volumes in your bookcase...now
imagine making room for a Family Archive containing images from
all 85 volumes — that should present a much nicer picture.
As with many other Genealogy.com CDs, the NGS Quarterly
contains images of every page in all 85 volumes, including title
pages and tables of contents. I found there were two ways to access
the information: a search (using the Search Expert or Index) to
locate any surnames I am interested in, or simply beginning with
a volume, and paging through to read all of the articles (slow,
but fascinating). You may copy and print any desired pages.
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The introduction contains not only information about the
CD and how to use it (including a very helpful section about
citing sources), but also a detailed history of the NGS
and its Quarterly by Shirley Langdon Wilcox, the
President of the NGS.
When I heard that Genealogy.com had joined with the NGS
to create this title, I was beside myself with anticipation.
The NGS Quarterly is a very useful resource for researchers
who are searching for family data, and a gold mine of information
for every genealogist interested in methodology and the
practical applications of genealogical research. The amount
of genealogy information — basic, intermediate, and
advanced research techniques and case studies, as well as
genealogy data, is almost overwhelming. I believe this CD
is one of the most exciting new products of the year, and
I highly recommend it to all researchers.
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Marthe Arends has
been involved in genealogy for 18 years. She has lectured on computers and genealogy
to many groups, has been the SysOp of a Fidonet genealogy BBS, has written articles
for a variety of genealogy publications, and currently writes fiction. Marthe has also written Genealogy
Software Guide and Genealogy
on CD-ROM, both published by the Genealogical
Publishing Company.
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