Hello Alison, (and List) As part of the discussion on the disposal of gifted (found) family trees, you said, > I have also obtained copies of family trees which do > not necesasarily have sources from the Dumfries and Galloway FHS. It's worth > contacting them to see if they would like them. > If that was recently, I'm surprised to hear it. Dumfries and Galloway have had to totally review their policy on retaining old style family trees because of the latest European directives associated with the Data Protection act. Our new policy is that we will hold only pedigree charts submitted by members who have given written permission for their charts to be made available to other members for research purposes. As for the sources, the submitter should have these and be able to supply that information to the enquirer so that can verify the data they have been given. The DGFH Society is merely as a bureau facilitating the connection between member and member. Our website at www.dgfhs.org.uk has a button linking to the pedigree charts index and the full explanation as to how the new system works is given there. These regulations have lead us to review all our old charts and data left with left with us, we find we can't legally use them so we are currently considering ways of getting proper authorisation for the quality material giving sources and how to disposed of the rest that has accumulated over the years. I can't claim to speak for DGFHS but so as far as the items that started the discussion are concerned I don't think contacting DGFHS would be all that helpful. Other UK FHSs are no doubt faced with the same problem we have. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The general discussion on the value of sources is was intersting. Here is my take on it: There is a 'mantra' in genealogical and historical research and it will be found in many books and booklets on the subject -- "Check Your Sources" -- and the closest you can get to Primary Sources the better. Any other policy isn't really research, it is closer to imaginative reconstruction, which has value in its own right but has more to do with entertainment. Burns used a saying which I have to paraphrase (i.e. imaginatively reconstruct it because I can't find the source, but no doubt somebody can): FACTS ARE CHEILDS THAT DINNA DING Sandy