Good question, Bill! That's the very same one I struggle with every day at my work at the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia, which does not have any data on its web page , and also has not have any kind of active county genealogy, research or history pages. I have a number of volunteers busy typing up histories and compiling raw materials such as census records, etc., into computer format so that someday it can be presented on our web page, but people seem to think that by doing that no one has a reason to come to our society, which is the gist of your question. I do have a massive web page on local history, but it is form my home towns up in NY. It have had for many years now an extensive data-driven web page for the history of Cazenovia, Fenner and Nelson in Madison County, NY (even though I have not lived there for a decade). http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyccazen/ The amazing thing is that people see the basic info on my web pages and then ask me more in-depth questions that I would much rather work on. I am also asked at least once a week how a researcher can get to the area to do more research on their own! In fact, just today I advised three people where to go, who to call, etc. Clearly having the basic data on the web is a great incentive for the researcher to go to the original source for more. The most important thing, I think, is that people use my web pages to find the answers to the basic and boring questions such as "Were my Smith family in Cazenovia in the 1900s?" With that answer in hand through my web pages, they contact me for more information (of which I have plenty not yet loaded to my web pages). Then, they have this strange unquenchable thirst to go to Cazenovia and do research for themselves, or they contact the sources I recommend via mail, phone, or electronically. The people who are still at the basic research phase aren't going to travel far, but the ones who are into it up to their necks are going to drive hundreds of miles to see a tombstone in person, and they are all going to go to the local library, museum, and stay over night. We just need to use the internet to let people know that the tombstones and museums exist. Otherwise it is likely that the they won't ever know and will never travel. Dan W. At 01:08 PM 3/3/2005 -0700, you wrote: >From: Bill Hecht <wsh6@cornell.edu> >To: NY-CENTRA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <42271C82.5050200@cornell.edu> >Subject: Family History Travel To Cayuga County and Central NY > >I would be interested in knowing how many out there have traveled to >Cayuga County or are planning a trip to Cayuga County to research their >family history. Such information would be usefull in showing the powers >that be, that "in spite" of the perception that the internet 'reduces' the >need to actually come to a place, that it stimulates the desire to return >to ones roots and to do on site research. > >It is my contention that the internet fosters the sharing of data and the >desire to stay in contact with the place you are from and the people who >still live there. > >That the internet is a tool for bringing people together. >That it can promote tourism. > >Many can no longer travel due to distance and health constraints. Sites >such as the Cayuga County GenWeb site, the County Historians site and the >message lists allow those who can no longer travel to SHARE their >knowledge with all. Knowledge that is normally lost in time. Sharing >through the internet should not be looked upon as a "Loss in Revenue" but >as an opportunity to save and record the history of our area the is >scattered to the four corners of the globe. > >I look forward to hearing of your plans and previous trips to Cayuga >County and experiences here. > >Sincerely > >Bill Hecht