Marie said and then asked: >I hate to say this out loud, but none of us will live forever, but family >trees we upload to Rootsweb, Ancestry, or other sites will. Do you have the email >address of two other people attached to the family trees you have uploaded >or on your own website who will theoretically live longer than you and who can >and will correspond with others who are 'serious researchers'?
>Why do you post information on the web if you don't want others to use it >and just how serious can anyone be who doesn't attach sources? When I see a >family tree on the web with no sources, I disregard it as non documented and >have stopped bothering to contact whomever put it on the web. I respond: I have been told that none of us will get out of this world alive - Bummer! As Casey Stengle said, "I don't want to become immortal by dying, I want to become immortal by living forever!" The response to your question is easy - I don't post my data anywhere, with one exception. I posted my theory about 5 early generations of my line which are unproven. They were CLEARLY labeled as theory on a friend's website. I requested either proof or disproof and comments. I don't post my proven data because I want interested people to contact me - and people are often referred to me. S'posin' I made an error in my research and posted it on a web site. I have no guarantee that the researcher who discovered the error will contact me. But, if we have several conversations I find that people are glad to talk about it since they already know me. Also, I have reviewed every VA and NC genealogy book in our local library - and most in the Tuscaloosa Library. If it's there I've already found it. If I see another's source I must accept it, without checking, until I go to Dallas, Raleigh, Terre Haute or somewhere. So, another's source may do me no good. Let me state here that I am not trying to convince anyone to change methods. I am merely saying what I prefer and hope readers will review their own methods from time to time - just as I do. I've spent the past several days (from about 5AM to 10PM) working on my wife's line. I found several earlier generations that I didn't have some months ago (without sources) and wanted to see if I could prove or disprove the data. I downloaded all census records for her mother's nee name from 1790- 1930 and I don't agree with one of the links. I don't need the sources - I can tell what's possible and what's impossible. (But please note that ages and spelling on old census records leave a lot to be desired.) Of course it's not absolute proof but I have yet to have anyone disprove a logical reconstruction I have done. It's nice to have a fast computer and multitask with Word, Ancestry.com and Legacy all running when covering the bases. If one's ancestors were poor farmers, as mine and hers were, they didn't leave a lot of documentation to use proving the line. A lot of our southern records were destroyed by war, fire and flood. It's nice that everyone but us descends from royalty and famous Indian Chiefs who kept records - we are the only living descendants from common people! 8-) Again, I'm not selling anything - just chatting. Hugh --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.822 / Virus Database: 560 - Release Date: 12/22/2004 Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
