Another section is devoted to bound copies of published family histories. The church sells a selection of genealogical research products, including compact disks containing census records, vital records indexes and a software program for compiling family charts. The distribution center is in the basement. Freedman's Bank Records, the 1881 British Census and the Australian Vital Records Index are among the offerings. According to Michael Jay Petersen, supervisor of the Family History Center Support Libraries Division, plans call for the 1880 U.S. Census and the 1890-1920 immigration records from Ellis Island to be released on CDs later this year.
Many records are online.
Software for compiling ancestral charts is available at the Web site and free for the taking. Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.