SELLERS/WATSON Family Mary Ann SELLERS was born in Annville, Lebanon County, PA, 7 Mar 1816. She died 6 Mar 1882 in Clearfield County. Her father was Joseph SELLERS, b. 23 Feb1784 in Honeybrook Twp, Chester Co, PA, d. 1849/50 in Centre Co, PA. Her mother, Mary Ann CLEAVER was born in Friendly, Tyler County, WV. Joseph and Mary Ann Cleaver Sellers were married in Lebanon Co in 1804, had eleven children and are in the 1810 Lebanon Co. census. One of the Sellers girls, Frances, married Frederick Imboden of Lebanon Co. They moved to Centre County where he died abt 1845. I do not know who Frederick's parents are, but he and Frances (Fannie) would have married abt 1830 - was this in Lebanon County? Joseph WATSON and Mary Ann SELLERS were married in 1835, possibly in the Stormstown area of Centre County (SW corner). I know her family was in this community prior to 1935. Joseph and Mary Ann's first child was born in Milesburg, Centre Co (NE corner) but I cannot find record of their marriage in Centre County, so perhaps they were married in Lebanon County? Were any of their children born in Lebanon County? Joseph Sellers Watson b. 1837; Armstrong Garner Watson b. 1840; George Miller Watson b. 1842; Francis Rawn Shunk Watson b 1844; Mary Catherine Watson b 1847; Margaret Ann Watson b. 1850; and Franklin Pierce Watson b. 1854. I can track the SELLERS line back to the immigrants who came to Chester County, PA with the Quaker immigration in late 1600's early 1700's, but don't have much about their time in Lebanon County. Ancestral information on Joseph Watson is my dead end. Any Lebanon Co Watson_Sellers information appreciated! Willing to trade/share info. Any help appreciated. Is there a book on births in Lebanon Co for 1800-1850? Marriages? TIA, Judy Judith Walter Heald - jheald@pennswoods.net Spring Mills, PA Lots of early and current Quakers, et al. Chester, Bucks, Delaware, Lancaster, Centre, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson Counties, PA Surnames: Barnard, Dixon, Ely, Heald, Hileman, Hoopes, Kirk, Kline, Lippincott, Marshall, Mercer, Moore, Moore, Ogden, Paxson, Plankinton, Pownall, Pusey, Pyle, Sellers, Sharpless, Swayne, Taylor, Thompson, Walter, Way, Webb, Wickersham. . .

It's also not available to MAC users.... Teresa > Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 07:52:20 -0600 > From: Barbara <brivas1@cox.net> > To: PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [PALEBANO] Lebanon County Recorder of > Deeds On-Line > > Yes, they charge 20 cents a page, but if you notice > it's only current documents. Not really what > genealogists are liable to get into: > > Cost: $.20 per minute > Data Online: Deeds - 1933 to Present > Mortgages - 1933 to Present > Misc. - 1972 to Present > Images Online: Deeds - 1996 to Present > Mortgages - 2000 to Present > Misc - 2001 to Present > > /Lebanon county is one of those that are not very > /user-friendly to begin with. > /drunkel@comcast.net wrote: > > >This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to > this mailing list. > > > >Classification: Query > > > >Message Board URL: > > > >http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/545 > > > >Message Board Post: > > > >In reguards to a story reported on WGAL last > evening reporting that the Lebanon County Recorder > of Deeds is scanning old deeds and making them > available On-Line. > > > >I immediately went to the Lebanon County web-site > and to my dismay found out that it will cost me $ > .20/minute to search records. > > > >As always, another kick in the teeth, for us family > historians. The county uses our tax monies to put > records on-line and we get to pay "Twice" to access > them. I believe these records should be available to > any Lebanon County resident for "Free", just as you > have access to libraries. > > > >Just venting my frustrations. > > > >Dave

