Francis, A correction: It was supposed to be a "tight ship," but NOT a "rude ship." The NOT got left out, inadvertently. <grin> I was also not in any way referring to the TWIGGS website. <grin> John R. Clarke For some of the best in the outdoors visit www.outdoorwriter.com This message is virus also free ----- Original Message ----- From: "Francis Clark" <fgclark@mindspring.com> To: <GATWIGGS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 1:32 PM Subject: RE: [GATWIGGS] Clarification about FGS > Ms. Virginia Crilley > GaGenWeb Archives, State Manager > > I do not normally jump into such discussions, but we have some serious > problems about data being incorrectly placed on the web. > > First, I agree with you that no one should take data from any source > other that the source documents a "gospel." However, there are too many > inexperienced researchers who DO all of their work based upon their > gleanings from the web. Many have never set foot in a library or > research center. > > Secondly, I agree with John that it is maddening to have erroneous data > on the web. Let me give you a prime example. Mr. Steven Carrol > Pearsall published a Gedcom file, > http://www.mindspring.com/~marydrake/spear/spear.htm , that lists my > mother's mother as "Selma Inez Pritchett." Selma was my uncle's wife, > not my grandmother. He shows my mother and her sister as children of > their brother. When I contacted Mr. Pearsall about this some years ago, > he told me he lost the password to his file and could not make > corrections! How absurd! Secondly, he has published information, such > as birth dates, of living people. Mine, for one! This is a violation > of privacy as well as direct lack of breeding on his part! I am > thankful he is not close kin! > > You said in your response to John words to the effect that we cannot be > sure of everything. I know or knew the people in Mr. Pearsall's file > and I know he is absolutely WRONG! But due to his carelessness and > sloppy work, it will probably haunt researchers for generations to come! > > We are planning to list web sites such as Mr. Pearsall's and several > others we know about on a "Watch List" to warn researchers about such > flagrant errors. As you can verify on our web page, > www.twiggscounty.com , we endorse "North Carolina Genealogical Society > STATEMENT OF CODE OF ETHICS." As I am sure you agree, there is no > substitute for integrity! > > We believe that all genealogical data should be referenced to a source, > especially when the data is published. The information came from > somewhere, and if it is not the figment of someone's imagination, the > source should be able to be quoted. > > Best wishes, > > Francis G. Clark > Web Master > www.twiggscounty.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Crilley [mailto:varcsix@hot.rr.com] > Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 10:23 AM > To: GATWIGGS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [GATWIGGS] Clarification about FGS > > John, > I'm sorry you have had an unsatisfactory experience with the Family > Group > Sheets. I've had so many positive responses toward them that I wanted > to > take this opportunity to explain more about the process. > > When someone submits a Family Group Sheet (or ANY data for that matter > that as been created by an individual), this is merely their view point. > While it may be inaccurate in your opinion, it is their submission, and > we > honor it as such. > > Regrettably, we don't feel we have the expertise to "go into" their > materials and make corrections. We'd probably really make a mess of > things > when we don't even know the family at all. > > The best thing you could do in this instance, is to submit your own > version > of the family--- provide documentation to support your listings----and > then > let individuals decide for themselves when they visit the Family Group > Sheets. > > Also you might want to work directly with the "submitter" and share your > > thoughts. Working together perhaps the submitter then would want to > "resubmit" the material with changes that you have suggested. Either > way, > it would be very beneficial for the two of you to work together. > > In genealogy, I have found very little absolute proof on anything! We > take > the best evidence we can find, and then make a "theory". When anything > later comes along to prove it, then we're usually delighted to be proven > wrong! > > The GAGenWeb Archives contain actual data (deeds, wills, court minutes > etc), but even those have been in error. I have a marriage record from > a > courthouse in which my ancestors name was spelled with the beginning > letter > of G instead of R !! Took some real looking to find this. > > Since anything we put on-line is transcribed, keep in mind that > handwriting > may have been misinterpreted....and usually submitter welcome your input > > and corrections. But again...this correction needs to come to us from > the > one who submitted (and trusted) the materials to us. > > I guess what I'm saying is that many records (even those from the court > house) may contain errors due to clerk's copying it; misinformation in > the > first place, etc. > > The Family History pages (LDS) have this very same problem. Haven't you > > encountered data on their pages that you think are not accurate. Those > submissions are only as good as the submitter. > > This is why it is so helpful when we do submit information that we do > our > very, very best to give some supporting documentation. > > At any rate, I think it is much better to get some "clues" on line than > nothing at all. Nobody should believe everything they read in a book, > on-line, or hear without also using their own knowledge and experience > to > evaluate it. > > Please feel free to correspond with me personally should you have other > questions or concerns. > > > > Source: GATWIGGS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [GATWIGGS] Family Group Sheets > > Since someone on the TWIGGS list brought up this website: > Several weeks ago when I first visited the archives of the Family Group > List I found quite a bit of the stuff in the archives of that list to > incorrect. When I noticed this fact I informed the person who is the > List > Owner of that website, privately, of what I had found in error. > I was later to find out this person, who lives in TX, also was the list > owner of the Richmond County, GA mailing list. I will not bother to post > her response to my private comment to her nor the attitude she > subsequently > displayed towards me but needless to say I "unsubed" from her RICHMOND > County, GA mailing list shortly afterwards. I was subsequently very glad > of > that fact because she quickly informed me that if I had not -- she would > have kicked me off of that mailing list. > The reason I questioned this material in the first place was because it > was my family. However, most of all, it was material on my 3rd GGF that > was > in error. > I have only had the displeasure to deal with one other list owner, like > this, in all of my years of genealogical research and this person was a > list > owner of a county up in NC. Hopefully, there will be no others but if > there > are -- I will unsub from their mailing list just as quickly as I did > hers. > The sad part about it was -- this persons wasn't hurting me at all. She > was hurting the subscribers to the Richmond County, GA website - maybe > all > 20 of them <grin>. > > > > Virginia Crilley > GAGenWeb Archives, State Manager > > > ==== GATWIGGS Mailing List ==== > Post your Obituaries for Twiggs County > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ga/TwiggsBios > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > ==== GATWIGGS Mailing List ==== > Support Rootsweb! > http://resources.rootsweb.com/USA/ > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > >