APG-L Archives

Archiver > APG > 2005-02 > 1107470299


From: Ray Beere Johnson II <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Deceased Genealogist's Files - Sensitive Material
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 14:38:23 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <20050203084221.49582.qmail@web52908.mail.yahoo.com>


Gordon;
Since you indicate the case in question is
of such interest, may I recommend a compromise? I
suggest you do as many ex-Presidents often do;
segregate such papers, with binding instructions
that they not be opened to public access *until*
a specified term of years, adequate to fulfill
your obligations to a living client, has passed.
Ray

--- Gordon Remington
<> wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
> ==== APG Mailing List ====
> The Association of Professional Genealogists
>
http://www.apgen.org/publications/apg-l/index.html
>
>


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