Yes, they charge 20 cents a page, but if you notice it's only current documents. Not really what genealogists are liable to get into: Cost: $.20 per minute Data Online: Deeds - 1933 to Present Mortgages - 1933 to Present Misc. - 1972 to Present Images Online: Deeds - 1996 to Present Mortgages - 2000 to Present Misc - 2001 to Present / /Lebanon county is one of those that are not very user-friendly to begin with. / /drunkel@comcast.net wrote: >This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > >Classification: Query > >Message Board URL: > >http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/545 > >Message Board Post: > >In reguards to a story reported on WGAL last evening reporting that the Lebanon County Recorder of Deeds is scanning old deeds and making them available On-Line. > >I immediately went to the Lebanon County web-site and to my dismay found out that it will cost me $ .20/minute to search records. > >As always, another kick in the teeth, for us family historians. The county uses our tax monies to put records on-line and we get to pay "Twice" to access them. I believe these records should be available to any Lebanon County resident for "Free", just as you have access to libraries. > >Just venting my frustrations. > >Dave > > >==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== >Lebanon County Gen Web Home Page: ><http://www.chm.davidson.edu/PAGenWeb/> > > > > >

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/545 Message Board Post: In reguards to a story reported on WGAL last evening reporting that the Lebanon County Recorder of Deeds is scanning old deeds and making them available On-Line. I immediately went to the Lebanon County web-site and to my dismay found out that it will cost me $ .20/minute to search records. As always, another kick in the teeth, for us family historians. The county uses our tax monies to put records on-line and we get to pay "Twice" to access them. I believe these records should be available to any Lebanon County resident for "Free", just as you have access to libraries. Just venting my frustrations. Dave

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Herr Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/jdB.2ACI/32.1 Message Board Post: Kathleen, I have all the Herr information that you might need. E-mail me at this address lnalley@centurytel.net and let me know what you want to know.

I have a Catharine S. Treist born 03 july 1885 married Charles Theodore Allwein Nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Triest" <wtriest2@yahoo.com> To: <PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 4:57 PM Subject: [PALEBANO] Triest family > I am looking for information on the Triest family in > the Lebanon and Harrisburg area. Some records may > appear under an alternate spelling as Treist. > > I formation that I have is as follows. > > David Triest Believed to be from Lebanon PA, 1870 or > somewhjat earlier.. Worked as a railroad brakeman and > retired c. 1930. I think his wife was Sadie Tully. > > His children included: > Frank William Triest (my grandfather), born 4 Mar 1893 > (Lebanon or possibly Harrisburg, died Harrisburg Sept > 1975. Married Viola Peters (19 Feb 1904-June 1981), > daughter of William Robert Peters (1870-1928) and > Sarah Campbell York (1867-1925). > > John : lived in Harrisburg, stll living in the late > 1930s, when he taught my father to drive. > Samuel > Leo > Florence > Mary > Emma (married Elbert Schosser) > Laura > > (I don't know the birth order) > > Frank and Viola Triest had one child, my father, > William Edward Triest, born March 1921 in McClure PA. > He grew up in Harrisburg, and left to go to Penn > State, then into the military for WW2. > > Any information is welcome. David seems to be a > recurrent name, especially under the name Treist. > > William E. Triest > Huntington, WV > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== > Lebanon County Historical Society Home Page: > <http://www.lebanonhistory.org> >

I am looking for information on the Triest family in the Lebanon and Harrisburg area. Some records may appear under an alternate spelling as Treist. I formation that I have is as follows. David Triest Believed to be from Lebanon PA, 1870 or somewhjat earlier.. Worked as a railroad brakeman and retired c. 1930. I think his wife was Sadie Tully. His children included: Frank William Triest (my grandfather), born 4 Mar 1893 (Lebanon or possibly Harrisburg, died Harrisburg Sept 1975. Married Viola Peters (19 Feb 1904-June 1981), daughter of William Robert Peters (1870-1928) and Sarah Campbell York (1867-1925). John : lived in Harrisburg, stll living in the late 1930s, when he taught my father to drive. Samuel Leo Florence Mary Emma (married Elbert Schosser) Laura (I don't know the birth order) Frank and Viola Triest had one child, my father, William Edward Triest, born March 1921 in McClure PA. He grew up in Harrisburg, and left to go to Penn State, then into the military for WW2. Any information is welcome. David seems to be a recurrent name, especially under the name Treist. William E. Triest Huntington, WV __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

