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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2012-05 > 1336249033


From: Jim Bartlett <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] The Problem with Ancestry dot com takeover ofArchives dot com
Date: Sat, 05 May 2012 16:17:13 -0400
References: <CAEaNpcfaa73iGx_TPPDvgcQFG=1DSpb-NnYN9eiJsnGRv+yqkg@mail.gmail.com><CALSepZaRTwwVP-BLEv3URoo0-vTwpN_tK0w7B+27+t=3Gvn=_g@mail.gmail.com><C13C994E-55F2-4977-A710-19C41FAB18F2@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <C13C994E-55F2-4977-A710-19C41FAB18F2@yahoo.com>


Mary

I can afford it, and I'm with you. Although I don't post everything I've researched and documented since 1974, I do share anything specific some needs. I started with Ancestry for the census records (I spent my lunch hours scrolling microfilms at the National Archives in the 1970s and 80s). With Ancestry I've extracted the census info for my surname in 20 states, and combined that with DNA info from our surname project into pretty comprehensive booklets for each state. This allows me to help many folks, and also helps with what's not there.

I, too, have spent a lot on this hobby, and I consider my cup to be very full.

Jim - Sent from my iPhone - FaceTime!

On Apr 30, 2012, at 4:05 PM, Mary Guler <> wrote:

> In the "old days", before the Internet, I went to my local Family History Center and paid to rent individual microfilms. I was not retired at that time, and I had an administrative position, for which I was well compensated.....mentioned because my time (spent going to the FHC, researching what microfilms to order, waiting to find a "good" microfilm reader at the center, trying to read poor quality films, etc) was valuable and worth something. I paid for the rental of the microfilms, and frequently waited 2 weeks, or longer, for their arrival, and then waited again for a Wednesday evening or Saturday morning (the limited hours my local FHC was open) to go and view was was ordered.
>
> My parents, did not have access to a local FHC, and planned trips to different NARA offices to search for relevant records. Those trips involved long drives, parking, hotel stays, etc, and were more often than not fruitless.
>
> As someone who has these experiences in their background, I am willing to pay for the convenient access to records that ancestry dot com provides. I personally have spent a fortune buying documents from the archives of many states, Scotlandspeople, and more, and posted them to my trees on ancestry, where they are copied by others into their tree. I have no objection to this. I welcome the opportunity to potentially connect with those who share members of my tree, because they likely are cousins who have something more to share with me. I regularly help people I don't know on genealogical listservs and many have helped me.
>
> I think this discussion is a "the glass is half full" versus a "the glass is half empty" story. I am personally very happy that my subscription to ancestry gives me access to documents that I may have difficulty accessing any other way. One way or another, any hobby one has costs. I have met and shared stories, documents, and relatives with people I likely would never have known, thanks to ancestry.com.
>
> For me, the glass is half full :o)
>
>
> Mary Mitchell Guler
> T

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