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Yes, I agree with Ken.....I think there are plenty of situations when back up software is appropriate and even necessary.

If you use only one or two apps that have a single database then maybe manual backup is fine for you.  Apps like Family Tree Maker or Quicken are like this...These apps usually have some sort of internal utility for making back ups and that might be enough for you.

However, I work on quite a variety of apps, and generate multiple new files and modify existing files frequently.  If I had to keep track of what had changed, or as an alternative, just re back up the whole lot each day, or hour, or whatever, eventually, I would stop doing it.

Also, even in the home environment, people often have multiple users on the same computer and/or multiple users on different computers.  Having everyone responsible for their own manual backups is okay, but hardly efficient.

Although backup software is certainly an additional point of failure, for the most part, it is quite reliable.  I think it is more reliable than the average user who manually backs up.  People that manually back up don't usually keep multiple generations, something that back up software can do without additional effort on your part.

My scheme is to have a drive on my network for all critical files including documents, databases, email, and media.  Then I have a second drive that is the back up for that administered with back up software.  It backs up daily with only those files that have changed or been added.  Once a week it does the whole group of files.  As I mentioned in the earlier post, the main drive is a WD MyCloud, meaning I can access files from any location.  The drive stays at home.  Of course this only works when the backup computer is connected to the network...so the back up does net skipped sometimes.

I have also been experimenting with Microsoft's One Drive which I like quite a bit.  It creates a mirrored version of you files in their "cloud"  So those files are continuously backed up.  I . for the most critical files.  Not sure where this will lead me....am a bit leery about the expense and the reliability of a "cloud" only back up scheme.

At the risk of overselling, I think, except for the very, very casual user, the manual backup route is a dead end that will end in a mess.

There is a story that a U.S. Congressman, Andrew J. May, D-Kentucky disclosed critical information at a press conference on 23 June 1943, perhaps in Hawaii.  He had learned that the Japanese Navy set depth charges to explode at too shallow a depth.  He disclosed this to reporters and the story was picked up by the wire services, published and eventually seen by the Japanese who made and adjustment and were much more successful for a time in the Pacific.

My problem is all of the online versions of the story lead back to two books and not primary sources.  I have searched thoroughly over 100 US newspapers published in 1943.  While I have a lot of hits on Congressman May, since he was an influential person during WW2, I cannot find a single bit of evidence that the story was ever published.  The wiki site on May is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_J._May

Can anyone help to verify(or debunk) this story.   I should think Hawaii or Washington DC newspapers from 1943 or footnotes in  Clay Blair's book entitled "Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan"  The Naval Institute Press, would be good starting points.  I don't have access to any of these.

Michael Tomasik

Again, thanks to all who commented.  I have confirmed, to my satisfaction, that the references that you provided are all indeed relating to the Floyd Baker Irish who I am researching.

Recently I discovered that he can be traced back to a John Irish who arrived in Plymouth Colony in 1629/30!!  What fun!!

But, although I am convinced that he is the father of Nellie Marie Agnes (nee Irish) Guthoff, I ahve yet to find any documentation for her, i.e. birth record, adoption information etc.  I believed that Floyd B. father her about late 1871 or early 1872 and that she was born in Pennsylvania and was perhaps adopted by the Guthoff's (or perhaps a Guthoff was her mother).  At any rate she married Charles William Reen in Philadelphia 1890 and died in Detroit about 1948.  I have the 1900 and later U.S. Census entries.

Any help with her birth, adoption or life in Phily will be appreciated.

Researching, for my son, a Nellie Marie Agnes Guthoff born in August of 1872 in Pennsylvania.  She married a Charles W. REEN in 1890, Philadelphia.  I believe she was adopted.  Her biological father's name is Floyd Baker IRISH, born September 1853, New York.

No luck in the 1880 US Census for Nellie or Floyd.  I know what Nellie did after she married Charles REEN and have a good fix on Floyd after 1890, but have no idea on who the GUTHOFFs were.

Any ideas out there?
Michael