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Family Tree Maker, Deluxe Edition II

(Family Tree Maker, Deluxe Edition II Broderbund, 39500 Stevenson Place, Suite 204, Fremont, CA 94539, one program disc and four database discs, $89.99).

Letters we receive daily at Civil War Times testify that people interested in the Civil War are almost universally curious about their family ties to the period. A new CD-ROM from Broderbund, Family Tree Maker, could be a valuable aid to these information-seekers–as well as to those who aren’t sure whether they have Civil War roots.

With the last name Zebrowski, I figured there was no chance that I had an ancestor in the war. A quick search through the database discs included with this CD-ROM set, however, showed Social Security records for some 200 Zebrowskis and almost a dozen Zebrowski family trees collected from international sources. I still doubt I have Civil War roots, but the information in this package may provide a solid starting point for more dedicated research.

Users can take the census-type information they find in the Family Tree Maker’s databases and chart their own computerized family trees. Family Tree Maker is more expensive than a book on the subject, but its extra capabilities may make it a worthwhile investment for budding genealogists.

Carl Zebrowski