At present, it's in South Lebanon Twp. I don't know the succession of township designations for it from early on. Karl E. Moyer Lancaster PA On 2/11/06 8:05 AM, "E. Bugs" <ellen.bugs@cox.net> wrote: > Does anyone know in what township would Avon have been located? > > Thanks, > Ellen > > > ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== > Lebanon County Gen Web Home Page: > <http://www.chm.davidson.edu/PAGenWeb/> > >

Ellen, Click here http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/pa/county/lebano/usgs/ then do an Edit, Find in your browser, for the word Avon. Is this what you're looking for? Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: "E. Bugs" <ellen.bugs@cox.net> To: <PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 8:05 AM Subject: [PALEBANO] AVON Does anyone know in what township would Avon have been located? Thanks, Ellen ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== Lebanon County Gen Web Home Page: <http://www.chm.davidson.edu/PAGenWeb/>

Thank you Judy! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Banja" <jbanja@comcast.net> To: <PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 7:56 AM Subject: Re: [PALEBANO] AVON > Ellen, > > Click here > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/pa/county/lebano/usgs/ > > then do an Edit, Find in your browser, for the word Avon. > > Is this what you're looking for? > > Judy > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "E. Bugs" <ellen.bugs@cox.net> > To: <PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 8:05 AM > Subject: [PALEBANO] AVON > > > Does anyone know in what township would Avon have been located? > > Thanks, > Ellen > > > ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== > Lebanon County Gen Web Home Page: > <http://www.chm.davidson.edu/PAGenWeb/> > > > ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== > Mid-Atlantic Roots Network: > <http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/> >

Does anyone know in what township would Avon have been located? Thanks, Ellen

I'm looking for information on Benjamin Wolfe b. abt 1852, who married Mary Anne Boughter (Baughter, Buchter, etc) b. abt 1846. Their children were: Jacob B. b. 1875 Samuel B. b. 1876 David Baughter b. 1880 Charles Boughter b. 1881 William Bolger b. 1882 Mary b. 1885 Ellen B. b. 1888 Mable ??? In 1880, they were included in the census in Bethel, Berks Co., PA. In 1900, There are two Benjamin Wolfs in Lebanon County, and I'm not sure if either of them are the right ones. My records state that David B. was born in Lebanon County on August 4, 1880. He marries Annie Mary Donmoyer, dau of Edmund Donmoyer and Fanny Mohn in 1902. There are alot of Wolf families in the area, so it is hard to know who is who. Family lore says they were related to the photographer Lee Wolfe in Lebanon. Thanks for any assistance! Ellen

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/544 Message Board Post: I'm hoping to find someone who would be willing to do a look up. My anscestor was born in Lancaster Co., but may have died in Lebanon County. I'm looking for: Michael Lewis Miller born abt 1753 died before 1830? His wife's name was Margaret or Maria Margaret Miller. Thank you for your time and consideration, Merrilee

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Wolford Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/543 Message Board Post: I am trying to get a Wolford - Wohlford etc discussion group going at www.genealogycommunity.com We meet on-line Tuesdays at 10 pm eastern in the Ancestral Digs discussion room. There is no charge involved for using this room, although you must register on your first visit. Any questions, please e-mail me. Thanks, JIm

There is a picture posted on Ancient Faces http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/photo/377465 that says it is believed to be of Lewis and Susanna Longnecker Snyder. I'm just passing this on in case anyone is interested.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/jdB.2ACI/267.2 Message Board Post: Greetings, As of Janaury 2006 my e-mail address is Foxhallguy@comcast.net Best, Steven Waltz Morrison Olympia, WA

