Didn't send original to List, so here goes: > >Been setting here reading everyone's opinion of FTM, etc. and decided I might as well get my two cents worth in, for what its worth. > >I am taking the middle ground here. I agree with Sharon's message below, that much can be found on these CD's for the genealogist just beginning or with experience of maybe 10 years or so. > >I think what bothers us "oldies" to genealogy the most, is the fact that we have more information than others and we do not want our 20 plus years of research sold, when in the back of our minds we are someday going to publish all that info. At least that is how I have always felt. Why should FTM or anyone for that matter, make a profit off of all my hard work? If one to be made, I should make it, right? > >But on the other hand, helping and sharing with others has always been our goal, even before Internet. Remember how exciting it used to be to wait for the mailman to come and see if we were going to receive that long awaited information we have been trying for years to obtain? Now the computer has taken the place of that anticipation. Free is the word most commonly used, so we object to anyone charging or making a profit. Didn't we used to offer to pay for copies, postage, etc. just to receive that information? Didn't we even offer to pay for the persons time? Even though they were kin? Just to get access to that much awaited info? I did and some people accepted those monies. > >I have a FTM page, as most of you know. To my knowledge my information has not been put on a CD yet. If anyone has the CD's past #18 and can tell me differently, I would be glad to hear about it. I did not see any "small print" stating they could use it. If someone did, please point me to it. I get queries re my FTM page almost weekly. As is the usual case, I have more than they, so have not benefited on going back in the earlier days, but I have benefited by receiving many GEDCOM files of some of these families, bringing my database closer to the present time. I like that even though I am lax on inputting it. My URL for my family page is: > ><http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/k/a/y/Mary-Ann--Kaylor> > >Someone check it out if they have the later CD's, I would like to know. I quit buying after #18, simply because I do not have the time to work on my own families. I have just finished putting the Index to Register Deaths on Jersey County ILGenWeb page which was one of several projects I have going for that County. > >So, to sum it up, I believe FTM has helped people like Sharon and like she stated, the key words are documentation. I would certainly hope that someone would document what I have put on line on my page. And I would be glad to receive any corrections with documentation. I always get a feeling of excitement when I hear of success stories like Sharon's, even though I had nothing to do with it. I remember the feeling she must have...I just don't get it much anymore. Maybe the "oldies" on snail mail could help me more <g> > >Mary Ann > >At 12:44 AM 3/17/99 -0600, you wrote: >> The only good thing I see about FTM >>> and Ancestry is that maybe someone will purchase the CDs and happen to be >>> connected to you and then contact you to share and update the information. >>> Maybe that is a dreamers attitude. Mary >>> >> >>Guess I do not think you are dreaming. I brought down one of my >>brick walls because a distant cousin posted the family on Kindred >>Konnections (a web site, similar to Ancestry). I only knew my >>Norwegian GrGrGrandmother as Bertha Thompson. There was no >>way I could trace her (you need a farm name to search in Norway). >>When I contacted that submitter, I was put in touch with not only >>other relatives, but a relative who has ALL the rest of the family >>BUT our branch, and after twenty years, she had about given up of >>there being any descentants from MY side! >> >>Because my relative posted the info on the KK site, I am now in >>contact with my genealogist cousin (who is in the process of >>writing a book on the family, and WE *were* going into the book >>as "NO descentants"), as well as two other family members, doing >>genealogy. >> >>Bertha Thompson's husbands family is on a Family Tree Maker CD >>(which I purchased), and has taken that side back over 200 years. >>I am currently in the process of verifing that information, but it is a >>lot easier to verify than it is starting from scratch. That is also >>Norwegian, and I had no farm name. >> >>I have discovered that whom I thought was my immigrant ancestor >>actually came over with her whole family, including her parents. >>And that 3 of her brothers fought in the Civil War. Knowing my >>ancestor was Bertha Thompson, I MAY have, some day, >>connected John Thompson to her (but really? Thompson?). But I >>may have gone to my grave not knowing that Bertha Thompson >>was originally Britha Trulsdatter Mael (and her brother was Johann >>Trulson Meal). Or that some of her brothers were Thompsons, >>some kept Trulson, and some even are Meals. >> >>Yes, one should verify what they get, from ANY source, other than >>the original source. But it is much easier to verify than it is to start >>from scratch (especially when you know so little). Much that I have >>received, I have already verified, and I have well over a 1,000 names >>to add to my family tree. And newly found relatives, which are >>quickly becoming friends, as well as relatives. >> >>Because of this family being posted I have recently received >>information that takes some lines back to about 100 BC. This has >>truly been the most exciting thing that has happened to me in over >>30 years of doing genealogy! >> >>Sharon Buethner >> >>PS I also have very recently received copies of photographs, visual >>descriptions (Bertha Thompson's father had deep red hair, etc.), >>Civil War photos, an actual photo copy of the first page of a church >>book that the Trulson/Thompson's joined in 1851, and copies of >>census records, birth and death certificates, etc. >> >> >> >>==== ILMACOUP Mailing List ==== >>To unsubscribe from ILMACOUP-D-request@rootsweb.com, send a message to >> ILMACOUP-D-request@rootsweb.com >>that contains in the body of the message the command >> unsubscribe >>and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. AOL requires a subject line. >> >> >> Mary Ann Kaylor County Coordinator & Mail List Manager Jersey County ILGenWeb <http://www.rootsweb.com/~iljersey/index.html> Our KAYLOR/TEDROW and STEWART/ROBISON Home page: <http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/k/a/y/Mary-Ann--Kaylor> KALER Mail List Owner <KALER-L-request@rootsweb.com>