APG-L Archives

Archiver > APG > 2005-02 > 1107420130


From: Gordon Remington <>
Subject: Deceased Genealogist's Files - Sensitive Material
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 00:42:21 -0800 (PST)


Today, after sending my earlier messages, I happened across a client's name in my phone directory whose case represents exactly the sort of situation about which I am concerned.

Without going into too much detail, this client asked me to research her grandfather, who was born in the 1860s. What I found and documented was something that neither she nor anyone else in her family suspected, and she was reluctant to accept it without all other possibilities being explored. She wanted to be sure that there wasn't any other person the same unusual name and family configuration as her great-grandfather in that time and place.

I spent two more years contacting second cousins (descendants of her grandfather's siblings) in order to confirm what I found, and all through this time, I was instructed not to share full details of the research on her grandfather. Admittedly, it was difficult to find distant relatives willing to share information without an exchange, but I was able to give them enough leads on their own ancestors (her grandfather's siblings) without compromising my client's wishes to achieve my goal.

The end result was that my client accepted the results of my research, but all through this time she was adamant that I not disclose the information that I had found to anyone. She shared it with her daughter and that's the last I heard of it.

The case was one that would make a great article and or/lecture, both in terms of methodology and something happening in an unusual time and place, and a lot of people could learn from it. Personally, it was one of the most challenging and rewarding cases on which I have ever work. Despite those who would claim that I "own" that research (I know of one genealogist who advocates copyrighting research reports in your own name!), however, my personal commitment to that client to keep the results of the research private far outweighs any other consideration. My correspondence with that client over the issue that I encountered is equally as sensitive.

I think the "bottom line" is that although we are genealogists, we are also business people. Our clients have a reasonable expectation of confidentiality. The more we work with 20th century families, the more likely we are to encounter sensitive material that will impact the present generation. Sharing information about something that happened in a family in the 1600s or 1700s is one thing, but the closer we get to the present, the greater need there is to be sensitive to the client's wishes.

As a result of this exchange, I am going to cull my files for such sensitive cases and place them in a "special" storage container clearly marked "confidential." That way there will be no question about what to do with them after I reach my "logical stopping place."

Gordon Remington
SLC


This thread: