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&>http://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/~nclincol/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-request@rootsweb.com?subject=subscribe> >List-Unsubscribe: ><http://lists2.rootsweb.com/mailman/listinfo/nccatawb>,<mailto:nccatawb-request@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