I learned, the hard way, to ALWAYS ask for the person's line of descent to the common ancestor, and their documentation for it, before sharing my research....at least 1/2 the time the askee says, when questioned "I'm not sure about this generation right here, but feel sure we're related", or "I don't have actual proof of this marriage, but Aunt Emma say's it's so", etc.....I'm all for sharing, but why waste your time and effort on someone who isn't even sure of the relationship? When it becomes apparent that the link is undocumented I then say "It seems to me that you need to direct your energy on this unproved generation first....and, when you get it firmed up let me know and I'll help you with the rest. It's silly to send a lot of paperwork until you're sure you're related". Isn't that fair? Nor according to lots of folks.... Believe it or not, I actually have had lots of people then say "Well, send it to me anyway" , knowing full well that we were talking, at times, about hundreds of pages of documentation! You know what? My research is my own; I did it, and I am not required, nor are you, to give it to ANYONE. One woman contacted me, knowing I am a researcher of a certain Rev. Francis Doughty. She asked me to view her site and tell her if I saw any errors. Well, it was a mess, to the point that she even had brothers listed as father and son, etc. I wrote back and gave her the correct generations, with dates places and mates. She wrote back, "but where was so and so ", after I had explained the brothers "bit"....yet another email about correcting generations, followed by hers, where she STILL had the brothers as father and son! I emailed , finally, that I didn't feel that I could be of any further help, and she said "fine.....just send all your data so I can put it on my site". When I refused (I could just imagine the mess she'd make of it) she sent email after email, telling me how selfish I was, and how I had a "duty" to give it to others. I thought she'd NEVER leave me alone. The moral is your research is yours, to do with what you wish, and share when you want to. You don't owe it to anyone........just be smart and make sure, first, that there is actually a link. S. -----Original Message----- From: Nadine Holder <nadin@C2i2.com> To: PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com <PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 2:27 PM Subject: [PACHESTE] Lookups >Might as well jump in here - actually I enjoy these as much as the genealogy. >I recently made the mistake of posting my family files to Ancestry.com. I am deluged with emails asking for everything I have on so-and-so. So-and-so is usually a way far distant marriage partner or something and when I see the name I haven't a clue where to look in my family files and am not about to wade through the Ancestry.com files to find the connection. > >So add - asking for any kind of lookup anywhere to the fine list of suggestions posted so far. >Nadine > > >==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== >Stop by our associated website for Chester County Genealogy at >http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacheste/chester.htm > > > >

Sandra I AGREE! I am one of only a few in my family to care about where we come from and about our ancestors.I share tidbits in my Christmas letters (teaser really) to get some family members interested or at least revive a memory or an old family story. On my side it isn't so bad since there aren't that many of us and I have everyone accounted for. On my husbands side -- I have cousins marrying cousins and the whole tree is a royal mess if you venture off on the sides. I know his straight lineal descent but I do love to play on the side too. His ancestors were some of the founders of Lancaster County so you can imagine how deluged I get with requests. I usually email back and forth a couple times sorting out what info they really want and then print out a family group sheet and a descendent chart for them. Almost always this has been enough. I have found most people only care about going straight back and not the side lines so to speak. I've helped a few people like this. All my, info by the way is documented. One other suggestion I have about documentation and sharing info -- if I get info on a branch that I'm fairly certain will fit in on some side branch then I keep it in a manila folder (NOT in my computer program) marked for that surname. Every once in a while I go through those folders (a different surname each month) and see if anything fits in anywhere. If so, I THEN write that person who submitted / offered that info and confirm. Hope that helps! Jeanne Have Fun and Earn $$$ this Summer! Sales Reps needed. Must be 18. E-mail avon@epix.net for more info. ----- Original Message ----- From: Sandra Ferguson <ferg@intelos.net> To: <PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 3:28 PM Subject: Re: [PACHESTE] Lookups > I learned, the hard way, to ALWAYS ask for the person's line of descent > to the common ancestor, and their documentation for it, before sharing my > research....at least 1/2 the time the askee says, when questioned "I'm not > sure about this generation right here, but feel sure we're related", or "I > don't have actual proof of this marriage, but Aunt Emma say's it's so", > etc.....I'm all for sharing, but why waste your time and effort on someone > who isn't even sure of the relationship? When it becomes apparent that the > link is undocumented I then say "It seems to me that you need to direct > your energy on this unproved generation first....and, when you get it firmed > up let me know and I'll help you with the rest. It's silly to send a lot of > paperwork until you're sure you're related". Isn't that fair? Nor > according to lots of folks.... Believe it or not, I actually have had lots > of people then say "Well, send it to me anyway" , knowing full well that we > were talking, at times, about hundreds of pages of documentation! You know > what? My research is my own; I did it, and I am not required, nor are you, > to give it to ANYONE. One woman contacted me, knowing I am a researcher of > a certain Rev. Francis Doughty. She asked me to view her site and tell her > if I saw any errors. Well, it was a mess, to the point that she even had > brothers listed as father and son, etc. I wrote back and gave her the > correct generations, with dates places and mates. She wrote back, "but > where was so and so ", after I had explained the brothers "bit"....yet > another email about correcting generations, followed by hers, where she > STILL had the brothers as father and son! I emailed , finally, that I > didn't feel that I could be of any further help, and she said "fine.....just > send all your data so I can put it on my site". When I refused (I could > just imagine the mess she'd make of it) she sent email after email, telling > me how selfish I was, and how I had a "duty" to give it to others. I > thought she'd NEVER leave me alone. The moral is your research is yours, to > do with what you wish, and share when you want to. You don't owe it to > anyone........just be smart and make sure, first, that there is actually a > link. > S. > -----Original Message----- > From: Nadine Holder <nadin@C2i2.com> > To: PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com <PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 2:27 PM > Subject: [PACHESTE] Lookups > > > >Might as well jump in here - actually I enjoy these as much as the > genealogy. > >I recently made the mistake of posting my family files to Ancestry.com. I > am deluged with emails asking for everything I have on so-and-so. So-and-so > is usually a way far distant marriage partner or something and when I see > the name I haven't a clue where to look in my family files and am not about > to wade through the Ancestry.com files to find the connection. > > > >So add - asking for any kind of lookup anywhere to the fine list of > suggestions posted so far. > >Nadine > > > > > >==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > >Stop by our associated website for Chester County Genealogy at > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacheste/chester.htm > > > > > > > > > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > Check out the searchable US GenWeb Project Archives! > http://searches.rootsweb.com/usgwarch.html > > > >