I've "rescued" an old photograph of Amos CLAY which was taken at the M. G. Ritter Studio in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. I believe that the photograph was probably taken sometime in the early 1900's and that Amos was probably in his 20's or 30's at the time. Based on limited research I believe this may be a photograph of Amos D. CLAY, so of David Z. & Catherine B. CLAY who were living in East Hanover, PA during the 1900 census. Census records provide the following information regarding the family: David Z. CLAY, age 45, born Aug 1854, married 26 years, born in PA, parents born in PA, a Carpenter Catherine B. CLAY, wife, age 48, born Apr 1852, married 26 years, 6 children/4 living, born in PA, parents born in PA John I. CLAY, son, age 19, born May 1881, born in PA, a Farm Laborer Amos D. CLAY, son, age 15, born Mar 1884, born in PA, a Farm Laborer Calvin J. CLAY, son, age 8, born Aug 1891, born in PA Mary A. CLAY, sister, age 58, born Feb 1842, born in PA In the 1910 census of East Hanover, PA I locate records for Amos D. CLAY: Amos D. CLAY, age 25, born in PA, parents born in PA, a Farmer David Z. CLAY, father, age 55, married 36 years, born in PA, parents born in PA, a Laborer Catherine A. CLAY, mother, age 58, married 36 years, 6 children/4 living, born in PA, parents born in PA Calvin I. CLAY, brother, age 18, born in PA, a Laborer Mary A. CLAY, Aunt, age 68, born in PA, parents born in PA In the 1920 census of East Hanover, PA I find Amos D. CLAY still residing: Amos D. CLAY, age 35, born in PA, parents born in PA, a Farmer Lizzie CLAY, wife, age 31, born in PA, parents born in PA Carrie S. CLAY, dau, age 8, born in PA Annie E. CLAY, dau, age 7, born in PA Catherine M. CLAY, dau, age 4 years and 11 months, born in PA Emma M. CLAY, dau, age 2 years and 10 months, born in PA Calvin J. CLAY, brother, age 28, born in PA, parents born in PA, a Laborer Marry R. CLAY, aunt, age 79, born in PA, parents born in PA I am hoping to locate someone from this family so that this wonderful old photograph can be returned to their care. If you are a member of this family, or know someone who might be, please contact me. Thanks, Shelley

