One concern that I have is that Rootsweb and USGenWeb are owned by the same corporation as Ancestry. Despite copyright laws, if a corporation owns a web service that is now free, they could eventually decide that it is not profitable to continue to spend the money on a free web service and could decide to charge for the service or combine it with one of the other services they own--i.e. Ancestry or another. That said, I do subscribe to Ancestry. I also have posted documents I have transcribed to Rootswebs sites for NC. -----Original Message----- >From: Mbmackie1231@aol.com >Sent: Mar 8, 2008 3:11 PM >To: nclincol@rootsweb.com, Jthompson20@mchsi.com, NCCATAWB@rootsweb.com >Cc: NCGASTON-L@rootsweb.com, ccboyles@ipass.net, NCLINCOL@rootsweb.com, jelmore@carolinaexpress.net, KUDZUKING@aol.com, tahda@bellsouth.net, pking@shelby.net, SHELMSJ@aol.com >Subject: Re: [NCLINCOL] NCCATAWB Digest, Vol 3, Issue 18 > >Dear Derick and All: > >Derick said: Regarding Find-a-Grave, I have contributed a good deal of >information >from my own research to them and I appreciate the efforts they have >made to make information available. > >Find-a-Grave is wonderful; however, I recently was perusing FOOTNOTES.COM >as a "free" member to try it out. I ran across a statement somewhere where >Footnotes.com will be acquiring Find-a-Grave. I decided to go into deep >denial, because Footnotes is only initially free for a short period of time and is >charging for membership. Footnotes.com is based in Utah. All the good free >sites are diminishing rapidly, and they're all going to Utah. Must be the >climate. ? I think we've all been "had." I stay totally confused regarding >copyright laws for material that should be in the public domain and available >for everyone's perusal regardless of who has it. And I remain totally angry >when I go to a "free" site, search, and the answer to my query is embedded in >a paid site, where I'm denied access unless I join. It's a total waste of my >time and energy. I don't mind paying for postage and copying ever...nor >paying for someone's time spent on help, but having to pay to get into a site to >even see the information is ludicrous. > > >Brownie MacKie >Total Skeptic and proud of it > > > >In a message dated 3/8/2008 12:38:57 P.M. Central Standard Time, DerickH@ch >arter.net writes: > >Dear James, > >I can immediately see that we are on the same page. Among my other >genealogical pursuits, cemeteries and the recognition of the last >resting places of Confederate soldiers takes an important part in my >endeavors. I have tried to place cemetery inventories of the sites I >have surveyed, and those that others have provided, in an appropriate >place on the web. My philosophy seems to be the same as yours. During >my 35 or so years of research, and providing assistance to others, I >have never charged for my services. With the exception of a time when >I had to drive to the archives in Raleigh and charged my client for >actual expenses, I have always believed that "spreading my bread upon >the waters" would repay me ten-fold. This has been my conviction and >my experience. > >Bill Floyd and I worked together for some time in bringing his work >to fruition on the web. In fact, I erected a page to Bill, using >material from "Our State" magazine: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/WDFloyd.htm. It really came as a >disappointment when Bill pulled the rug from under my feet, so to >speak. I was left with some of the pages I administer (Lincoln, >Gaston and Cleveland) without the cemetery listings that many >researchers had relied on. I can understand Bill's concern that >Internet data might be subject to use by for-profit entities. >However, I have contented myself with the fact that Roots Web and the >USGenWeb Project and contributors and their associates (which >includes ME!) are adequately protected by existing copyright laws. > >What I didn't understand was the fact that Bill took material down >that was not his original creation. I refer to the work done by Jan >Heavner, Terry Waldrop and others. Terry offered allowed me to use >his work on the web. Jan Heavner sent me copies of the survey work >she had done and it has been restored to the Gaston and Lincoln >pages. There are other folks who I will include in a request for similar >data. > >Currently, I have restored many of the cemetery records that formerly >existed on the pages I administer. They include: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~nclincol/cemeteries.htm >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgaston/cemeteries.htm > >Regarding Find-a-Grave, I have contributed a good deal of information >from my own research to them and I appreciate the efforts they have >made to make information available. However, for the purpose of >individuals seeking basic vital information, there is no substitute >for a simple text-oriented cemetery inventory. >Both Catawba and Burke county cemetery records have been published by >their respective genealogical societies, therefore I am limited what >I can post relating to data that is copyrighted. I created an index >for the burials in Catawba County that was never published (or >copyrighted) which I have posted: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~nccatawb/cemetery.htm . I also created an >original index for the Burke County G.S. which IS copyrighted, and is >therefore not on the web. > >I became involved with Internet genealogy when I first created what I >believe was the first county genealogical web site in the U.S.A , >when I made my findings available as the "Catawba County, N.C. >Genealogy" website, in 1995. Six months later, the USGenWeb Project >was founded and I became one of the first county members. The rest is >history. > >I commend you for your desire to share your information. In the >remaining time the Lord has allotted me, I will continue to post >whatever information that I feel will benefit those seeking it. > >I am copying this message to the list and to those whom I humbly >solicit contributions of historic and genealogical information, that >it may benefit those who would otherwise never have access