Kristina P.

I found BillionGraves through a linked hint on an ancestors page on FamilySearch (a free service). I was delighted to find a photo of my ancestors grave, something I had looked for myself but was unable to find 20+ years ago. I even sent a thank you message to the volunteer who took the photograph. I tried to add the photo to my ancestors page on FamilySearch, complete with attribution to the photographer and a link to BillionGraves (not trying to steal anything here). A few hours later FamilySearch notified me that the photo was in violation of FS policy and it would be removed. OK, I understand, but why? Then I went and scrounged through the microfine print in a remote corner of the site, well-hidden from the all the FAQ info. Sure enough, BillionGraves has tight intellectual property rights clauses that make it illegal for site users to download, save, or share the information about their ancestor elsewhere. It's completely legal, and I or FamilySearch could be sued for using that image that a generous volunteer dedicated a great deal of time to obtain and submit. I'm a prhotographer, I understand. And now I know the way BillionGraves works and will most likely not use their services again. I'm grateful I logged in via Facebook and didn't give them a dime. I now understand how they are making money.

I have a lot of genealogy records researched by my grandmother and mother. Thousands of names and families -- all entered into FamilySearch over time. I find FS to be very user-friendly, though not perfect. Perfect doesn't exist. It's definitely the best free service in my opinion, particularly for free access to indexed records of births, marriages, deaths, etc. Users need to know that others have access to the site, just as you do, and may make changes. I suggest the following: 1. Keep personal copies of everything you have on your ancestors as you may need to go back and correct things down the road. 2. Document the source of your information when you add to an ancestors record on FS. Others are less likely to make changes to well-documented data. 3. Make sure the data you enter is as accurate as it can be. Don't guess or make assumptions -- you might be wrong and mislead others. 4. Use the communication tools to interact with others on site when there are issues. I have used these tips to help me as I have entered, edited, and corrected data on my ancestors. It's a great place for me!