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On
the Pioneer Trail
Genealogical
Records: Midwest Pioneers, 1600s–1800s
(CD 508)
Reviewed by Marthe Arends
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Once again Genealogy.com and the Genealogical Publishing Company
(GPC) have gotten together to create a CD that is sure to make
mouths water — this time, it's Midwestern researchers who
are on the receiving end! The Midwest Pioneers CD contains the
images of twelve books originally published by GPC, with information
on approximately 150,000 individuals. As those of you who tackle
the sometimes daunting task of Midwest research know, there can
never be too many resources available for researching the early
settlers who lived in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, and
Missouri.
The CD has an interesting introduction which discusses what set
the migration to the Midwest (that is, the westward expansion)
into motion, and gives good background for researchers new to
the subject. The books found within this title concern a number
of subjects: census records, family histories, land records, and
military records. As with other book image CDs, the entire contents
of each book is contained here — from the Title Page to the
Index (however, individuals from all of the books are most easily
searched via the electronic index).
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August
31, 2000
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Related Data on CD-ROM |
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The following books are included:
- Detroit River Connections, Historical and Biographical
Sketches of the Eastern Great Lakes Border Region by Judy
Jacobson
- A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri by William
S. Bryan and Robert Rose
- Illinois Census Returns, 1810 and 1818 edited by Margaret
Cross Norton
- Illinois Census Returns, 1820 edited by Margaret Cross
Norton
- Kansas Territorial Settlers of 1860 by Clara Hamlett
Robertson
- An Index of Pioneers from Massachusetts to the West Especially
the State of Michigan compiled by Charles A. Flagg
- Michigan Military Records by Sue Imogen Silliman
- Missouri Marriages Before 1840 by Susan Ormesher
- Pioneer Families of the Midwest, Volumes 1, 2, and 3
by Blanche L. Walden
- Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Illinois by Harriet
J. Walker
- Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Indiana (With Supplement)
by Margaret R. Waters
- Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution
Buried in Indiana edited by Mrs. Roscoe C. O'Byrne
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That's an impressive list of resources to be found within
one resource! I had a great time browsing through the books
— as with other Family Archives containing images of
books, I find it particularly useful to have all of the
book in one place. Book introductions are often invaluable
in noting the sources used by the authors, and can be enlightening
as to the background of the subject. While many of the books
within this CD contain straight lists of data, others include
maps, illustrations, and photos. I particularly found the
Pioneer Families books – loaded with great stories
and wonderful illustrations, those books were a delight
to read even though they did not contain lines I'm researching.
If you are searching for Midwest pioneer families, I urge
you to check out this new title. The 12 books on it can
be a great resource to finding further information, and
will please anyone who is interested in the saga of western
expansion.
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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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