You're so right. I have seen beginners fooled so easily. But it really ticks me off to see someone profit from adding to their confusion. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barbara" <brivas1@cox.net> To: <PALEBANO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 12:07 AM Subject: Re: [PALEBANO] Something to watch out for Any one who doesn't look for "hard" records, such as census data, birth/death/marriage certificates, land records, wills, etc., is not doing good genealogy to begin with. If you take a fake file and just incorporate it without checking it out, then it's your fault. Most reputable genealogists will tell you to check out the information, to verify it. Or they will offer you the verification you need. People just have to be smart about what they are doing, not greedy. Ann Wilmer wrote: >Deseret Morning News, Saturday, November 12, 2005 > >Fake family trees online may trip up genealogists >By Lee Davidson >Deseret Morning News > >Genealogists beware. > >A software company is marketing a new program to Internet advertisers that >could quickly generate Web sites full of extensive, but fake, family trees. > >Critics say the approach appears to be part of a new money-making scheme to >lure people who search for family names on Google, Yahoo or other search >engines to Web sites that use bogus data to help ensure they appear high on >"hit lists." They then make money if visitors click on advertisers' links. > >They worry that novices might download false information that is designed >to >look real, and then corrupt others' family trees if they share that bad >data >online or through family history databases such as those offered by The >Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the commercial Utah-based >Ancestry.com > >However, Don Harrold, co-creator of a program called "Fake Family," which >he >sells for $75, says data it produces has "absolutely zero chance" of >matching any real person or family. He says he has offered the program to >fewer than 30 self-described Internet advertisers, so its use is not >widespread, and he has not made money on it. > >Why make it then? "Why not? I enjoy trying to find ways to create computer >simulations of organic life," Harrold told the Deseret Morning News. > >But online chat groups of both genealogists and Internet advertisers are >buzzing about what the new program could do to genealogical research, and >why Harrold is marketing it, even if, as he says, to a small group. > >Dan Eastman, author of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, wrote this >past week that he believes Harrold "wants to flood the Internet with bogus >genealogy material, all for the purpose of making easy money." > >Online information that Harrold wrote says his product can "create >thousands >of pages of unique . . . content with almost no effort. Neither humans nor >search engines will be able to tell whether the content is 'real' or >'generated.' " > >How could that make money? > >Josh Anderson, an Internet advertiser from Idaho, who also is a genealogist >concerned about the product, explains Web hosts can program their sites to >display "sponsored links." Advertisers pay search engines to have these >appear on screen whenever certain key words such as "genealogy" are part of >a search. > >When such links are clicked by a visitor, the Web site host and search >engine company split revenue from an advertiser. (Of course, Web sites can >also offer other forms of advertising.) > >"It can be a very profitable source of income. Some people make millions of >dollars a year doing it," Anderson said. "The whole purpose (of Fake >Family-style sites) is to trick the search engine, so they get a top >listing >for some search words" to attract more visitors and potentially more >revenue-producing mouse clicks. > >Search engine companies say they hunt for and remove from listings any >sites >that are bogus or that scrape content from other sites merely to act as a >vehicle to carry advertiser links. > >But Fake Family boasts in written information that it can fool search >engines. It does not merely produce lists of random names, but links them >generation-to-generation with bogus birth, marriage and death dates