To say using information from published records of families is a no-no apparently comes from someone who has never fully checked court records. Having gone through two trials over the past 30 years regarding the use of facts from published works, the courts contend using general facts can be used. That's why we can copy spelling from copyrighted dictionaries. What can't be used are the fruits of the author. That means you can't use their exact words of description People and linage history can't be called the fruits of the author. Its arrangement can be if is in an unusual arrangement thought up by the author, but family tree information is mostly, if not all, in formats that are in common usage. Authors don't own usual formats nor the information. They do own the writing about such. At least that is how we won two such cases and both went up on appeals which also came back in our favor.----Joe Bob (I spent four decades in the newpaper wars publishing copyrighted products daily that were used for information. My wife's novels are another matter, the people in them are creations of her imagination.)