This is great advice..... for those who are fortunate enough to live near the source; ie, the archives, libraries and courthouses where the records are. But what does one do if they live on the opposite side of the continent, with no chance of examining the original records ? I'm the first to admit that the "hunt and chase " is the fun part of research, but after 30 years of chasing, ( and pushing 80 ) I am sooooooooo grateful for all the nice people who have done look ups and made copies of records for me! In the two or three years I've been on the intenet, thanks to the generousity and help of fellow members , I've found members of my family in places that I had no idea they had lived, and feel comfortable using copies of wills, deeds, court records, etc, that they have sent, as documentation. My response is not to be critical, but rather to encourage those in similar situations as I, not to throw up their hands, and give up. Marietta ---------- > Carolyn, > > I teach genealogy at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. So, my > opinion tends to be more conservative than some other family historians, but > I do not consider a discussion group on the internet to be a source. (A > valuable help, but not a source.) If someone posts a query, and I respond, > I include the actual source reference so the other person can consult it and > evaluate it for themselves. I also do not regard webpages, the I.G.I., > CD-ROM's and published or unpublished indexes as sources. They are aids > which lead us to sources. If you do not examine a source for yourself, but > rely on the accuracy of another person to do a lookup for you, you could > risk the validity of your work. More importantly, you miss the opportunity > to view the actual document, court record, grave marker, artifact, etc., > and the possibility of seeing additional information which could be of value > to you. > > That is just my opinion, but I hope it helps. > > Susan > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <Familybuff@cs.com> > To: <DanvilleCrossing-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 6:21 PM > Subject: Re: Info on Genealogy and Copyrights. > > > > I am in the beginning stages of writing about our Whitford family. Is it > > permissible for me to document a source as "Danville Crossing List on the > > Internet"? I have received data from members of the list. > > Thank you. > > Carolyn Whitford > > > > > > ==== DanvilleCrossing Mailing List ==== > > My family tree must have been used for Firewood !!! > > > > > > ==== DanvilleCrossing Mailing List ==== > My genealogy software won't accept "spaceship" > as a "Place of Birth"..... Now What ???? >