Like it or not, the vast majority of genealogy lists and message boards regard rightly the seeking of details on living people as an invasion of their privacy. I would be offended if I came across somebody that I did not know asking for details of my private life on a message board. Of course I am in contact with living cousins all over the world as a result of discovering shared family. That is very different from asking for those individual's details before I had made contact with them about dead family. How would anybody who replied to such a message know that the enquiry was made with a legitimate purpose? If you are asking for details of distant cousin George's whereabouts or his marriage, how do you know that cousin George is happy for such details to be publicly shared? I know several family historians who have expressly asked that not only their details but also the details of their parents whether living or dead are not shared anywhere online. Why should anybody think they have a right to disregard and disrespect those sensitivities, or jeopardise them unwittingly, just in pursuit of a hobby? If you can't see why asking for information about a person that you don't know may be harmful, than I am sorry Nick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Faraway" <Faraway@xtra.co.nz> To: <cornish-gen@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 11:29 PM Subject: [CORNISH-GEN] Looking for living descendants wrong? No !! >I agree with Meli contacting 'living descendants' is a bonus, you share > information, family bibles, family oral history, photos etc, and make new > friends . > but I suppose the way to do it is to reply off list so that the privacy is > retained. > I cannot see any harm in asking for information if anyone has it to share, > but not to be too specific about anyone that may be alive. > Mary in New Zealand > > -------Original Message------- > > From: Meli > Date: 04/03/10 10:53:00 > To: cornish-gen@rootsweb.com > Subject: [CORNISH-GEN] Looking for living descendants wrong? > > Dear Friends, > > This comment was just posted in a recent Corn-Gen digest issue: > > "Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 06:11:01 +0100 > From: "Alan Nelson" <atgn@elder53.fsnet.co.uk> > Subject: Re: [CORNISH-GEN] JENKIN - Peterville Inn, St Agnes > To: <cornish-gen@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <DBBB037FF03841158BED9046C270BE67@YOUR60C1573C39> > > I thought seeking living relatives is frowned upon on these lists" > > > Surely not! One of my major goals constantly is to make contact and > exchange information with "distant cousins" who are living descendants of > my > ancestors! This is how we are able to make headway in our research, isn't > it? > > Blessings, Meli in Texas > > > ------------------------------- > Listmom: ybowers@gmail.com or CORNISH-GEN-admin@rootsweb.com > > Visit the OPC (Online Parish Clerk) web page for transcription information > http://www.cornwall-opc.org/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CORNISH-GEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > Listmom: ybowers@gmail.com or CORNISH-GEN-admin@rootsweb.com > > Visit the OPC (Online Parish Clerk) web page for transcription information > http://www.cornwall-opc.org/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CORNISH-GEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >