I thoroughly agree with the individual website & link idea put forth by Mr. Fillerup. That seems the best way to keep up to date information readily available. Also, a central database quickly becomes unwieldy and difficult to manage. Link, link, link, in my opinion. -----Original Message----- From: Robert Fillerup <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 11:33 AM Subject: Re: [CALVERT-L] Calvert Repository > I agree that there should be a "Repository." I disagree that any central file should be >created, and then added to, emailed around, circulated, or what not. I strongly disagree with the >concept that everybody could then contribute their "lines" to a database. We will simply end up >creating another monster like the LDS Ancestral File with a lot of jumbled and conflicting >information. > However, we already have such a central file. It's called the Internet. For example, for some >time I have been creating a web page for the William Calvert-Elizabeth Nodding line. Obviously, >the format is HTML. It contains all the known information about William and Elizabeth. It also >contains a link to my William -Elizabeth Nodding page for Elizabeth's parents. There are links to >other web sites for descendants who are maintaining a site for those offspring. [Now all I have >to do is polish it all off and put it out there!] > > All that is really needed is a volunteer to host a page for a particular ancestor. Link all >of the ancestor pages together at one place and you have exactly what you desire, a giant >repository of Calvert information. > >To repeat: > As soon as there is a central page, it will contain a link to my William Calvert-Elizabeth >Nodding page. All those who descend from William and Elizabeth who are willing, will help me >maintain that page, some by providing their own pages on their particular lines. That way, no one >person has to do a lot of work. In addition, the info can always be as up-to-date as the person >maintaining the page wants it to be. > > A further problem with a central data base is that there are always conflicts in >information. Where I manage the "home page" for a particular individual, I can note the >differences of dates, conflicts, questions, etc, and if somebody disputes what's there, they can >email me with their thoughts, evidence, etc. which I can then add in. > > What I am proposing is essentially identical to the USGenWeb project. Instead of States and >Counties, we'll have Calverts and sub-Calverts, so to speak. There will be an official web page >for each individual Calvert line, with additional pages for further descendants, as the need and >interest arises. > > There are a lot of families on the Net who have organized this way. Let's take advantage of >the tool we already have in place. Please don't attempt to create another central data base! The >LDS Church can't make theirs work. The only way one will work is if there is a single individual >who is willing to devote almost full time to trying to determine which information is the most >accurate on a particular individual. I can guarantee you that the information I would submit to >such a database on the William-Elizabeth line will conflict with what's in O'Gorman, what's in >the LDS Ancestral File, and with what a lot of people already have in their own data bases. >Don't try the "central repository" approach. It simply won't work! > > >==== CALVERT Mailing List ==== >All messages posted to this mailing list are the property of their writers. Please obtain permission from all parties before forwarding or publishing any message from this list. > >