Hello everyone on my Email Lists, We need to get the word out about a relatively new website that is charging researchers for data that's normally 'free of charge'. http://www.familydiscovery.com/ BEFORE anyone signs up and pays to have access to 'their databases'...consider this: It appears that they are merely linking back to copyrighted personal websites with raw data and not all of them are really their own databases. Their method is completely opposite of what you will find at the very reputable website, ancestry.com, for example. They are marketing it as a 'convenience' service to genealogy researchers. Some of their information is found 'free of charge' elsewhere on the internet. Whether this practice is lawful or not really isn't the issue....is it ethical? I have alerted the owners of personal websites that I recognized on their 'what's new' webpage so they can pursue whatever avenue they want to. One person I heard about, signed up and still hasn't received their 'login' info after several weeks and efforts to contact the site owners were fruitless because of bogus addresses and telephone numbers, so they alerted their local police. Both RootsWeb and USGenWeb management teams are aware of this situation. Both yesterday and today, there has been email discussion on our Georgia county coordinator email list about this very sad situation... I just hate to see people pay for something they don't have to; but all I can do is make you aware of it..then you are on your own.... Warm regards, CAT Have a safe and super holiday weekend!!!! -- Carol Ann "Cat" Tindell Jacksonville Beach, FL C.A.T.'s Southern Genealogy: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~catinjax Researching: AKINS, BERRY, BOWERS, BROOKS, CANTRELL, DANIEL, LITTLE, McCRAVEY, ROBERTS, STANDRIDGE, WALLIS & WOOD{S} Our Southern AKINS: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~catinjax/akins Researching: A&D of James AKIN, Sr. Henrico Co., VA including his g-grandson, Lewis AKINS who d. 1791 Laurens Co., SC. The TINDELLs of Calhoun Co., FL: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~catinjax/tindell Researching: DUNCAN, JONES, TINDEL of SE AL & West FL Union Co., GAGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gaunion Fannin Co., GAGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gafannin Old Walton Co., GAGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gaoldwal