Dear Barb and Cousins on the List: Thanks Barb, for your comments, and your dedication to the process. It is very disheartening to many people to find that ethical standards in the collection and dissemination of genealogy (which after all, reflects our family values) are not what they should, or even could be. We have to take our lumps and get back up on the horse. Don't beat yourself up with what other people do -- it only reflect who they are, not who you are. I find that the errors that we made when we were beginning are totally forgiveable. Last week I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet one of our cousins, Georgia, and she was despairing because with the enthusiasm of the beginning searcher she had submitted a gedcom that was almost all family memories, and she hadn't found the documentation for it. We've all done that, Georgia! And being thrilled over discovering our history and our families' part in it is a wonderful thing. Wanting to share it and progress further by finding cousin-searchers is wonderful too. We learn as we go. We make mistakes. We get better and make fewer mistakes. I still have things haunting me that I wrote up when I was beginning, and I still encounter them in others' gedcoms occasionally. It's embarassing, but I hope forgiveable, too. What is not so forgiveable are those who have their errors pointed out and still perpetuate them or argue that they are not wrong. Barb, your suggestions are great. From time to time I point out the standards of the National Genealogical Society which can be found at their website. (P. S. The NGS annual meeting is being held here in Portland this year. I can't afford it, but if anyone else can, please give me a holler -- I would just love to meet you if you attend.) I would also point out that there are just two types of records: Primary and Secondary. Very broadly put, primary records are those created at the time of the event. A deed, a will, a military discharge are examples. Secondary records are those created after the fact -- often books. Documenting the event requires proper citations of the primary or secondary source, as Barb points out. Merely stating "such and such book," is not a proper reference any more than saying "the 1850 Census," is. Giving authors, page numbers, is necessary for proper documentation. I know I've seen several hundred gedcoms that give the name of a person as a source. That's nice, but Dearhearts, it's not documentation. Thanks again Barb for your input, and your desire for quality, not quantity. Love, Your Cousin, Carolyn Carolyn McDaniel cmacdee@teleport.com ========================================= To send a message to the American Crossroads List: AMXROADS-L@rootsweb.com --- Visit American Crossroads --- http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads