Software Review of:
Ancestral Quest, version 3.0 
Standard Edition 

Before I did any thing else I went to the Ancestral Quest web site. This is a wealth of information and my first link was to the search site. Here I had a choice of checking by surname in Rootsweb, Family Search, Gen Forum, Family Tree Maker and Everton. I have been on a long search to find some more information about my paternal grandfather and so far have been unsuccessful. So the first thing that I did at the Surname Search was to go to Rootsweb and type in my grandfather’s name. No luck – not a single hit. Oh well, I decided to try another location and went to Family Tree Maker.com. Here I typed in my grandfather’s surname and given name and got three hits only to discover that each hit was a CD that was available for a nominal fee of not less than $30.00. For this sum, I would receive the CD only. If the name that I had typed in were indeed my grandfather, then I would be given guidance on how to request documentation that would part me from additional funds. This genealogy must be a hobby because it could become pricey. 

After my initial stop on the Internet, I installed Ancestral Quest on my computer. I was pleased with the installation. It was auto-run and installed smoothly and quickly. The license agreement is printed on the sealed envelope in which the installation CD is packed. This saved some reading from the screen. The installation CD also contains Ancestral Quest Quick Tour (a video guide); Web Horizons (in case you do not have an Internet Provider); Genealogy Resources; and other sources of help. In addition to the program software, there is a book on the CD that also installed on my computer. The book, Line Upon Line by Margery H. Bell is a beginner’s guide to genealogy. I have only read parts of the book so far, but have found what I read to be very helpful. The printed manual that comes with the software is also very helpful with each chapter being full of directions on how to use Ancestral Quest. One entire chapter is devoted to printing charts and reports. There are many different ways to create printed materials from your genealogy research and the manual seems to cover all facets. It is, of course, possible to add pictures to this program, but a feature that I have not noticed in other genealogy programs is the ability to create slide shows with or without sound and video clips.

I started inputting information by using information about myself first. Thanks to Line Upon Line, I now understand why one should always start their genealogy with themselves as number one. Starting out, the first window to appear is the pedigree view and with a simple click, I was able to open an individual person window and type in as much information as I had available. Once I had information about myself typed in, I clicked on save and the main window view had changed to family view. 

In family view it is very easy to continue to add people and edit information about each person. One thing that I found easier to use in Ancestral Quest than in some other genealogy software was the ability to add children and to add spouses. In the family view window it is very simple to click ‘add child’ or ‘add spouse’. Then a pop-up window appears and you simply type in the vital statistics for that person. Since there are a couple of places in my family where a new spouse entered the picture, I am grateful for the ease in which I can enter that information. Another aspect that is really easy and I like a lot about this software is that I can type in information, even though it is limited, and then later on I can go back and fill in the gaps or make corrections or add entirely new information about an individual. This is especially important to me because I have not acquired a lot of information to have at my fingertips. 

Some information that I need is available with a trip to the Bexar County Court House and Vital Statistics. Other information is going to take a lot of searching and corresponding, sometimes with limited information to start with and often with only a name and a rough time frame with which to start. I must admit to being totally bewildered about how to go about finding information from England and from Germany, but I am sure that it will all work out for me. I was utterly dismayed when I realized that I don’t know my paternal great-grandmother’s maiden name. With my father gone there is no living person who would know her maiden name. I can only hope that I will find some information among the papers that my father left behind. On my mother’s side I have some special documents, like my grandmother’s baptismal certificate which gives my great grand-parents’ names and places of birth.

I have worked with some other genealogical software and most other programs provide the ability to add photos. However, Ancestral Quest enables you to add photos, add sound to family photos to give interactive photos and to create slide shows from photos. I like the idea that I can add several pictures of a person at different stages of their lives. This is especially important because I have some pictures of my father when he was younger that are very special. Many of these pictures I never saw until recently and they will mean a lot to his grandchildren and mostly to his great-grandchildren.

The accompanying literature states that this software is designed for the beginner, but is advanced enough to appeal to the advanced user as well. I found this software to be fairly easy to use. As I have pointed out, it has some features that seem to make it easier to use than some other genealogical software. There are slight differences from other genealogy software in how information is recorded but one quickly learns how to input. Much of the information is easier to input once one has read the manual and learned how to go about it (or just stumbled through it).

Ancestral Quest has several web sites that are beneficial. The main web site is at www.ancquest.com and this site has links to many different areas including the product site. There is also information about Kindred Konnections, Inc. in the literature that accompanies the software. They say that they have free searches as well as membership searches. A paid membership enables you to access many different genealogical search resources. Membership with Kindred Konnections is a low $15 per month or $100 per year which divides into $8 per month if paid one year in advance.

I went by Best Buy but they do not carry Ancestral Quest or did not have it in stock when I checked. Unfortunately I was not able to get by CompUSA or any of the office supplies, but it appears that it should be available in a retail outlet. Ancestral Quest version 3 is available on the Internet for a download price of $37.95 delivered electronically. Copies purchased at retail or through The Hope Foundation come on a CD and have a printed manual. Copies may be purchased at the same web site from The Hope Foundation for $39.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. A special Jewish Edition of Ancestral Quest 3.0 was commissioned in a collaborative effort between the Hope Foundation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center and is available only by download for $37.95.