and >places. > >It adds that its randomly generated names "are era-specific," meaning you >will get more names such as Orville and Bertha in the 1880s than the 1980s. >Infant mortality, marriage rates and migration data is also encoded, and >more. It's the rich family "experience" that Fake Family provides that is >significant and makes the output stunning in its ability to look real to >humans. > >Internet advertisers helped the Deseret Morning News identify a few >genealogy sites that appeared to contain only bogus information, along with >plenty of advertiser links. Harrold, however, said he only knows of one >generated by Fake Family (even though he said in written information that >he >has "monetized" several family history sites). > >"This is scary to me," said Mindy Koch, an Internet advertiser from North >Carolina and an avid genealogist. "There is a great chance that a novice >could think this is real. If they download it, and then later upload it >into >repositories like (the LDS Church's) Ancestral File, those databases would >include lots of people who never existed." > >Also, she added that it potentially could make search engines more >difficult >to use for genealogy if bogus sites slow them or account for all the "top >hits." > >Harrold says such threats are imagined and not real. He said the chances of >randomly selected first and last names, coupled with randomly selected >places and dates, being shown as married to the same persons as people who >actually lived "are not just slim, they are nonexistent." > >He said if someone still mistook such information as real and downloaded >it, >"that's their fault." He adds, "If you want real family information, why >are >you not looking at Census records? If you're not paying for it, and I >didn't >ask you to take it, and the name and date don't match your family tree, why >are you taking this information? Any onus is on the people who take this >information." > >Some in genealogy chat groups, however, complained that a name that looks >even roughly plausible could be mistaken as real by a novice, or cause even >a genealogy expert to spend a lot of time and money to eliminate the >possibility it is the person for whom they are seeking. > >"Boo hoo," Harrold told the Morning News in response to such complaints. He >said "the real story" is how Google and other search engines do not verify >content they seek and guide others to for profit. He said databases by the >LDS Church and Ancestry.com also contain some incorrect information >submitted by patrons. His obviously false data creates less threat to >genealogy research than they do, he said. > >Harrold suggested in chat groups that he might sue people who referred to >his work as a "scam." He also warned the Morning News to be careful what it >said about him. > >In turn, makers of the Legacy Family Tree software threatened to sue >Harrold >if he did not remove from his Web site instructions about how to download >free software from them that could assist the Fake Family program. > >Meanwhile, Mary Kay Evans, spokeswoman for Ancestry.com, a Utah company >that, as part of its service, offers a large database of names, said, "It >is >so unfortunate that there are predators on the Web who target people >interested in their genealogy. Genealogy is such a popular hobby that >predators are moving to take advantage of that." > >Evans, as well as many genealogists and even Harrold himself, urges >genealogists to verify carefully all sources of information in genealogy, >especially any obtained online from people they do not know. "That is a >primary role of Ancestry.com, to help people see source records," Evans >said. > >Anderson, who operates a small family Web site, also encourages >genealogists >to actually talk to people operating such sites and ask for all source >information. > >http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635160683,00.html > > > >==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== >Mid-Atlantic Roots Network: ><http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/> > > > > ==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== Mid-Atlantic Roots Network: <http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/>

