Linda, you are so right! It costs money, manpower, and time to abstract records and place them in a form easy for researchers to use. We can't expect others to do our work for us without considering what it cost them. There is one other factor I don't think anyone has mentioned. When a site gives us access to primary records (vs. grandma-said-it kind of records), we all have a better chance of preparing a genealogy that is accurate and more likely actually to be our own ancestors. Oral history is wonderful as a starting point, but we can see its problems when we read the myriad of entries on genforum--many of which are presented as fact because people have been passing around, in some cases, the same wrong information so long that it has taken on a life of its own. Even on pay sites, like ancestry.com, we have to differentiate between queries/compiled family histories and primary source records. It is for the primary source records that I gladly pay their fees. Good disagreement doesn't mean we are putting anyone down, and all of us have had times when we couldn't afford the luxury of any kind of fees. Luckily, there are so many helpful people in genealogy that, almost always, someone will look up a few entries for someone in need. Best wishes for all in the new year! Pansylea > From: ARMARION-D-request@rootsweb.com > Reply-To: ARMARION-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 08:00:04 -0800 > To: ARMARION-D@rootsweb.com > Subject: ARMARION-D Digest V01 #12 > > > ARMARION-D Digest Volume 01 : Issue 12 > > Today's Topics: > #1 Re: Pay to use sites ["Barbara Whisenant" <bwhiz@prodigy] > #2 Pierson ["Barbara Whisenant" <bwhiz@prodigy] > > Administrivia: > To UNSUBSCRIBE from ARMARION-L OR ARMARION-D, send a message: > to: > ARMARION-L-request@rootsweb.com > ARMARION-D-request@rootsweb.com > > that contains ONE word, in the body of the message: > > UNSUBSCRIBE > > No other text is necessary. No subject line is necessary, > but if your software requires one, just use UNSUBSCRIBE on > the subject line. Remember: The "-request" is only used > when you are asking the server to perform a command, in this > case the command is to UNSUBSCRIBE > > PLEASE, don't forget to UNSUBSCRIBE before you go > on vacation or change your e-mail carrier. > > Thanks, Rhio Gillis, listowner B) > > > > > > > ______________________________ > From: "Barbara Whisenant" <bwhiz@prodigy.net> > Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2001 8:58 PM > To: ARMARION-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Pay to use sites > > I totally agree with you, Linda. BRAVO! [hear me clapping? :) ] > Barb > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Linda Haas Davenport" <lhaasdav@mindspring.com> > To: <ARMARION-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 6:07 AM > Subject: Pay to use sites > > >> I'd like to toss out my 2 cents worth on the "pay for view" sites. No >> actually I want to get on my "soap box". Feel free to hit the delete key > now >> if you wish. >> >> I've been a genealogist for many years, way before the web was in > existence >> and I can tell you that it was a time consuming, frustrating and very >> expensive hobby. I spent untold dollars getting copies of things and even >> more untold hours waiting for replies - some of which never came. The > yearly >> fees for places like Ancestry are trivial compared to the money I spent in >> the past. >> >> I don't know why so many people think that genealogy information should be >> free no matter what. Would any of us walk into McDonalds expecting to >> receive our food for free just because eating is required to stay alive? > Or >> do we expect our doctor to treat us for free? Or our accountant to do our >> taxes for free. Or more to the point - do we all expect to get out of bed >> every day and go spend 8 hours at our job and not have a pay check on >> Friday? Of course not. >> >> So why do so many people expect the sites that are putting information on >> line to be free? Let us all remember that it takes a lot of human labor to >> transcribe records and a lot of expensive computer equipment to get them >> on-line and keep them on-line. These businesses are in **Business** and as >> such must make a profit or they will not be able to stay in business. And, >> since their business is making old records available to the public we > would >> all be the losers if they were to close down. >> >> Yes, there are a few sites like Family Discover.com that are scams but > they >> are very few, at least so far. And, yes there are sites like the USGenWeb >> Project where volunteers get information on-line for free, but where are > the >> volunteers that are needed to get as much information on-line as such > places >> as Ancestry? >> >> I've been the hostess of the Marion Co site for almost 3 years now and in >> that time I can count on one hand (with fingers left over) the number of >> people who have offered to help me transcribe records, or walk a cemetery > or >> copy an old book. I can tell you that I have spent hundreds of hours >> transcribing, formatting and getting on line the information you find on > the >> Marion Co site. I'm not complaining because I took on the job knowing that > I >> would have to do the majority of the work. But, the information on the >> Marion Co site is a rain drop in the ocean compared to such places as >> Ancestry. >> >> If every single genealogist would take one roll of microfilm from the LDS >> Library and transcribe the entire roll and let it be put on-line then > there >> would be no reason for the pay per view sites. But, you see that hasn't, > and >> won't, happen. >> >> In my experience, about 97% of family hunters are only interested in their >> own families and not interested at all in investing a lot of hours to >> transcribe records that are not directly related to their own families. >> >> So before we all grip and complain about having to pay to access > information >> let's all stop and think about where we would be if the information was > not >> available? I know where I would be - right back to paying for every copy, >> not being able to take off from work to visit a library or struggling to >> find time after work to visit the LDS family centers. >> >> And last, but not least. This discussion has come and gone on many e-mail >> lists and there is always someone who says they cannot afford to pay for a >> subscription service. I can only say that in every instance where that >> comment was made, there were several offers from people, like me, who are >> more than willing to look up the information needed on the pay for view >> sites and pass it along. >> >> OK I'm off my soap box now and off to work. Everyone have a good day. >> >> Linda >> >> lhaasdav@mindspring.com >> Home.page http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~haas >> Marion.Co.AR http://www.rootsweb.com/~armarion >> List hostess for -h.a.a.s/l.e.w.a.l.l.e.n/w.a.s.h.i.n.g.t.o.n n.c >> Interested in Construction? Check out my new book - "The Scopes of Work" > at >> http://www.builderbooks.com/bbstore/index.icl >> >> > > ______________________________ > From: "Barbara Whisenant" <bwhiz@prodigy.net> > Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2001 9:10 PM > To: ARMARION-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Pierson > > Does anyone know anything about a William or a James Pierson in Marion Co > AR, circa 1850? > > Thank you very much. > Barb >