The subject of sharing genealogical information and it "being free" brings
to mind a question that has bothered me since starting my quest three years
ago.

If the question is not considered appropriate for this list, I apologize to
all.   Please e-mail me privately if you have any thoughts on the subject.

My question is:

What genealogy information is considered "appropriate" to pass on to the
general public whether by internet e-mail, web pages, relative to relative
etc?  Many of my living relatives are from small farming communities and
consider their family life private and personal.  Some were very reluctant
to give out the information to begin with.  I am certain that this was also
true in the time of my grandfather and his father.

I recently passed on a GEDCOM file to a distant relative so that they might
compare notes and perhaps share with me information that I had not yet
discovered.  The relative replied by e-mail that they thought my report was
"great" and should be published on their Web page with my name & e-mail
address attached.  I declined because of the privacy issue.  A great deal of
the information that I possess was passed on to me by others yet I continue
to feel that by passing it on, I am violating a confidence of a living
relative or ancestor.


-----Original Message-----
From: Kerry Moore 
To: [email protected] 
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: Information


It seems most of my maternal and paternal ancestor and collateral  lines
>came through SC on their trek south and west to eventually merge and
>produce me in TX. At each beginning and stopping point, MD, VA, NC, SC,
>GA, AL, TN, KY, LA and TX families stayed and reproduced and others
>moved on and reproduced. This has resulted in giving me untold tens of
>thousands, if not MILLIONS of cousins throughout these United States.
>Now I want to know: HOW COME YOU HAVN"T GOTTEN IN TOUCH WITH ME??
>
>Well the answer, I think, is pretty simple. It boils down to the
>dissemination of information or the lack of it. We have an opportunity
>with the internet, as never before, to find one another and our mutual
>roots. Let's not destroy it by building our own personal "towers of
>babble" or establishing an exclusivity of purpose. Genealogy at its'
>best is expansive, inclusive and FREE. Free of conceit, free of ego,
>free of untruth and free to find. Freely give as you have been freely
>given, and don't forget the bread on the water principle.
>
>So all you Andersons, Hollands, Jenkins, Lacys, Darnells, Bartons,
>Davises and ??? some of whom left SC together for KY then AL then LA and
>TX; and  you Moores, Powers, Garretts, Moseleys and ????? who stayed in
>SC or went GA, AL and MS; and you Reeves, Mauldins, Stevensons and ???
>who stayed in SC and kin who went to TN; and mostly you ???? (could
>there be a Coker in there ?), WHERE ARE YOU ?? I've got a bunch of FREE
>information to share with you. It is free because I didn't create it. My
>ancestors did with their own blood, sweat and tears.
>
>Kerry Moore,
>Dallas, TX
>
>


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