Ann. I apologize if my note in answer to this came across as critical of you. I did not mean that in any sense. I was just trying to comment that a good genealogist wouldn't take unknown information at pure face value, but would try to research it. Especially before passing it on. I am sorry if it appeared that I was criticizing you. I think it is an important notice and I thank you for sharing it with us. Barbara Ann Wilmer wrote: >Deseret Morning News, Saturday, November 12, 2005 > >Fake family trees online may trip up genealogists >By Lee Davidson >Deseret Morning News > >Genealogists beware. > >A software company is marketing a new program to Internet advertisers that >could quickly generate Web sites full of extensive, but fake, family trees. > >Critics say the approach appears to be part of a new money-making scheme to >lure people who search for family names on Google, Yahoo or other search >engines to Web sites that use bogus data to help ensure they appear high on >"hit lists." They then make money if visitors click on advertisers' links. > >They worry that novices might download false information that is designed to >look real, and then corrupt others' family trees if they share that bad data >online or through family history databases such as those offered by The >Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the commercial Utah-based >Ancestry.com > >However, Don Harrold, co-creator of a program called "Fake Family," which he >sells for $75, says data it produces has "absolutely zero chance" of >matching any real person or family. He says he has offered the program to >fewer than 30 self-described Internet advertisers, so its use is not >widespread, and he has not made money on it. > >Why make it then? "Why not? I enjoy trying to find ways to create computer >simulations of organic life," Harrold told the Deseret Morning News. > >But online chat groups of both genealogists and Internet advertisers are >buzzing about what the new program could do to genealogical research, and >why Harrold is marketing it, even if, as he says, to a small group. > >Dan Eastman, author of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, wrote this >past week that he believes Harrold "wants to flood the Internet with bogus >genealogy material, all for the purpose of making easy money." > >Online information that Harrold wrote says his product can "create thousands >of pages of unique . . . content with almost no effort. Neither humans nor >search engines will be able to tell whether the content is 'real' or >'generated.' " > >How could that make money? > >Josh Anderson, an Internet advertiser from Idaho, who also is a genealogist >concerned about the product, explains Web hosts can program their sites to >display "sponsored links." Advertisers pay search engines to have these >appear on screen whenever certain key words such as "genealogy" are part of >a search. > >When such links are clicked by a visitor, the Web site host and search >engine company split revenue from an advertiser. (Of course, Web sites can >also offer other forms of advertising.) > >"It can be a very profitable source of income. Some people make millions of >dollars a year doing it," Anderson said. "The whole purpose (of Fake >Family-style sites) is to trick the search engine, so they get a top listing >for some search words" to attract more visitors and potentially more >revenue-producing mouse clicks. > >Search engine companies say they hunt for and remove from listings any sites >that are bogus or that scrape content from other sites merely to act as a >vehicle to carry advertiser links. > >But Fake Family boasts in written information that it can fool search >engines. It does not merely produce lists of random names, but links them >generation-to-generation with bogus birth, marriage and death dates and >places. > >It adds that its randomly generated names "are era-specific," meaning you >will get more names such as Orville and Bertha in the 1880s than the 1980s. >Infant mortality, marriage rates and migration data is also encoded, and >more. It's the rich family "experience" that Fake Family provides that is >significant and makes the output stunning in its ability to look real to >humans. > >Internet advertisers helped the Deseret Morning News identify a few >genealogy sites that appeared to contain only bogus information, along with >plenty of advertiser links. Harrold, however, said he only knows of one >generated by Fake Family (even though he said in written information that he >has "monetized" several family history sites). > >"This is scary to me," said Mindy Koch, an Internet advertiser from North >Carolina and an avid genealogist. "There is a great chance that a novice >could think this is real. If they download it, and then later upload it into >repositories like (the LDS Church's) Ancestral File, those databases would >include lots of people who never existed." > >Also, she added that it potentially could make search engines more difficult >to use for genealogy if bogus sites slow them or account for all the "top >hits." > >Harrold says such threats are imagined and not real. He said the chances of >randomly selected first and last names, coupled with randomly selected >places and dates, being shown as married to the same persons as people who >actually lived "are not just slim, they are nonexistent." > >He said if someone still mistook such information as real and downloaded it, >"that's their fault." He adds, "If you want real family information, why are >you not looking at Census records? If you're not paying for it, and I didn't >ask you to take it, and the name and date don't match your family tree, why >are you taking this information? Any onus is on the people who take this >information." > >Some in genealogy chat groups, however, complained that a name that looks >even roughly plausible could be mistaken as real by a novice, or cause even >a genealogy expert to spend a lot of time and money to eliminate the >possibility it is the person for whom they are seeking. > >"Boo hoo," Harrold told the Morning News in response to such complaints. He >said "the real story" is how Google and other search engines do not verify >content they seek and guide others to for profit. He said databases by the >LDS Church and Ancestry.com also contain some incorrect information >submitted by patrons. His obviously false data creates less threat to >genealogy research than they do, he said. > >Harrold suggested in chat groups that he might sue people who referred to >his work as a "scam." He also warned the Morning News to be careful what it >said about him. > >In turn, makers of the Legacy Family Tree software threatened to sue Harrold >if he did not remove from his Web site instructions about how to download >free software from them that could assist the Fake Family program. > >Meanwhile, Mary Kay Evans, spokeswoman for Ancestry.com, a Utah company >that, as part of its service, offers a large database of names, said, "It is >so unfortunate that there are predators on the Web who target people >interested in their genealogy. Genealogy is such a popular hobby that >predators are moving to take advantage of that." > >Evans, as well as many genealogists and even Harrold himself, urges >genealogists to verify carefully all sources of information in genealogy, >especially any obtained online from people they do not know. "That is a >primary role of Ancestry.com, to help people see source records," Evans >said. > >Anderson, who operates a small family Web site, also encourages genealogists >to actually talk to people operating such sites and ask for all source >information. > >http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635160683,00.html > > > >==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== >Mid-Atlantic Roots Network: ><http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/> > > > >

