Dear Dodie, Just a few comments. First I would like to ask if you would like a free copy of my book Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied families that I wrote back in 1978. You may respond privately. Second - Please feel free to visit my personal web site and click on My American Family I believe you will enjoy some of my research on Logan county. Third - I do not see the Browning family information. I have been working for 30 years on Logan County Browning families and would like to share information. Fourth - If you have Fauquier County, Virginia families please visit my USGENWEB site. Fifth - I really enjoyed visiting your Logan County West Virginia web site. Sixth - Please reconsider your decision. Virginia USGENWBB needs folks like you to keep the high level of commitment to help others. Seventh - do you have Elijah Sutherland booklet on the Dickinson County, Virginia Mullins family. I think I still have an old copy he sent me 30 years ago. I am not related to that Mullins line but to the Nathaniel Mullins line of Rowan County, North Carolina. Family History IS meant to BE SHARED. Thanks for your commitment no matter what decision you make. Thanks Jim Burgess Fauquier County, Virginia USGENWEB PS - Several years ago I believe I found the ancestor of the Logan County Steele family in North Carolina. Never had anyone to share it with until now. ----- Original Message ----- From: "daisyoday" <famsteel@worldnet.att.net> To: <VAGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 6:45 PM Subject: [VAGEN-L] My Resignation > To the USGenweb Project: > This letter is very long, but it is all I have to say on the matter at > hand.. > I agree with the idea of having a centralized archives but NOT to SOLICIT > information; The archives should be a SECONDARY place where people can do > a massive search of all files. It should be ONLY a repository, and for > special projects, NOT OUT THERE SOLICITING INFORMATION for "Kingdom > building." This would mean that the CC would be the one to send copies of > submissions to the Archives, from the COUNTY pages.. That way if people > somehow do not reach the county first but the Archives, a search can be made > and they can find the files there too. THE ARCHIVES SHOULD HOLD NO DATA > THAT IS NOT ALREADY ON A COUNTY SITE AND SHOULD HOLD NO AUTHORITY OVER > COUNTY PAGES, AND WOULD EXERCISE NO AUTHORITY OVER ANY OTHER PROJECT. As > any EXPERIENCED researcher knows, to begin your search for your ancestors, > you should start in the county, NOT the archives. Our ancestors would > call that "placing the horse before the cart." > I am posting my resignation on the lists, because that is how I first > became aware that I had been approved as the coordinator of the Tazewell > County Virginia USGenweb page- on the VA-L list. > Following is my resignation that I submitted to Volunteers who had submitted > work to me for the Tazewell County USGenweb project home page: > >Dear Tazewell County Volunteers, > >(This letter is to remain INTACT- not "snipped" nor edited.) > >After much prayer and soul searching, I have decided that I >will no longer > >maintain the Tazewell County VAGenweb page. I am telling >you, the > volunteers > >first, because you are the ones where my loyalty is. I have >removed my > own > >work, including backgrounds and graphics from the >website, because it > seems > >apparent, that the county pages are being eroded and >absorbed into a > >larger data base (the archives) that is controlled by a single >individual. > >I do know that in all societies, total control ends in >dictatorship. > All > >of the archives pages are on Rootsweb, and Rootsweb is >now a for profit > >corporation. I have read on the "administrative" mail lists >that the > >individual who has control over the archives is a paid staff >member of > >Rootsweb. I have no idea where it is all leading, and won't >even > speculate > >on it. > >If you want any corrections or additions made to any of the >work you have > >submitted to the Tazewell Home Page since I took it over >the end of > >January 2000, please let me know, before I make the >announcement to > >officially resign from the USGenweb project. Thanks to the >hard work of > >each of you, I am leaving the page with literally hundreds of >files that > >were not there previously. None of the work submitted to >me was > transferred > >to the "archives." We have a POWERFUL home page, >because we chose to > share > >unselfishly and work together. That is where the REAL >POWER is- with the > >volunteers for the project. > >Most of the time, I have felt like a hypocrite taking your >work, because > >county coordinators are not allowed freedom of speech to >let volunteers > >know the actual politics, so the volunteers can make >INFORMED CHOICES. > Let > >the record show, that I did not donate any of your work to >the "archives." > >There are many wonderful, dedicated people in the >USGenweb project who > keep > >"hanging in there" but if they speak out, they are "severed" >from the > >project.. I am not going to maintain a "front" website that is >nothing > >more than a gateway to someone's personal agenda for >power. > >If you share this letter with anyone before I officially resign, I >will > more > >than likely be "severed" from the project and locked out of >the website > that > >we have put our hearts and souls into. It has happened to >others in the > >past. If that happens, my bags are packed and I am ready >to go, today, > if > >I have to..but I am leaving voluntarily- the only area of the >project > where > >I have a choice. > >One of our volunteers summed up my feelings much better >than I could have, > >and I will paste the quote here: > >"I believe that the little folks do > >better without interference and central control and with the >power to > >choose for themselves and to control what they themselves >have chosen. > >As an Appalachian, I am skeptical about remote control. >When people don't > >control what they've produced, they don't own it. Somebody >else chooses > the > >program, and the little guy simply displays it. Power always >rests with > the > >one who has the option of choosing."< > (end of quote) > >I am choosing to keep my power by leaving the project, but >I will finish > my > >work and place it some where that it will remain intact at a >"local" > >level, and be used for the purpose it was intended- to help >others find > >their families of origin. > >If I am not kicked out of the project for allowing you to >CHOOSE whether > to > >maintain control over your own work, then this letter will be >sent to all > >the USGenweb "administrative" mail lists that I am on, as >my official > >resignation and as a protest, that we are not allowed >freedom of speech > nor > >the right to know, nor the right to > >choose. The entire Ohio Genweb project was threatened >with "severance" > >just the other day, because they believe the public has a >right to know > what > >is happening and and the right to make choices. > >If I have left anyone off this list who submitted work to me, it >was not > >intentional, because I do believe everyone has THE RIGHT >TO KNOW and the > >RIGHT TO CHOOSE.. I have never seen a more caring >dedicated group of > >people anywhere than the Tazewell County VA volunteers.. >Thank you for > your > >support and your contributions. Hopefully, I will meet each >of you at > the > >Eastern Gate of Heaven when we leave this old world and >the wheat will > >finally be separated from the chaff. > >Dodie Browning > I will be working with Jeff Weaver, who was one of the original members of > the USGenweb Project. 3 of my personal websites are: > (brand new) Tazewell County VA Genealogy & History > http://www.anzwers.net/free/tazewellcova/ > Families of Steel(e) > http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/6203/ > Logan County WV Ancestors > http://members.tripod.com/famsteel/index.html > Please consider the Tazewell County VAGenweb page as orphaned, as of now. > I have tried to ignore the "politics" , because I do quality work and had > hoped to be an active member of the USGenweb Project in spite of the > "politics". I cannot do quality work under the CONTROL of the archives > and assist them in taking over special projects and the county pages, > which was the heart of the USGenweb project . > Sincerely > Dodie Browning > > > > >