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Re: Clan Sinclair Database.



A GEDCOM is an electronic format for transmitting genealogical data
from one computer to the next, thus relieving the researcher the
onerous burden of having to type into his of her computerized  data
base each and everyone's names, and their birth, marriage and death
statistics.  With a GEDCOM you do not have to deal with hard copy
files and their copying.   My wife recently typed into the computer
hand written family group sheets for 10 generations and it took her
two weeks to do the typing.
    GEDCOMs in most cases include several generations of genealogical
data for particular family lines, including persons that are still
alive.  Information from these GEDCOMs are normally not made
accessible to the public in their entirety because of the possibility
of identity theft.  Data on people that are alive are omitted. Of
course, there are a myriad of personal reasons why people do not wish
that information in a GEDCOM they provide a family association be
shared freely with just anyone.   For example, a friend of mine did
not want information on herself released as it would show that she was
born 4 months after her parent's marriage.
    Secret is not the operative word here, Confidentiality, however,
is.  What several clans do is combine all the GEDCOMs into one
amalgamated file, exorcise (and their our programs and ways of doing
this) out all living people, and make the remainder of the data base
for those no longer living available either in book format or on
CDROM.  See data base for Clan Bell USA at
http://www.clanbell.org/usa/genealogy.html  for an example of a data
base where living people and their data is filtered out.  Other
organizations may provide data on living people, but will only
indicate the year of birth and marriage and the only the State of
Province in which they were born.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald J Sinclair" <donsinc@shaw.ca>
To: <sinclair@quarterman.org>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2001 8:08 PM
Subject: Re: Clan Sinclair Database.


Jack,

First of all what is a GEDCOM and why is it kept so secret? Being new
to
the list, I would appreciate your input. And Lena, why is this an

[ Excess quotations omitted. ]

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