This CD, published by the Genealogy Project Committee of the California Mennonite Historical Society, contains a genealogical database of people whose ancestral lines include Mennonites or Hutterites who at some time lived in Poland, Ukraine, or Russia. This release of GRANDMA (Genealogical Registrty and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) contains data on 1,250,285 individuals. It is designed to be accessed with the Brother’s Keeper program (a shareware copy of which is included on this CD). Once both the Brother’s Keeper program and the data files are installed on the hard drive of your computer (approximately 1.3 gigabytes of available hard drive space required), you may either view or edit any of the information in the database.

Please select from the following options:

Install the program and data files. Instructions for installing the Brother's Keeper program and the GRANDMA 7 data files onto your computer's hard drive.

Customize the Brother's Keeper options. Following these instructions will ensure optimal performance of the Brother's Keeper program.

Register your copy of Brother's Keeper. We encourage all GRANDMA users who use Brother's Keeper to register their copy of that program. Here's how to do it.

Get started with Brother's Keeper & GRANDMA. How to search for people and other basic tips.

Data entry guidelines. Please follow these rules if you wish to submit new data to the GRANDMA project.

Submit updates and corrections to GRANDMA. You can help make GRANDMA a better genealogical resource.

For assistance in installing programs or data, contact the California Mennonite Historical Society by telephone at 559-453-2225 or by e-mail.

GRANDMA ONLINE

An online version of GRANDMA also is available. It is updated every few months, and allows users to see the newest information added to the database. However, the online version does not include data on living people and cannot generate many of the reports available on the CD version. The cost is $20 for a two-year subscription. If you want to purchase a subscription, use the online order form. You may either pay online with a credit card or print a mail-in form to include with your check.

DISCLAIMER REGARDING DATA QUALITY

GRANDMA represents our best efforts to produce accurate genealogical data. The database has been created through the combined efforts of many genealogists. We cannot independently verify every piece of information contributed to us, and so cannot guarantee that every item sent to us is factual. GRANDMA users should be aware that the database does contain errors. It is no substitute for original source material.

We ask contributors to include documentation in order to verify the accuracy of their information. We do not require source documentation, however, and many entries have no documentation. In such cases, GRANDMA users should take the information for what it is --- the potentially unverified and undocumented statement of another genealogist.

We consider GRANDMA to be a “work in progress.” We think it best to put the information in front of the largest possible audience, knowing that it contains some errors, and hoping that the rest of you will let us know where corrections are needed. Through this ongoing process, we are confident that GRANDMA will become an increasingly accurate and complete database.

If you find errors, please let us know and, if possible, provide sources and documentation supporting the changes you recommend.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

GRANDMA is a compilation of genealogical data gathered from a wide variety of sources, virtually all of which are publicly available. Some individuals may nonetheless wish to have information about themselves or their minor children removed from the GRANDMA database. Upon written request, the CMHS will make a reasonable effort to honor such requests.

GRANDMA is a collaborative effort involving many contributors, and submissions are shared within the research community. Therefore, we ask that contributions contain no comments that generally would be regarded as personally sensitive or offensive. While we strive to identify and remove such information before publication, sometimes it does appear. If this type of information is called to our attention we make a reasonable effort to remove it from the next release of the GRANDMA database.

Requests for removal of any information should be sent to:

California Mennonite Historical Society
1717 S. Chestnut Avenue
Fresno CA 93702

ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you have any difficulty installing either the GRANDMA data files or Brother’s Keeper, or have any other questions about this CD, please call 559-453-2225 (8:00-12:00 or 1:00-5:00, Pacific time, Monday-Friday). We have limited staff available to provide technical support, and so it may be necessary for us to call you back.

You may also check the Frequently Asked Questions section of our Web site.