Worth passing through....John Blair/Listowner > DearMYRTLE's DAILY GENEALOGY COLUMN > Scam - ResearchQuest > (Unless you like Fake Heraldry Key Chains with your Surname!) > > From: GGMC1944@aol.com > DearMYRTLE, > Received this in my e-mail today. Looks like something that deludes new > genealogists----thought you should see it. > > [NOTE: Myrt added BURGANDY highlights in the web version of this article:] > > ========Beginning of Quote #1============= > Forwarded Message: > Subj: ResearchQuest: FamilySearch > Date: 7/17/99 8:06:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time > From: research1@marketlyn.com (research1) > Sender: mylist1-owner@marketlyn.com > Reply-to: research1@marketlyn.com > To: mylist1@marketlyn.com > > Discover Your Family History - Rated "Cool Site of the Week" > FreeSearch > Do you know WHO your ancestors are and WHAT they did? > Do you know WHEN your surname first appeared? > Are you curious about WHERE your family roots originate? > Now you can fill in the missing pieces of this puzzle. > Join the satisfied multitudes who have discovered their complete Family > Surname History. > > All Nationalities. It's easy. Just key your last name into our online > index, and in seconds we will tell you it's origin and much MORE. See if > we've researched your complete family name history during our 25 years of > professional research. > > Read a sample history, plus - FREE Coat of Arms keychain with your family's > most ancient coat of arms & crest. All in full color. Your family name > history parchment is 11 x 17", approximately 1700 words. It is beautifully > ILLUMINATED by your most ancient Coat of Arms in full authentic Heraldic > Colors. Over 500 URLs on family and heraldic history. > > Please come visit our website at, > FreeSearch > > Hall of Names International Inc. > Come Visit. > ===========End of Quote================== > > DearREADERS, > Most of this is the exact wording on a scam I reported on 19 April 1997. The > major difference is that the web site address has changed from: > http://www.infokey.com/roots/Welcome.htm > to > http://216.206.143.35/hon/familytimes_1b.html > > I wonder why they've had to move? I can only guess! Here are some of the > other problems with this scheme: > > -- Its not appropriate to send advertising through e-mail to non-subscribers. > -- FreeSearch? Well, that's a lot like www.familysearch, a legit site. They > even were so BOLD as to use "FamilySearch" in the subject line of the e-mail, > which is a direct copyright violation of that term. > -- Cool Site of the Week? Says who? > > When I searched for my well-known Palatine ancestor Conrad WEISER, I received > the following information. [Again, emphasis added in burgandy in web page > version of this column.] > > ========Beginning of Quote #2============= > "Yes! We have researched your Family History > > The History and Coat of Arms of the WEISER family > (Left is a sample of what your surname history scroll may look like!!!) > > The history of this ancient Austria family traces its ancestry as a family of > Slav and Magyar origin before the year 1100 and appears first in the ancient > records in Austria . This completely researched parchment history of the > WEISER family not only includes in full colour the most ancient family name > Coat of Arms but traces the surname origin forward from the 11th or 12th > century. This beautifully detailed history includes the WEISER nobles & > titles, the family castles, estates and manors, the battles, wars and feuds > they overcame, the branches as they formed throughout Europe, pioneers and > settler's and also the notables of this distinguised family who lived during > this century. > > Learn more about the WEISER family in this 1700 word beautifully illuminated > parchment of this great distinguished family. These parchment scrolls are > also recommended as a guide or roadmap of where the family held branches > during the centuries for family historians or genealogists. > > Order Your Complete Surname History and Coat of Arms Now! > Satisfaction Guaranteed!" > ===========End of Quote================== > > Notice they misspelled the word DISTINGUISHED with a perhaps Freudian slip > -- "distinguised" -- which comically calls to mind the word "disguised," a > close cousin of the word "fake." Perhaps there WAS some truth to their > claims? Ha. > > I doubt my satisfaction would be met by a freshly printed 11"X17" piece of > parchment. It couldn't possibly tell me as much as the "WEISER FAMILIES OF > AMERICA" two volume 2153 page set edited by Weiser Family Association > Secretary, Pastor Fred Weiser. See my write-up on this with chapter headings: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pajcwfa/publications.htm > > See the introduction of the legitimate Weiser book which mentions notable > German family researchers and their ongoing efforts as well as communications > with known American Weiser descendants since the 1960s comprising over four > file cabinets: http://www.rootsweb.com/~pajcwfa/1996.htm > > Just how the Hall of Names International Inc. manages to fit all this into a > handy, framed parchment (complete with a full color heraldry crest) beats me. > Guess they've been able to do something the combined work of well-educated > and published historians and genealogists haven't accomplished in over 100 > years of concerted efforts. > > Let the buyer beware. > Myrt :/ > > DearMYRTLE, > Daily Genealogy Columnist > America Online Keyword: roots or myrtle > http://members.aol.com/dearmyrtle/index.htm > > For Further Reading: > DearMYRTLE. Hypertext Heraldry Hoax. Daily Genealogy Column. 19 April 1997. > Reprint. http://members.aol.com/dearmyrtle/prior/970419.htm > > ---------- > copyright 1999 > HTML Version: http://members.aol.com/dearmyrtle/99/990718.htm > > To post a message on this topic: > http://venus.beseen.com/boardroom/g/36848/ > > To search DearMYRTLE's Web site for other genealogy topics: > http://members.aol.com/dearmyrtle/search.htm > > > ==== DEARMYRTLE Mailing List ==== > THANKS to RootWeb for sponsoring this mail list! > http://www.rootsweb.com