"we can study ANYONE if [we]  like I guess it's a good thing that we can add people to a tree if we want. Over the past 10 years I have compiled a family tree of a small Ohio town. It didn't start out that way. I was documenting one pioneer family but because it is a small town the descendants of the pioneering family married into other families and before I knew it I was building a family tree for an entire town. I find myself and my website being used as source material and that doesn't bother me. I've work hard to document my data and being used as a source is -- well -- flattering. I don't feel like my material was 'stolen' if I felt that way I would not have put it World Connect. If somebody wants to bastardize their family tree so be it. I know that what I have is correct and that's all that concerns me. If I find a error in another tree I will try and contract the owner and let them know about it. If they don't change the error - I don't care. I know that what I have is correct as far as I can document it. Happy hunting to all, Joan Asche On Sat, Apr 14, 2012 at 1:53 AM, <JYoung6180@aol.com> wrote: > Um...Sally...they ARE his family (if he's a cousin as you state below). He > can put people in his tree even if they are NOT his family if he wants to. > Genealogical research is not limited to our ancestors...we can study ANYONE > if  like. I've research many a line I'm not personally related to. > > We don't OWN our ancestors and can't claim any "rights" to names, dates, > and places in our family trees. They are facts and facts can't be owned by > anyone. > > Joan >