David and Wayne: I do agree with you that sources from the internet should only be 'clues' where to find the information or where to look next. I guess that comes from my nature of wanting to see the actual documents (analytical at heart). I always feel the actual document may give me 'more clues' that the other person who collected the information may not have seen .. maybe I have found information they did not have at the time .. or something they just did not think was important. (I also think a copy of the actual document somehow is more personal .. you know, my ancestor was standing next to the person who wrote the document .. and they actually put the "X" on the document.) We all know that clues are all over the place .. and we all miss things that when we review our past copies of research, we find things that did not mean a thing to us at the time .. but, when you review it again you have no idea why you missed a valueable clue. When I hit a brick wall .. I review every piece of documentation I have collected and ALWAYS find a new place to look that I had not thought of. To non-genealogy stricken people I compare genealogy to a giant puzzle (I loved them all my life -- still do) .. the problem is that there is never the 'last piece'. I just have never figured out how someone chose the time to stop and write a book .. my work is always a work in progress. Bonita **************************************************************************** *********************************************** Bonita Genealogy is My Passion bhillmer@worldnet.att.net **************************************************************************** *********************************************** -----Original Message----- From: Wayne L II [mailto:WayneLII@aol.com] Sent: Saturday, April 11, 1998 8:40 AM Subject: [PASCHUYL-L] Re: GENEALOGICAL SUICIDE David, I agree about most of what you say and I am guilty as charge, but I have not sent in any information as of yet. I like your idea about sending in only your own work and keeping a separate file for yourself with the who family. I have written two books prior to the internet and was the work of myself and the people who I had contacted by mail or phone. And at the time of each book I thought they contained a large amount of names, but after the internet they are not so large. I am using the internet to cut and past, but after I get the new information I attempt to go back and check out the material. I have always done this. I suppose that it is not much different as when we use to order film from the LDS or go to the large libraries to gather information. I know I have order over 1500 films from Salt Lake City and I have been there and gathered the info. So in one way what makes this any different than going through files on the internet. The same goes to the fact that I used to write to family members and get their information. Is not that the same as getting it over the internet? I think the biggest mistake most of us are making is that we do not check and recheck the information we are getting off of the internet. I know I have typed up about 1000 obits and placed in my books and it takes time to do this. It is easy to cut and paste, but is it right. Well now, are we not doing the same thing with our newspaper obits from the past, I mean cutting and pasting. The only thing that is different is that we are not sending away for the material, but getting it right off the computer. So let us keep on digging for those roots and let us check out the material to see if it is correct and you might be able to add to the whole story by finding out something new when you check the information. No David I think we are very lucky to beable to have access to such a large data base. Before the computer it was the people who lived in large cities that had access to the data that is on the computer. But now every one has a chance to research his tree. Thank You Wayne L McKean, Seattle, WA ==== PASCHUYL Mailing List ==== you can contact list owner at judjack@rocketmail.com Visit the PaGenWeb Schuylkill County Page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~paschuyl/schuylki.htm or Schuylkill County Genealogy Ties at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/4280