> Shame on those who would attempt to make us feel guilty about using this > miracle Even though I usually don't jump into these discussions and Kay did ask to respond "off-list," I am responding to the latest comment. When I read Kay's original email I didn't feel a need to "defend myself" nor did she make me feel guilty. She wasn't knocking the use of the Internet as a tool for genealogy for cripes sake! The people that got all hot under the collar completely missed her point. I have been doing genealogy for over 20 years, long before email and the Internet. I also work full-time. I have a family and I don't have the time or money to go traipsing about the U.S. & Europe to search for my ancestors. Kay was not suggesting that at all. In doing genealogy for as long as I have, I've learned one thing even though the Internet is a great tool, you are NOT going to find everything you need through this vehicle to glean all the source material you need to- to have a complete research. The Internet is only as good as what people decide to enter into it. The GenWeb sites and the like are growing, but it is not enough. If you are the type that is satisfied with it fine, but you are missing out on all the little facts about your ancestors that you will never find here. If you take the genealogies that you will find throughout the Internet as fact without verifying the data it contains, well so be it. If you don't care that the line you are working on does not contain what source it came from, that's fine too. I for one do. There is a vast genealogical world out there. I started in 1979 with little money. I have collected data since then, and you know what folks? Not one bit of it exists on the Internet. You know why? Because it came from primary and secondary source material from writing to cemeteries, historical societies, libraries, archives, etc. etc. I've corresponded (the old fashioned way) with people; I've had kind souls do some of the footwork for me because I couldn't and when I was a little flush with money, I hired a qualified researcher. Kay wasn't knocking the Internet, she just was pointing out that if you limit yourself to it you are missing out on so much information. There is nothing like writing a letter to a historical society, etc. coming home and finding a big fat envelope in your mailbox filled with info you never knew existed. Maybe some of you should reread her original email. Jan