Any one who doesn't look for "hard" records, such as census data, birth/death/marriage certificates, land records, wills, etc., is not doing good genealogy to begin with. If you take a fake file and just incorporate it without checking it out, then it's your fault. Most reputable genealogists will tell you to check out the information, to verify it. Or they will offer you the verification you need. People just have to be smart about what they are doing, not greedy. Ann Wilmer wrote: >Deseret Morning News, Saturday, November 12, 2005 > >Fake family trees online may trip up genealogists >By Lee Davidson >Deseret Morning News > >Genealogists beware. > >A software company is marketing a new program to Internet advertisers that >could quickly generate Web sites full of extensive, but fake, family trees. > >Critics say the approach appears to be part of a new money-making scheme to >lure people who search for family names on Google, Yahoo or other search >engines to Web sites that use bogus data to help ensure they appear high on >"hit lists." They then make money if visitors click on advertisers' links. > >They worry that novices might download false information that is designed to >look real, and then corrupt others' family trees if they share that bad data >online or through family history databases such as those offered by The >Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the commercial Utah-based >Ancestry.com > >However, Don Harrold, co-creator of a program called "Fake Family," which he >sells for $75, says data it produces has "absolutely zero chance" of >matching any real person or family. He says he has offered the program to >fewer than 30 self-described Internet advertisers, so its use is not >widespread, and he has not made money on it. > >Why make it then? "Why not? I enjoy trying to find ways to create computer >simulations of organic life," Harrold told the Deseret Morning News. > >But online chat groups of both genealogists and Internet advertisers are >buzzing about what the new program could do to genealogical research, and >why Harrold is marketing it, even if, as he says, to a small group. > >Dan Eastman, author of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, wrote this >past week that he believes Harrold "wants to flood the Internet with bogus >genealogy material, all for the purpose of making easy money." > >Online information that Harrold wrote says his product can "create thousands >of pages of unique . . . content with almost no effort. Neither humans nor >search engines will be able to tell whether the content is 'real' or >'generated.' " > >How could that make money? > >Josh Anderson, an Internet advertiser from Idaho, who also is a genealogist >concerned about the product, explains Web hosts can program their sites to >display "sponsored links." Advertisers pay search engines to have these >appear on screen whenever certain key words such as "genealogy" are part of >a search. > >When such links are clicked by a visitor, the Web site host and search >engine company split revenue from an advertiser. (Of course, Web sites can >also offer other forms of advertising.) > >"It can be a very profitable source of income. Some people make millions of >dollars a year doing it," Anderson said. "The whole purpose (of Fake >Family-style sites) is to trick the search engine, so they get a top listing >for some search words" to attract more visitors and potentially more >revenue-producing mouse clicks. > >Search engine companies say they hunt for and remove from listings any sites >that are bogus or that scrape content from other sites merely to act as a >vehicle to carry advertiser links. > >But Fake Family boasts in written information that it can fool search >engines. It does not merely produce lists of random names, but links them >generation-to-generation with bogus birth, marriage and death dates and >places. > >It adds that its randomly generated names "are era-specific," meaning you >will get more names such as Orville and Bertha in the 1880s than the 1980s. >Infant mortality, marriage rates and migration data is also encoded, and >more. It's the rich family "experience" that Fake Family provides that is >significant and makes the output stunning in its ability to look real to >humans. > >Internet advertisers helped the Deseret Morning News identify a few >genealogy sites that appeared to contain only bogus information, along with >plenty of advertiser links. Harrold, however, said he only knows of one >generated by Fake Family (even though he said in written information that he >has "monetized" several family history sites). > >"This is scary to me," said Mindy Koch, an Internet advertiser from North >Carolina and an avid genealogist. "There is a great chance that a novice >could think this is real. If they download it, and then later upload it into >repositories like (the LDS Church's) Ancestral File, those databases would >include lots of people who never existed." > >Also, she added that it potentially could make search engines more difficult >to use for genealogy if bogus sites slow them or account for all the "top >hits." > >Harrold says such threats are imagined and not real. He said the chances of >randomly selected first and last names, coupled with randomly selected >places and dates, being shown as married to the same persons as people who >actually lived "are not just slim, they are nonexistent." > >He said if someone still mistook such information as real and downloaded it, >"that's their fault." He adds, "If you want real family information, why are >you not looking at Census records? If you're not paying for it, and I didn't >ask you to take it, and the name and date don't match your family tree, why >are you taking this information? Any onus is on the people who take this >information." > >Some in genealogy chat groups, however, complained that a name that looks >even roughly plausible could be mistaken as real by a novice, or cause even >a genealogy expert to spend a lot of time and money to eliminate the >possibility it is the person for whom they are seeking. > >"Boo hoo," Harrold told the Morning News in response to such complaints. He >said "the real story" is how Google and other search engines do not verify >content they seek and guide others to for profit. He said databases by the >LDS Church and Ancestry.com also contain some incorrect information >submitted by patrons. His obviously false data creates less threat to >genealogy research than they do, he said. > >Harrold suggested in chat groups that he might sue people who referred to >his work as a "scam." He also warned the Morning News to be careful what it >said about him. > >In turn, makers of the Legacy Family Tree software threatened to sue Harrold >if he did not remove from his Web site instructions about how to download >free software from them that could assist the Fake Family program. > >Meanwhile, Mary Kay Evans, spokeswoman for Ancestry.com, a Utah company >that, as part of its service, offers a large database of names, said, "It is >so unfortunate that there are predators on the Web who target people >interested in their genealogy. Genealogy is such a popular hobby that >predators are moving to take advantage of that." > >Evans, as well as many genealogists and even Harrold himself, urges >genealogists to verify carefully all sources of information in genealogy, >especially any obtained online from people they do not know. "That is a >primary role of Ancestry.com, to help people see source records," Evans >said. > >Anderson, who operates a small family Web site, also encourages genealogists >to actually talk to people operating such sites and ask for all source >information. > >http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635160683,00.html > > > >==== PALEBANO Mailing List ==== >Mid-Atlantic Roots Network: ><http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/> > > > >