GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

From: Kay Allen AG <>
Subject: Re: Fw: Ken Finton's Plantagenet Ancestry
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1990 12:18:18 -0800

Comments interspersed. Kay Allen AG

Renia Simmonds wrote:
>
> Re Robert's comment, below, let me elucidate. I specialise in one surname, and
> collect every varied reference to it that I can. My ancestry, through that
> name, goes back to about 1450. The earliest reference to the name, is about
> 1290. I have a theory that the origin of the surname is not as "they" suggest
> in the surname books, and I believe that it is a surname with a common
> ancestor. But I am not here to discuss and argue that, because I am not ready.
>
> During the last 20 years, having collected thousands of references to the name,
> from an assortment of sources, primary and secondary, ancient and modern, I
> have created genealogies for people of this name, prior to my possessing a
> computer, all written by hand, on pages of A4. The financial cost was
> considerable, including travel, photocopying, postage (£5 a time, to several
> people, for they were thick), and it is something I have done almost
> exclusively for that 20 years, so the time taken in hours, is immeasurable. I
> have freely given away up to 13 generations of genealogy to people of this
> name. People have responded by sending more information, for which I am
> grateful, and which helps them, and others.
>
> With the advent of the Internet, I have made the most staggering discoveries
> about my own family, and about others' families, which have enhanced this
> research immeasurably. But, at the same time, I see my original research
> popping up on web sites, with no indication as to the origin of the work, and
> no mention of the sources, which, I admit, I did not always provide in the
> early days. I have communicated, via the Internet, with hundreds of people with
> an interest in this name, and when I can, and if they have access to Gedcom
> programs, happily send them whole swathes of genealogy. (More so, now that I am
> getting more organised!)
>
> But, I am angry to see one of these huge genealogies lurking on 3 or 4 separate
> Broderbund CDs, for which other people have to pay money, and for which I get
> no recognition, or commission. And, these genealogies come complete with the
> errors I made several years ago, which I have since rectified in my own files.
> I find it pretty disappointing, that a company can make money out of my
> original research, when I initiated that research with no thought of making a
> profit.

And that is what makes them the most pernicious type of copyright
infringers. They should be sued and made to account for their
transgressions. But the pity is that unless you can get a lawyer on
contingency, a suit is not viable for most victims.




I am sure that those with more rounded contributions to make to
> genealogy than I, are open to all sorts of such abuse and opportunism, even
> types that we haven't yet thought of.
>
> I have decided, that if you can't beat 'em..... So, for some months to come, I
> will be filling up my FamilyTreeMaker file with these 20,000 or so entries of
> that surname, plus
> their spouses and allied genealogical links, and will upload them to Ancestral
> File and FamilyHistory.com, who, at least, allow free access to such material,
> because I can't think what else to do, in the short term.

The LDS Church has a new preservation program which is supposed to be
better that AF as no one else's material is to be appended to your work.
Check familysearch.org for more and better information on this. I
apologize for not knowing more about. But I am going to SLC for the
Institute on Thursday. I will try to get more info and pass it on when I
return, after the 23rd.
>
> In the long term, my sons are quite aware of the importance of my work (within
> the family), and know not to trash it. They know it must go to the Society of
> Genealogists, (as will my clients' work, for I consider the material belongs to
> them, and not to me, for they have paid for it) and to The Guild of One Name
> Studies, both of which I am a member of.

You might also consider providing copies of your work to the LDS Family
history Library for filming, which would also make it available.
>
> As to medieval genealogy, per se, this is more of a passing interest. Like
> anyone else, I hope, occasionally to pick up on one of my lines, for my own
> personal use, so I do not consider myself a specialist medieval genealogist.
> There are so many people on here with such expert knowledge, that there is, in
> truth, very little I could add to their discussions, unless I branched out from
> my "specialist subject". If I was in a position, however, to contribute
> something, I would probably (and may well have) replied privately to the
> interested poster.
>
> Renia


>

> >

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• Re: Fw: Ken Finton's Plantagenet Ancestry by Kay Allen AG <>