Progress Report

My volunteer business of helping neighbors with their computers and networks has blossomed into a 50 hour a week activity.  So, I haven't had the time for genealogy I'd planned.  But I've got a break for the past week and I've made a lot of progress on the total set of family trees.  Here's some highlights:

• I've finished the collection of information on Arthur Irving Leet and am in the process of writing the epic of his life.  You can go to the family web site to see progress.  I have a lot of the epic in a word document on my computer- just need to transfer.  One tidbit that hit me just yesterday as I was cleaning the Gov Leete tree.  George K Leet was a Col and on Gen Grant's staff.  As part of A. I Leet's epic, there is the published story of Gen Grant camping on or near A I Leet's land.  The Federalists were raiding the farm for food and were in the process of taking the only cow left.  Mrs. Leet had her husband's Masonic apron (he was that level 33- written about in recent best selling novels).  To make a long story short, the apron was shown to Gen Grant and he not only ordered the cow returned but provided food for Mrs Leet and all the farm hands (former slaves).  OK, make the link- George Leet would have been with Gen Grant.  To gain access to Gen Grant she would most likely have to go through Col Leet.  How about that!
• I've been validating the main Gov Leete tree,  It is surprising to me how much information is erroneous, both in the book and on the internet.  For example, was the last name Leet or Leete... A lot of the internet entries have taken information from other family trees.  Tracing how the information got there, it looks like it is a combination of using the 1934 book and other non-substantiated sources.  It is clear that some have used  the original book.  So Leets were named Leete by default.  I have to look at all the documents to clarify whether or not the e is there.  In some cases, the name changes from parent to child.  And back again later.  Census data is somewhat helpful.   However, I try to rely heavily on documents that would have been in the person's own hand, like draft records.  In some cases the draft records conflict with the census information!  It take a long time to work through each person.
•  I have been working on a web representation for our family that is new.  See http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/GenealogyGraphsFromXML/ for an example.  Pretty cool.  I now have a GED to XML converter.  I have to work on the code- need permission from the owner.  The generated schema is a mixture of French and English... obviously not a good idea. 
• I've learned that Genealogy.com does not require turning over ownership of the information to them IF the tree is kept "private."  I can make the tree searchable:  anyone can locate a person in the tree, they just can't see all the tree and all the information without request.  I can provide anyone I want with full access, so family members can see the information.  I have to check on whether or not "living" entries are hidden with this approach.  
• So my approach will be to publish everything as private on the Genealogy.com site.  I'll continue building the Leete Genealogy NA web site:  http://sites.google.com/site/leeteleetgenealogyna/ as a narrative site, where I tell the remarkable stories of the members and provide a complete family view for those who are not living- information that is already readily available. 
• I have contacted many people and asked them to supply up to date family information.  This has not been a good experience for me.  Even some in my own family line have/will not provide(d) the basic information plus a photo.  I suppose there is a concern about private information.  However, for those who are concerned, google your own name and see what is readily available, admittedly some of it for a price.  You have nothing to hid because it isn't hidden!