SNIP>You may not agree with his views but he does have a right to state them.< I agree! I've watched this 'discussion' in slight horror at the vitriol being poured out! Why do people need to get so heated in defending the council for God's sake? I personally feel it's a shame that a valuable member has been lost due to such nastiness... although he was right in there being nasty as well. Can't people be civil and have respect for the views of others? Particularly if it doesn't actually affect you at all? How important is it anyway? Val ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alison Holden" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 6:47 AM Subject: Re: [ENG-WILTSHIRE] Cost of Wilts Wills online defended > Dear All > I cannot comment on the cost of setting up and running websites, etc. > However I would like to say that I have made considerable use of Mike > John's website. > I have been able to trace my family history back several generations as > well as making contact with other family members. His site has saved me > probably hundreds of pounds. > > He may, or may not, transcribe for freeCEN or freeBMD but he has made > available innumerable records online for people who are unable to travel > to record offices in Wales. > He has helped me personally with my family tree and has sent me copies of > wills that relate to my family. > > So please do not end this discussion with criticism of him. You may not > agree with his views but he does have a right to state them. > Alison > > > ________________________________ > From: Terry Waters-Marsh <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, 29 January, 2009 10:19:22 PM > Subject: Re: [ENG-WILTSHIRE] Cost of Wilts Wills online defended > > Dear All, > > As the first to defend the cost of the online Wilts wills, perhaps I can > have the last words as well and then we can close the thread (please?). > > Mike was strident in his criticisms but as far as I know, he has never > volunteered to transcribe for FreeCEN (putting the census online for > free), > FreeBMD (putting the civil registration indexes online for free) or > FreeREG > (putting the parish registers online for free). Had he done so, he would > have realised that even these projects, registered as charities in the UK, > have significant costs in producing the transcriptions and in maintaining > the web servers for online access. Even the volunteers have costs in terms > of time, use of their computers, discs and postage costs. > > As someone else so aptly commented, "You do not owt for nowt". > > Finally, the mind is like a parachute - it only works when it is open. > > Warmest regards, > > Terry Waters-Marsh > FreeCEN Country Coordinator for ENGLAND > FreeCEN County Coordinator for SOMERSET (1891), WILTSHIRE, BEDFORDSHIRE, > BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, CHESHIRE, DORSET, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, > HERTFORDSHIRE, HUNTINGDONSHIRE, OXFORDSHIRE, WARWICKSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE. > Visit the FreeCEN web site at http://www.freecen.org.uk > Somerset web page http://freepages.genealogy.rootswseb.com/~somtcen > Wiltshire web page http://www.pope-genealogy.me.uk/nwop.htm > Warwickshire web page > http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/freecens/1861/index_1861.html > Worcestershire web page http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/wo-a-p.html > OPC for Avebury, Wiltshire > General census information > http://www.british-genealogy.com/resources/census/index.htm > > "To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree > without > a root." (Chinese Proverb) > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1925 - Release Date: 30/01/2009 7:37 AM

Hello folks Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre is funded by the UK taxpayers (local & national). It is required by the central government to try and cover its operating costs. I have no idea how they decide what charges to make, but no doubt they have guidance from central government on that. The commercial operators (Ancestry etc) are also making a contribution to the Exchequer. But unlike the WSHC they also have to make a profit. The only way we (Family historians) can ameliorate the situation is to join the volunteer projects or just do something yourself. It's a shame that Mike John and Terry Waters-Marsh got into an argument, as they are both "good guys" and making a contribution to the general good. Rgds Michael