without >paying a fee, a subscription or purchasing a book or CD. > >Thank you James, and others, for your desire to retain the concept of >FREE GENEALOGY. You have an advocate in me. I will do whatever is >necessary to maintain this philosophy. > >Derick S. Hartshorn >USGenWeb Project-County Coordinator >Catawba/Burke/Lincoln/Gaston/Cleveland, NC >http://www.rootsweb.com/~nccatawb/ >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/ >http://www.rootsweb.com/~nclincol/ >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgaston/ >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncclevel/ > > > >> Derick, >> >>I have just finished entering the entire listing of Bethel UMC >>Cemetery Denver, Lincoln County, NC. originally complied by Terry >>Waldrop and his wife on June 3, 1990 as active members of the >>Gaston-Lincoln Genealogical Society to Find-A-Grave. >> >>It can be accessed at: >><http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1980706&CScnty=1705&>h >ttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1980706&CScnty=1705& >> >>I entered a total of 554 names; the original listing and many names >>that I discovered during the process. >> >> >>As you well know, in January 2007 I presented a transcript of this >>listing to Bill Floyd with Terry Waldrop's permission to post on his >website. >>About the same time, you posted the listing to: >><http://www.rootsweb.com/~nclincol/cemeteries.htm>http://www.rootsweb.com/~nc >lincol/cemeteries.htm >> >>In June 2007 Floyd took his website down and presented his works to >>the Gaston-Lincoln Genealogical Society which is now selling his >>cemetery information as a set of CDs. >> >> At the time all of this was occuring, I was given a choice by >> Mr. Floyd to redeem the data or allow him to >> include it in his records. Then, I could think of no other >> means to disseminate the information to the number >> of people I had hoped to reach, so I allowed him to retain the >> listing; thinking it best. >> >> Later I considered that since it was also posted on your >> website, I could have approached you and asked >> that it be maintained there. In hindsight, I wish I had, maybe >> it would still be online and free. >> >> It was, is and always has been my intent and puropose that the >> work I did would be available to anyone and everyone who has an >> interest in and desire to access this information. I had hoped >> that it would be available free of charge online in some form or >> fashion indefinately. I was very disappointed when it was removed. >> The listing was freely given to me in a random act of genealogical >> kindness and it has always been my desire to share it. Many of my >> ancestors from many branches of my family are buried at Bethel. >> >> I have no interest in involving you or anyone else in a >> question of copyright. Like they say, I don't have a dog in that >> fight. But I still wanted very much to make the Bethel listing >> freely available to the general public. >> >> Therefore, I have once again poured over the names and dates >> and put them where I hope is a safe place, where anyone and >> everyone with an interest can come see for themselves the >> information contained. >> I have embellished the records with information from my own >> files and have included parentage, marriages and children where I >> had that information. I sincerely hope that it will be put to good use. >> >> The good Lord willing, the creek don't rise, and Find-A-Grave >> doesn't get blown off the internet; the information I have entered >> there will remain indefinetly, free for everyone's use. >> >> >> I sincerely appreciate your continued personal efforts in what >> you are doing to make information easily accessable online and >> assist genealogy researchers in obtaining information regarding >> their Piedmont North Carolina relatives and ancestors. >> >> >> I will subsequently post a message to the Lincoln, Catawba, >> Gaston and Iredell county message boards announcing the >> availability of these records. >> >> >> >> Again, Thanks for all that you do. >> >> >> >> >> >> >>---------- >> >> >>[] >> >> Good Luck with Yer Diggin' >> >> James M. Thompson, Jr. >> <mailto:Jthompson20@mchsi.com>Jthompson20@mchsi.com >> >> >> >> >>Received: from lists2.rootsweb.com ([66.43.27.39]) >> by sccqmxc91.asp.att.net (sccqmxc91) with ESMTP >> id <20080301080304q9100jkaa4e>; Sat, 1 Mar 2008 08:03:05 +0000 >>Received: from lists2.rootsweb.com (lists2.rootsweb.com [192.168.65.39]) >> by lists2.rootsweb.com (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id >m21833Ot031738 >> for <Jthompson20@mchsi.com>; Sat, 1 Mar 2008 01:03:03 -0700 >>Reply-To: <nccatawb@rootsweb.com> >>From: <nccatawb-request@rootsweb.com> >>Sender: <nccatawb-bounces@rootsweb.com> >>To: <nccatawb@rootsweb.com> >>Subject: NCCATAWB Digest, Vol 3, Issue 18 >>Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 02:00:49 -0600 >>Message-ID: <mailman.447.1204358449.14475.nccatawb@rootsweb.com> >>MIME-Version: 1.0 >>Content-Type: text/plain; >> charset="us-ascii" >>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >>X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 >>X-Originating-IP: [66.43.27.39] >>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3198 >>Thread-Index: Ach7cq2nR9denXbaTuKRH9D/iZvfdQ== >>List-Help: <mailto:nccatawb-request@rootsweb.com?subject=help> >>List-Subscribe: >><http://lists2.rootsweb.com/mailman/listinfo/nccatawb>,<mailto:nccatawb-reque >st@rootsweb.com?subject=subscribe> >>List-Unsubscribe: >><http://lists2.rootsweb.com/mailman/listinfo/nccatawb>,<mailto:nccatawb-reque >st@rootsweb.com?subject=unsubscribe> >>x-loop: NCCATAWB@rootsweb.com >>x-member: NCCATAWB@rootsweb.com >>x-mailman-version: 2.1.7 >>x-beenthere: nccatawb@rootsweb.com > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >NCLINCOL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and >the body of the message > > > > > >**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & >Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001) > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NCLINCOL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message Lynn Wesson