Macs vs. PCs; Newmans and Holleys in the Southeast

I continue to be amazed at the amount of mail this column has generated.

Hardly a week has gone by that I haven't heard from someone, in some form, be it e-mail snail mail, or even a phone call. Thank you, one and all, for your time and effort.

Edie Newman Walker wrote me some time ago with a two-phase question. One was about Macs and the other about her family. I'll touch briefly on the "technical" question about computers, then tell you about Edie's family.

Edie Writes: "I noticed that you mentioned that you use a Mac computer, well, so do I. Now ... about those many CDs offered in the field of genealogy study. Can any of them be used with Macs? Or are they only Windows based? So far I haven't bought any but have considered it. I do use Reunion as my database for my family.

"I'm just trying to find out if those CDs available will work with my computer. Hope you can answer this. Happy computing and hunting. Thanks loads. Edie (iredie2u@earthlink.net)"

Not good news, Edie. Most of the genealogy CDs offered by Family TreeMaker are for PCs (Windows) only. I think about the first 30 or so were made for both, but when they stopped making their program for the Mac, they also stopped making CDs for the Mac. None of the CDs offered by Ancestry.com are geared for Macs ... I've asked.

Rarely will a private publisher of genealogy material offer CDs for Macs. Your best bet is to write and ask for specific information before you buy anything. To be perfectly honest with you, the only CDs worth having would be the ones containing vital records (marriages, deaths, etc.), censuses, or databases with proved information (Civil War rosters, deed books, wills, official court documents, etc.)

The family files on CD from FTM are files sent in by those who buy their programs and no material is verified. It's risky to trust this information and sometimes a mistake can send you way off track in your research. FTM doesn't even tell you who sent the information unless you pay for a special membership.

Are you getting the picture? First you buy the program (and send your family tree to them when you get to a reasonable point of completion), then you buy the CDs, then you buy the information on who sent the information (including you). They get you every which way, don't they?

I have lived without CDs for this long and I will continue to do so (unless someone makes one on vital records, court documents, etc., for the Mac).

Now for Edie's family. She hails from south Alabama (but lives in Coweta), with roots mostly in Dale and Geneva counties and some in Jackson County, Fla. Edie says: "I'm sure that most of these ancestors that migrated from S.C. and N.C. passed through Ga. and maybe along I-85 before it came to be. However, so far, I haven't found any connections with the Coweta area in which I now live (but I haven't searched locally either.)

"My surnames are: Newman, Gissendanner (and variations) Deramus, Snell, Buchanan, Wiggins, Underwood, Hall, Griffith, Pfund, Schuler, West and Tshudy (Judy). Some of these migrated to southeast Alabama from the Orangeburg District, S.C., Sumter Co., S.C., Fayetteville, N.C., and other locations of the colonial states as yet unknown.

"So far, my brick wall has been my GGgrandparents, Samuel Newman and his wife Dicey ? Both came to Dale County, Ala. about 1831 (or earlier) from S.C. He is listed on the 1850 Dale Co., Ala. census as being 63, wife Dicey, age 54, and only one son listed at home, age 18, Robert E. Newman. I feel certain that there were other children but none have been found thus far.

"One well-known Newman researcher thinks that Samuel's parents are Thomas and Elizabeth Newman of the Sumter Co., S.C. area. This has not been proven to date.

"I'm fairly new to genealogy research so I'm still learning the 'how-tos,' but know that all needs to be proven! Most of my work has been on the computer along with some vital records shared within my family. I know my next step should be to try locating things at a good genealogy library and at the (Georgia) Archives in Atlanta. I'll also need to learn how to use a Soundex file.

"Thanks a million for your news articles. I truly look forward to reading each one. I consider it a great service. Because of your tips on the Rootsweb lists, I've been able to obtain information about the Civil War service of two of my great-grandfathers. Thanks a heap! Edie."

Those with Newman information, please contact Edie at the above e-mail address. I also heard from Johnnye-Moore Clements of Fairburn who is looking for the Holley family who migrated from Virginia, through Georgia and into Alabama. Some of the children continued west to Mississippi and Texas. Johnnye has been doing this a long time, she says, "since BC ... before computers."

Space does not permit my running all of Johnnye's letter this week, but I'll whet your appetite and tell you her earliest ancestor given is John Holley, b. bef. 1700 in Va., m. Sarah Church. Much of Johnnye's information came from her mother-in-law, Queen Celestia Holley of Coosa Co., Ala. who married Edgar Theotis Clements, son of S.G. and Eulalia Grace Sellers Clements. Johnnye sent a lot more information, but I'll save it for next week.

Got a story to tell about your ancestors? I'd love to hear about it. Send mail to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Until next week, happy hunting!