To whom it may concern, As the County Coordinator for the Burke County NCGWP web site and a member of "Picture Burke Project," the Burke County Library, The Burke County Genealogical Society, the Burke Historic Trust and the Burke County Historical Museum, I would like to respond to this particular individual. The non-profit nature of the NCGenWeb Project is certainly not being threatened by the sale of BCGS Publictions. The Society has provided more FREE information to the public than most any other genealogical entities do for a fee. The fact that Burke County, North Carolina historical and genealogical associations have allied together to provide the best possible resources to the public may have been understated on the Burke web page. Publications listed on the Burke County NCGWP page by the Burke County Genealogical Society (a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, as classified by the IRS) is done by me as a courtesy to them. The Burke County NCGW Project has publicized the work of the society and is making available a list of publications the society has for sale. The profits derived from these publications are plowed back into the general fund so that additional books may be published, for the benefit of genealogists everywhere. Many folks are under the illusion that all genealogical data should be free. These individuals have come to be recognized by the genealogical societies as "takers" rather than "givers." By that, I mean that the folks who expect everything to be free have probably never walked a cemetery and recorded data. They have probably never transcribed census' or public records so that others might find a missing ancestor. These same folks seethe when the only source of information they seek is the public library or a subscription genealogical service. The fact of the matter is that these are the selfish among us who always criticize the efforts of others and deign to share what they have with others Nobody is even beginning to suggest that these selfish folks should join a genealogical or historical organization. Most of them don't have the courtesy to credit the sources when they copy genealogical publications anyway. Fortunately, their numbers are small and they don't have much of an impact on real genealogists or the selfless contributions that real researchers make. To this particular critic, I urge you NOT to join the Burke County Genealogical Society. They will certainly not benefit from your membership. You can visit the remaining 2,814 Burke County FREE pages. While copying and you won't HAVE to give credit to anyone and you can download stuff to your heart's content, if your ethics are so inclined. Your complaint is not well recieved by the "givers." As far as "Everything is about joining the Genealogical society and the books they publish," that is about as false statement as I have ever heard. The Society only constitutes only one page among the 2,815 pages on the Burke County Web Site. If you really had a complaint, why didn't you come to me first, the creator of the Burke County NCGWP page??? I am also the CC the Catawba County NC web site and also promote the local society (http://www.rootsweb.com/~nccatawb/ccgsmain.htm). While I am not a member of their society, I certainly think anyone who advances the cause of genealogy should be recognized for their contributions. Derick S. Hartshorn CC, Burke County NCGWP home page http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/ I At 03:58 PM 5/29/2004, you wrote: >Hi, Nancy, > >After receiving the note with your concerns about the Burke County site, I >visited the page myself to take another look. The information on the >Burke County Genealogical Society is definitely not the only information >on the site. There are other records on line - quite a few, in fact - and >a great deal of information about the history of the county. > >I see no problem with having a County Coordinator cooperate with the local >genealogical society; in fact, it can be of benefit to the NCGenWeb >Project, the genealogical society, and most importantly, the >researcher. In this case, Derick has provided a page for the Burke County >Genealogical Society, along with their contact information, membership >information, and a list of publications available from the Society (none >of the publications can be purchased through the Burke County >site). Genealogy societies can be invaluable resources for researchers, >and it is entirely appropriate for a NCGenWeb Project page to include this >sort of information. Supporting the local genealogical society and >supporting free genealogical information on the internet are not mutually >exclusive. Our goals may not be identical to the genealogy society, but >neither are we competitors. > >Angie Rayfield >NCGenWeb Project State Coordinator >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgenweb/ > > >-----Original Message----- >At 09:45 PM 5/26/2004 -0700, you wrote: > >>Hi, >> >>I was surprised that you are supporting the Burke County Genealogical >>Society by providing them space on the Genweb to sell their products. I >>thought Genweb was about sharing information freely on the web. I know I >>have sent information to be posted on other sites for other >>researchers. I went to the Burke County, NC Genweb site, saw the NC >>Genweb logo, and the Burke County Genealogical Society title. Everything >>is about joining the Genealogical society and the books they publish. >> >>Thanks, >> >>Nancy Crayton >>Sammamish, WA > >Hello Nancy- > >I am forwarding your message to Angie Rayfield, the NCGenWeb State >Coordinator, who I am sure will respond to your concerns. > >-Isaiah > >Isaiah Harrison >National Coordinator >The USGenWeb Project

Well spoken, Derick and Angie There are many members of societies who support both their several societies and the free pages as well. And some even pay Ancestry.com and other pay sites because they want to collect as much data for comparisons as they can. They do this so they may have the most accurate family tree that is possible, rather than just taking someone else's word or work. Susie Barkley

I'd also like to add that when people ask for a "look-up" on various Rootsweb lists, those "look-ups" are often provided by people who access their paid Ancestry and Genealogy.com and other subscriptions for the information. That's not really free either. Nevertheless, I see many generous people providing that service. Nancy -----Original Message----- From: Susie Barkley [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 4:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [NCBurke] RE: Burke County, NC Genweb site Well spoken, Derick and Angie There are many members of societies who support both their several societies and the free pages as well. And some even pay Ancestry.com and other pay sites because they want to collect as much data for comparisons as they can. They do this so they may have the most accurate family tree that is possible, rather than just taking someone else's word or work. Susie Barkley ==== NCBURKE Mailing List ==== NCBURKE-L [Co., NC] Mailing List - Sharing information on Historic Burke Co., NC For further info, see http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/ Our thanks to RootsWeb.com for hosting this list and web page