Very good question. I'd like to know how people handle that, plus I have another question I'd like ideas on. What do you do about those facts that people don't want made public, even to their own relatives? I have one surname with several secrets. One was a girl who was made to give up her baby because she was a minor in the 1960s (and not married, of course) . I doubt if her daughter knows about this, and I sure don't want this to be the way she finds out she has a half brother somewhere! One great uncle had a wife and two children by his first wife. I don't know if the second family of 7 children even knew about the first family. When I've asked for their family's info, no one ever mentioned it. I sure didn't! Actually I have two men that are like that--two families, but I don't know that the second family knows about the first family. One I was told about by other family members, the other I found on my own by accident while looking up other records. I started doing genealogy about 3 years ago. I guess after Dad decided I was going to pursue this hobby for more than a year, Dad told me and my siblings about his first marriage. It was quite a shock, but could have been worse if I'd found it on my own later without any explanation from him. I did come across it in my research later. I'm so glad he decided to tell us himself, and in the long run I think he felt better for having gotten it off his chest. Quite a burden for over 50 years! I want people to be able to confide in me with the family secrets, when I ask questions about family history, so I feel like I have to be very careful, but how do you reconcile the "factual version" with the "edited version" of your family tree ? I'd really like to hear some ideas on this one. Linda ---------- From: by way of Genealogy Records Service <info@genrecords.com> Sent: Friday, July 03, 1998 2:18 PM To: GenTips-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Listing the Living Hi: Is there anyone who can tell me what is the proper way to address this situation? I have collected thousands of names in doing my 10 family surnames.  Have collected this info via phone, mail and personal interviews, collected all sorts of stories, articles, photos,  pictures of headstones, etc.  My only purpose for doing this was to put together books for each surname with the above info in them for any of our relatives who are interested in having one - to enjoy at no cost.  I am doing them on my computer and putting them into a three ring notebook with pictures of the oldest ancestors from that line on the front of the book. My question is under those circumstances, is there anything wrong with listing everyone - including the living and with their birthday and birthplace - on the descendancy tree in each book, so they can all see who their cousins are? If legally, I can not put their birth info, is it all right to just put their names with no dates or places - just stating "living"?  And, if that is the case, is there some sort of software that one can use to print  just that "living", since I have all of these people in my Family Tree Maker?  What a shame to have to leave living people off after so many of them have shown such an interest in this project? I have gotten such conflicting data on this situation, I do not know what I should do. Any help is appreciated.  Thank you so much taking the time to read this lengthy letter.  Jackie Jacquel384@aol.com ==== GenTips Mailing List ==== Support online research! Donate to the RootsWeb Genealogical Project! See more information at: http://www.rootsweb.com