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From: Becky Median <>
Subject: [MDGARRET] I am keeping it to genealogical research
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:20:24 -0800 (PST)


I am keeping it to genealogical research.
 
I will sue you if I find my vital records or any vital records of my family on the internet - or any thing related to the such.
 
You better understand the difference between a vital record and a land record or even a census record for that matter.  I would go so far to say that church records are protected to some point.  For earlier records, you might want to think about what criminal and civil law can do for displaying a vital record.  Land records will always be treated differently becasue a tax was paid and it becomes public information becasue there is a deed - that is not to be confused with birth, marriage, and death records.  I know the Garrett County Historical Society did publish marriages for Garrett County, but they are on thin ice when the right attorney comes along to inspect what they have been doing.  I did collect the GCHS's publications with the marriage records and look up a variety of marriages, but that still dosen't make some thing like that the right thing to do - and even then if I was working as a professional genealogist or on my own family tree
information, I would not solely rely on the GCHS's early marriage records they published also considering that they had published some kind of marriage record roster images, page by page, apparently kept by the county government.
 
I also realize that the Daughters of the American Revolution Glades Chapter publishes a graves book, where they go around and list all the graves in Garrett County Cemeteries.  I have that book and use it, but that dosen't give any body any rights to publish vital records.  I remember speaking out about putting the graves book on the internet, which some one did.  I never thought that some one might want to ask who ever owns the Garrett County Cemeteries, if it was o.k. for the Daughters of the American Revolution Glades Chapter to publish tomb stone readings in a book - that information might be protected by law in some way even thought the graves book is a nice tool to use to get you started.
 
People on this list shoud address bad genealogical research when it is posted, even bad advice and bad web sites.  I am keeping my comments on the message board becasue that would be unfair to start a conversation and not finish it.
 
I was born and raised in Garrett County, and I ain't no dummy.  To say that there is right and wrong information out there is ludicrist!  You need to say how to scritinize and be critical of information that is out there becasue of the possibility of errors, mistakes, and so forth; and to point out places, organizations, and people who are breaking the law when it comes to genealogical and historical research, publications, and setting forth information - it is part of genealogical research.  If you don't learn the right way to do genealogical research then you will probably fail and that includes how to do reasearch for different places, different states, and research over seas depending how far you want to try and go back.  I would rather know if some one was trying to pull one over on me and certainly not let people hurt me, hurt my family, or do any ilegal or unethical things.
 
Becky DeWitt
 




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