For those of us in remote areas who want to trace our family history published information is a blessing. It has not been possible for me - the first generation Alaskan in a two hundred year family history in Pennsylvania - to visit the courthouses of Juniata County where most of my family records are housed. I rely on microfilm from the LDS Family History centers and mail requests for proof of identity. The internet is not a valid proof - but in many cases it has provided me with a place to begin to send for the original records. Example - I saw a graveyard posted on the internet with the headstone records of my 3rd great grandmother, her two sons and several siblings. I am now able to request the records. I appreciate the thousands of volunteers who contribute their research to assist me in mine and the many individuals who have responded to my inquiries. In return I am assisting those folks from the east who request information on the boat that sank with great uncle Harry on board off Kodiak or the great grandfather who disappeared in the Klondike. This work is not possible without reciprocal effort. Roxanne -----Original Message----- From: Gordon & Sherry <gljslj@penn.com> To: PAJUNIAT-L@rootsweb.com <PAJUNIAT-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, January 03, 1999 1:30 PM Subject: Re: BE AWARE! >This is all rather chilling for those who rely on the Internet and the WFT >discs and other mailorder genealogy sources to do their genealogy. > >But for those of us who trudge off dutifully to the courthouses, historical >societies, cemeteries, etc, this will hardly affect us at all. Access to >public records will still be free. > >Maybe we need a return to grassroots genealogical research, where people >aren't doing their genealogy in a "drive through" fashion. There are too >many people piggybacking off of the people who are doing the actual work >and research. > >My .02 > >Sherry > >---------- >> From: Joyce Lund <lundway@rockisland.com> >> To: PAJUNIAT-L@rootsweb.com >> Subject: BE AWARE! >> Date: Sunday, January 03, 1999 12:45 PM >> >> >> > >> >As we enter this New Year of 1999 I am a bit concerned about the future >of >> >genealogical research on the Internet as we now know it. I am concerned >> >that we could be falling on hard times when it comes to the sharing and >> >FREE exchange of data including our mailing lists, GenConnect Boards, US >> >and World GenWeb and the Archives for these projects, IIGS, and many >other >> >projects run largely by volunteers. >> > >> >The developments over the past few months and years in which Banner Blue >> >AND Parsons were swallowed up by Broderbund, and then Broderbund was >> >swallowed up once again by The Learning Company, who also gobbled up >> >Palladium Interactive (producers of Ultimate Family Tree); and The >> >Learning Company just now being taken over by Mattel--all serve to put >us >> >in the very bad situation in which approximately 85% of the >> >genealogy-related programs and data are falling into the hands of of >this >> >one huge company. In addition Ancestry (another for- profit business) >> >just sold 30% of their company to CMG (a venture capital company) for >> >$10,000,000. This is money on top of the $60/year they get from "tens >of >> >thousands of subscribers" (from the Wall Street Journal). The venture >> >capitalists will be expecting a large return for their investment--which >> >will be paid for by us genealogists. >> > >> >All of this puts both Ancestry and Mattel in a very powerful position of >> >being able to buy datasets of information (thus acquiring exclusive >rights >> >to those datasets) and sell them at inflated prices to the public who >> >believe this is the only way things can be done. This move is already >well >> >under way. The more people paying top dollar for the information either >> >through subscription, or the purchase of CDs, the more money the >powerful >> >for-profit companies will have to again purchase the rights to >additional >> >records and books. >> > >> >The longterm goal of the many volunteer workers, and of RootsWeb which >> >hosts many of the projects, is to provide free access to genealogical >> >information. I know it has the folks at RootsWeb VERY troubled right now >> >that they do not have the resources to stop this avalanche of vital >> >records and publications being purchased and removed from FREE public >> >access for all time. In order to stop the flow of this information into >> >the hands of the large companies it would be necessary for RootsWeb to >> >purchase them and then offer them for free access to all of us on their >> >Web space. They would like very much to accomplish this before it is >> >forever too late to do so. While the access to the information is FREE, >> >it is far from FREE acquiring the rights to the information in the first >> >place. All of the mergers and acquisitions of the past year or so >create >> >a very serious threat to the continuance of genealogical research on the >> >Internet as we now know it and as most of us believe it should be in the >> >future. We are no longer playing on a level playing field. I think >> >everyone needs to give this matter serious thought as we start the New >> >Year. Everyone needs to decide what they want the future of Internet >> >genealogy to be and then support what they feel is the correct approach. >> > >> >We need to examine our goals and what we would LIKE to see for the >future >> >of Internet genealogy. Do we want to see a future where all >genealogical >> >source materials must be bought and paid top dollar for, or would we >> >rather see the information put online at non-subscription Web sites so >> >that future genealogists can access them freely? It may already be too >> >late with the recent mergers and acquisitions creating such large >powerful >> >companies with deep pockets that are very difficult to match on a dollar >> >for dollar basis. I think everyone doing genealogical research on the >> >Internet needs to consider whether they would like to support the >efforts >> >of RootsWeb with a small contribution of $12 (more would be even better) >> >or whether they would like to see the world of the future of genealogy >> >dominated by the large for-profit companies who can sell the same data >> >(and hold exclusive rights to it) at whatever the market will support. > >> >Some serious food for thought for the coming New Year! >> > >> >I will now get off my soapbox and promise not to be so "preachy" again >> >very soon, but I feel this matter is an important one to us all and >today >> >seemed the appropriate time to discuss it with all of you. >> > >> >Happy New Year! >> > >> >Joan M. Young, Administrator >> >Geiger GenConnect Boards >> >Queries: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/Geiger >> >Bible Records: >> >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerBibl >> >Bios: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerBios >> >Deeds: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerDeed >> >Obits: >> >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerObits >> >Pensions: >> >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerPens >> >Wills: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerWill >> >Visit The Geiger Connection Webpage: >> >http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~geiger/ >> >List Moderator, GEIGER-L@rootsweb.com >> >Editor, The Kiger Kounter newsletter >> >HELP MAINTAIN FREE ACCESS TO GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET IN > >> >1999 >> >BY SUPPORTING ROOTSWEB: http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to- >> >subscribe.html/ >> > >> > >> >> >