Hello Lisa, Well, many years ago I transcribed part of Smyth Co., VA, and can say that when names on the graphics of the Census were difficult to read, I was able to decipher most of them because of being familiar with the families in that county. I can assure you that I did a far better job than anyone in India could do. Now, I really don't like your statement, "If you don't like their services, don't continue using and paying for them." That's just smacking in the face those of us who DO pay for, and use, Ancestry's service, but don't like the attitude of the people there. You make take exception to the "profit" angle, but that organization (My Family and all it's subsidiaries) have progressed far beyond the original goal of "sealing" everyone who has ever lived. All the LDS endeavors are now about "milking the genealogy cash cow". Would love to see their yearly "non-profit" IRS statements. Wonder how many billions My Family is now worth. Anyway, I've sent you an "invite" to the Germanna Tree at Ancestry. I'm sending a private email to you about how to register. Sarge At 10/2/2011 09:13 AM Sunday, Lisa deGruyter wrote: *********START OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE TEXT********* >As popular as genealogy and local history is, I doubt that there are >enough people familiar with all the names in each area back through the >19th century to do the volume transcribing necessary. > >Ancestry has always been for-profit, as far as I know. If you don't >like their services, don't continue using and paying for them. I would >like to see the Germanna tree, because it undoubtedly includes some >non-Germanna people I am interested in, and is part of the German >history of the frontier, but I won't buy Ancestry services. > >If you meant LDS is about profit, I take great exception. > >Lisa >==== >Lisa deGruyter >Clarksburg, West Virginia >http://ldeg.wordpress.com > > >******** >Hear Bill Barker from Colonial Williamsburg speak on Thomas Jefferson and slavery at Graves Mountain Lodge, Madison County, Virginia October 1, 2011. For information contact: www.germannacolonies.org > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GERMANS-VA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message **********END OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE TEXT*********** Germanna Database at Ancestry: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/28427876/recent?o_iid=41125&o_lid=41125&o_sch=Web+Property My Germanna Database at Rootsweb: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=germanna My Germanna Website at Rootsweb: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/index.html

----- Original Message ----- From: "George W. Durman" <GermannaResearch@comcast.net> You make take exception to the "profit" angle, but that organization > (My Family and all it's subsidiaries) have progressed far beyond the > original goal of "sealing" everyone who has ever lived. All the LDS > endeavors are now about "milking the genealogy cash cow". Would > love to see their yearly "non-profit" IRS statements. Wonder how > many billions My Family is now worth. George, First, I am not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, I do have great respect for their endeavors to get it right. Since about 20 per cent of the members are able to get recommends to enter a temple, it is just like other churches on being able to get their members to really tow the line! Even most of those denominations that used to be very strict and threw a member out of the church on the least violation, now tend to look the other way. Don't get carried away, George! I hope I don't! Ancestry.com is NOT owned by the LDS church and never has been. History--2 fellows started a company using some LDS material, but also some original census work. I still use those ACI fiches which we have at the local Family History Center. They merged as you know tax lists and census records as well as other material to create great list of folks every ten years and colonial times. I still from time to time smash a brick wall using the old AIC fiches at the local FHC. The IGI sometimes gets confused with the other lists AIC [Accelerated Indexing Systems]. The two partners of ACI had a falling out. One went out the door leaving somethings behind and others in his pockets. Of part of this, some wound up in Illinois in somones back yard or at least copies. One of the partners started Ancestry. A short time ago this partner sold to a non-LDS person Ancestry. While the new owners of Ancestry live in Utah, they are not members of the LDS church. The programs that the LDS church use now for Temple work are available only to LDS members. The temple work being done now is no longer added to the IGI. Nor are the extraction programs in process whereby all the microfilm held by the church will have names and and any dates and places computerized. Non-LDS members may participate in this extraction program if they so wish. The LDS church has recognized errors have been made in the passed in some of the application of church ordiances and have banned the mass apllication apllied to a list of all males or females from some remote village in outer Mongolia, etc. I never was bothered by this practice--I am not LDS; rather one of the few High Churchers still active the Episcopal church USA. I just shrugged off the moaning and groaning about "They baptized my ancestors!" Well, if one thought that would make them assured of the eternal bliss regardless the fact that many might be reprobates, then I suggested we should leave all our records to the LDS, and request ordianance work after we die. Just as good insurance policy! Seriously, if one believes that baptising the dead is valid, then the only church I know that does that, is the LDS. Most of my LDS friends have good laughs over all the mess people of good intentions had. They are trying to unscramle good intentions and get the real great-grandma established out of the many misguided "good intentions." After all, who besides me, have never made an error of judgement in our genealogical endeavors? smile. Cary