The HOGARTH Collection: An Ethical Dilemma Please help and advise!!! I feel honoured to be in possession of a genealogical treasure: a set of family group sheets which I call "the HOGARTH Collection." The papers include five generations of descendants of the HOGARTH family of Solina, Durham County and begin with George HOGARTH (bef. 1790 - c1824) of Westmoreland, England, and his emigrant widow, Elizabeth WASHINGTON (bef. 1794 - October 29, 1874), who was also known as the "Widow HOGARTH." The pages I have are photocopies and, therefore, there is probably an original set in existence. There may also be other copies in circulation, I do not yet know. My collection totals over sixty pages. About 30 pages were to have been compiled by Mr. Claude Elmer Luther Hogarth LAW (1881-1959) of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Another 30 pages were compiled by other family researchers (Claude's daughter and son-in-law?) at a later date, possibly as late as 1979 and perhaps later still. Together, these pages add up to over 60 pages, five (almost complete) generations and who knows how many hundred individuals. This collection was entrusted to me by a gentleman from Pennsylvania on the condition that I find the best home for these valuable Hogarth papers. Now, however, my ethical dilemma is one of privacy. The pages include many individuals who must still be alive (some born as late 1979) and I know some of these individuals (cousins) personally. Therefore my dilemma and question is this: who is responsible for protecting the privacy of living individuals when a genealogist dies and their work is inherited by various members of the family? What happens to collections, such as this one, if the family wishes to release it to the public? Do organisations, such as the O.G.S. and local archives, somehow "clean" the files of living or recent descendants, or is all the information available to the public "as is"? Finally, are there limitations to the people or organisations to whom we can distribute these kinds of papers? I shall attempt to discuss this question with experienced genealogists and related professionals over the next few days (I hope), but I also wish to submit this question to this Durham Mailing List, in case others also find the dilemma interesting. In my opinion, the questions are specific to the area, but also touch upon the general but important ethical issue of privacy. I would be especially happy to hear from members of this community who might know the exact answers to these questions. All are welcome to reply to me personally or to the list generally. Look-ups are also welcome, although the replies may not be too speedy (since I haven't yet entered all names into my database). Regards, Astrid Terras terras@vianet.on.ca Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada Interested in families of Cornwall and North Devon in England, 1800s; Also in Durham and Ontario Counties in Canada: BROAD, BURR, CAIRNS, NEWBERRY, (NEWBURY), STACEY (STACY). Related families in Canada: BRAUND, CHISHOLM, DAVIS, ELFORD, FRANKISH, GIMBLETT, GRILLS (GRYLLS), HEWSON, HOGARTH, HALL, JOHNS, SAWYER, SNIDER (SNYDER), TENNANT, VEAL(E).