Hi Everyone,
I have a plea to make to all of you. I had a rather quiet Thanksgiving and
was able to spend several days just in fun - genealogy of course. During
those few days I was also disturbed by some things I found. Not necessarily
new things and I have been troubled by this in the past but...... after
thinking about it for several days I have decided to take courage in hand -
go out on a limb and send my thoughts to the list.
In looking at the World Connect Database I discovered a new database with
Carnahan information from my line. Excited, I clicked on it only to find
that someone had just gone on line - downloaded a gedcom - and then resent it
out there under their own name. Problem is... the information is not
correct. I knew immediately where they got the information because the
"original" database they copied from is also wrong. Actually there are now
several databases out there on world connect with incorrect information
because they have just been copied from each other. Each time I find these I
send the person an e-mail - provide the correct information along with
sources. In this most recent case their e-mail is no longer active so the
message just bounced back to me. In some cases I have sent people the
corrected information and they still have not corrected it. When I am able
to contact them I usually ask them where they got that information and most
of the time the answer is something like... Oh... I have not researched this
myself... I copied it from a gedcom I downloaded. Or.... someone sent it to
me or other similar response. Since they don't know where they got that
information I can't track back to the original person and sent them the
correct information. So... what we have is a giant round robin of incorrect
information.
Thus my plea........ when you get information from someone post them as a
source. That way you will know where you got that information and the
opportunity will be there to correct it if needed. If you have a document,
share that source location.
If you don't mind, I would like to show you what I am talking about. This is
the URL to the world connect database for a Hightower line.
<A
HREF="http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=hightowr">To...
WorldConnect Database</A>
The origins for this database started over 20 years ago when around 20 of us
all working on the Hightower line started pooling our information. Using the
first version of PAF we put together a database and shared it via printout
with one another. A gentleman named Tony Rockefeller became the compiler.
These are all the descendents of one couple - Joshua Hightower and Eleanor in
the late 1600's in Richmond Co., Va. The database is now over 100,000 people
and hundreds of Hightower searchers have contributed to the development of
this information. Tony has put in untold amount of work to maintain the
database. Most of these folks haven't put out their own individual database
but instead they send Tony updates, corrections, etc. That's because Tony
records where any information comes from - who, the source, whatever. New
folks know where to look and who to contact for help on a given line.
Look around the database a little bit and you can see what I am talking
about. Or, if you prefer use this as an example - search on the surname
Ivester and then look at the information for Lucille Hazel Ivester. She was
my mother. You can see where the information came from.
Do a search for Green Hill Hightower - b. 26 Dec 1836 and you will see the
latest attempts to add information in the form of a picture and the scanned
image of a marriage record.
Now.... I'm not suggesting that we need to do this kind of thing for the
Carnahan lines that we are all searching. But it really would be nice if
folks with databases out there (world connect, ftm, whatever) would put the
name of the person they got information from. It would really help us
correct information and even share information in a better way. None of us
got where we are today without help from others. I had help when I started
(back in 1968) from some wonderful folks named Virginia Howard, Dorothy Carl,
Marjorie Raymer, and Pat Carnahan. We shared by mail and by phone. Some of
the information that many of you have on my specific Carnahan line came from
and through these folks. The internet has brought us new tools and in so
many ways had brought us new ways of sharing. We in turn can help other new
folks as they begin their search. But.. we need to stop duplicating
incorrect information and we need to id sources.
I don't post very often to the list. I mostly work one on one with
individuals via private e-mail. That's because I seem to have a knack for
getting in trouble when I post to the list.....<g>. So.... if I have
offended anyone then please accept my apologies. I did not mean to offend at
all but rather to express a concern.
Thanks for being so patient with such a long message and thanks so much for
listening.
Take care - Emma Cronin