There are many different genealogy software programs, but Family Tree Maker is by far the most widely used. I've been using it forever and I love it. If you get it, and then ever decide that you want to use a different program, or send your info to a relative who uses a different software, all you'd have to do is export your database in GEDCOM (an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication) format. There are very easy steps to follow to do this -- basically it's about three or four mouse clicks! One "word of caution" about Family Tree Maker -- they come out with an "upgraded" version virtually every year. You do NOT need to buy every upgrade. Just pay attention to what they say is "new and improved" in the newer version and only buy the upgrades that you think are worth it. Ancestry.com does offer each new version at a nice discount to folks who already own it and/or folks who subscribe to Ancestry.com. You can create "scrapbooks" within Family Tree Maker -- by adding photos. You can print out family history books that contain stories that you enter into the software. You can print out descendant trees, ancestor trees, pedigrees, etc. You can save them into .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format so that you can send them to relatives who don't have the software, so they can at least see what you've got. And, you can upload a GEDCOM of your Family Tree Maker database to Ancestry.com, to have the tree online. You can keep it totally private, so no one but you or your invited guests can see it; or you can make it public, so anyone can see it. Even when it's public, no one can see any info on folks who are, or may be, still living. They'd see "Living Smith" instead of "John Smith," etc. When you have your tree online, Ancestry is always searching in the background, to find possible matches - to historical records as well as other folk's online trees. You'd be surprised at how many genealogical sites are now part of Ancestry.com. Genealogy.com used to be a totally separate entity - and they owned Family Tree Maker, too. Now, they're both part of Ancestry.com. RootsWeb is also part of Ancestry.com. And I'm fairly certain that Ancestry.com is now owned by the LDS.

It's not hard (usually) to find a volunteer willing to take photos of gravestones at cemeteries surprisingly, though I don't do that myself. That seems to be the most popular volunteer activity. Having done extensive genealogy workups on a couple of Wikipedia subjects whose published backgrounds just didn't sound credible, I decided to volunteer in the areas I would have personally found very useful during that time. The local sources---which I've offered at Random Acts of Kindness---are old phonebooks going back to 1940, city directories from 1880 to 1944, probates, divorces, etc. (on microfilm) from the County Courthouse going back to maybe 1910, and San Francisco Bay Area newspapers going back to the 1880ties for obituaries. Fortunately for these activities, I live in the city of the county seat, so between our public library, the courthouse, the nearby LDS/Mormon Family History Center, and the commercial on-line genealogy sites such as ancestry.com & newspaper archives.com available to me, I can do---& do do---a fair bit of "ancestor sleuthing". Not everyone would be in that position. So if you sign up as a volunteer, consider all the areas of assistance that might geographically be available to you. It can be a more interesting, not to mention challenging, project.

This has all been interesting. One thing to note is that when a woman married she was considered a "bride" during the first year of marriage. Sophie could have died during that time and been designated as such on the headstone. The designation would have indicated that yes, they were legally married but they did not share a long life together where they were known in the community as a 'couple' and they were probably childless. This archaic designation is sometimes still used today with introductions, such as "This is my cousin Jake and his new bride Mary" or "My brother has returned from his honeymoon with his new bride". Knowing local history can sometimes yield clues. Often times there was a sweeping pestilence that wiped out huge numbers suddenly and headstone markers where put up fast or further engraved years afterwards when some of the defining information had been lost or was unknown. One of the most interesting bits of history I learned was the time period designated Year Without A Summer. Large numbers of people died in the Northeast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer Here is a link that might be useful: Year Without A Summer

Ordering Microfilm The FamilySearch Catalog is available online, and can be searched by place name, family surname, resource title, author, subject, call number, film number or key word. Click the down arrow at the end of the Search field to select the category of information you wish to search. If you find a film youâÂÂd like to view, you can order that film using the on-line film ordering if it is available in your area. For more information, see Ordering Microfilm Online. You may obtain a paper Microfilm Request form at your local Family History Center if on-line ordering is not available in your area. There is a small fee charged for ordering films and fiche that helps defray the cost of copying and shipping. There is no charge to view films from a centerâÂÂs âÂÂResident Film Collection.â Some Centers offer access to printers and digital scanners at a per-page cost. Check with a FHC Staff member to ask that CenterâÂÂs fee schedule. Microfilms are typically available at the center for 90 days. Films can become âÂÂextendedâ status films and be made available at that center indefinitely. Microfiche become part of a center's permanent collection (not returned). For more specific information about film ordering, ask a staff member at your local Family History Center. All microfilm and microfiche must be viewed at the Family History Center where they were ordered. They cannot be transferred to another Family History Center facility, or be removed from the center to view at another location. Here is a link that might be useful: Introduction to LDS Family History Centers