Re: Copyright et al

[Jean <sinead@labyrinth.net.au>]

Neil
I thought the issue of the work of the geneologists had been completed. Lena
has had her say,  Jean has had hers and Margaret has had some communication
with both ladies.
While agreeing that those who work in a 'professional' capacity, that is
recouping their costs while helping other people to find their families of
origin are a remarkable group and generous of their time and knowledge, there
are other people, also qualified, who research for the love of the family.

We are a wide spread, strongwilled and fiery tempered crew on the whole and
this does not make for ease and comfort when we disagree. Some of the stories
that are surfacing about my father are hilarious but also very embarassing. I
suspect my brother may not see then the same way as I do. When I told one to
Dad's younger brother (by 19 years), he turned to his wife and said " See!
George had a temper too." At 82 he had never heard the true story of an
incident in the early days of Australia's involvement in the 14-18 War.

  Yet I intend to make sure they are available to those who are connected to
me. Doubt if they will ever make the wider archives because they are stories
connected to this branch.
Margaret is our historian and geneologist and is doing an immense amount of
searching through the wider records because my Grandfather left Lappan and
came
to Australia. His siblings went to New Zealand, Canada, U.S.A. and a couple
stayed home. Because we are so far from the original sources in Australia, all
her work is having to be done through the Internet and has to rely on work
either in the registries and purchased and mailed, or work that has been done
by others and passed on.

So what I am saying is that the lines of descent should be collated on to a
data base for all, but the stories - embarassing, funny, tragic, proud should
remain the property of the particular family group unless they are able to be
generous enough to release them for the Clan's consumption..

Bye the way Margaret is my eldest daughter, mother of Richard and with her
next
baby nearly due. I am descended from Andrew W Sinclair of Lappan, near
Latheronwheel.


Another small query - Andrew and his wife Henrietta Elizabeth Hogg were
married
in excess of 50 years as were all three of their sons and their wives. Now my
brother and his wife are nearing their  46th Wedding Anniversary and could
make
it a third generation to reach 50.
Have any other branches a track record like this?

Jean Sinclair Stokes.
At 04:57 24/09/99 -0400, you wrote: 
>
> Greeting and Toasts to the members;
> I just wanted to add a bit on the copyright issues and genealogy. Amber
> Dalakas was on the mark when she pointed out that the data or facts are not
> subject of copyright while the expression of those facts is a subject matter
> of copyright. Now I do not get professionally ulcerated very much on
> genealogical copyright because the commercial value is nominal and content
> highly personal. '
>  
> I also suggest that there are two major international conventions recognized
> by law that help our appreciation when it comes to identifying proprietary
> issues. They have to be followed, to even begin to establish copyright and
> the internet is a new territory depending on the country of hosting, and
> retreival location. So I am not sure that the interest and concern is legal
> as much as ethical and practical. 
>  
> I have met some professional genealogists over the list, Karen Matheson,
> Wanda Sinclair, Jean Grimbsy to mention 3 who have very strong
credentials in
> genealogy and offer directly or indirectly personalized search and retrevial
> services and who put a lot of their heart and soul documenting
information so
> that it is available for public and/or private consumption. The work that
> these individuals do from time and energy is expensive and sharing it is at
> times even more expensive. Ethically I suggest that our generation and the
> generation to come will be greatly indebted to these type of individuals
that
> have spent so much of their lives documenting the history of lives lived and
> loved. May I suggest that when gifts are given they are and should be
> returned. There is a difference between exchanging information and simply
> consuming information. Riding on the coat tails of anothers efforts is
> without value. Investing in the collection and distribution of
information is
> of value. Just a thought.
> Neil Sinclair
> Argyll/PEI/Toronto




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