Have you been wondering where I’m going with this series of topics about family history resources beyond the internet?
Earlier in the year I planned out the topics I wanted to write about. I clustered them into broad, self-declared, themes, and this week’s pension post will end my “health” theme. So far we’ve covered church, homes, school, war and health. Next up is Law & Order (legals), Archives (miscellaneous), the last farewell (death and related topics), migration, occupations and land.
I’m really only drawing on my own experience to highlight the resources I’ve found useful beyond the internet, though the line is a bit blurred as records are progressively digitised.
It would be great if you felt like joining in either by commenting or by writing your own posts, as your experience will almost certainly be different from mine. My thanks to those who have already participated in some or all of the posts, and to those who add new tips, and their support, through the comments.
My hope is that by talking about these topics, there’ll be a wider understanding of just how much remains tucked away in archives, libraries or other repositories. It will be a very long time before digitisation reached beyond the most commonly used resources.
If you’re wondering why I don’t use images of the documents to illustrate my points, it’s because in almost all cases I’ve signed a document with the relevant archive/library indicating that I will not use the document/image in a publication without prior written consent. I’d love to show you some of the documents but frankly it’s just not worth the hassle for a weekly post. It was enough grief to obtain the same permissions for my published family history. On the plus side, it encourages you to go and see the documents for yourself 😉
Family history across the seas 
I was surprised at your last paragraph. I have never had to sign for a document to indicated that i will not use the document/image in a publication without prior written consent. I have been somewhat cavalier about using documents that I have obtained, but perhaps I haven’t dug as deeply as you. Nevertheless, it has given me something that I need to consider. Thanks.
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I guess everywhere’s different Joan including around legislation. You might find that even if you haven’t signed for the document you possibly did when you got your archive membership. When I wrote my family history the whole approval process nearly drove me nuts…the writing was the easy bit. There’s also the distinction between who owns copyright, whether it’s expired or if the library/archive owns reproduction rights. It’s certainly a dilemma. I follow James Tanner’s Genealogy Star blog to learn a little more about the US position on copyright.
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Joan, a second thought, I also get permissions for images etc I use in presentations. With both publications and presentations, they give approval for the specific event, not a blanket approval into the future. Anyway, food for thought.
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