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I think it ethically depends on your intentions, or those of someone asking you to do it. I personally find current info on the internet a little disturbing, often outdated or incorrect, but that's me. Some people have no problem putting it all out there. I'm a big believer in privacy myself & take current info out there as opposed to "historical" info with a grain of salt.
As far as public info - census records - "genealogy" type stuff - if I can assure myself that I will make no judgements on the info I find then I have no qualms. I think it's important to keep your imagination from filling in assumptions about people from where they lived, occupations etc. The info one finds in these things are rather bare facts, without nuance, insight, or the experience of living in that time & place. It's tempting to flesh out the facts, but often totally off base.
I recently contacted someone who lives in a house built by an ancestor, and it turns out that each owner since it went out of the family has kept and passed on mementos of the original family. I was able to add pictures & some other info to his "box", and it was gratifying to me to know that the home was loved and the original part preserved. I know that the history of the builder and his family will stay with the house. 150 yrs and going strong. I found the owner through public info he had on the internet, certainly expected nothing, this time it turned out well - -
I ask this because I'm feeling like a bit of a stalker weirdo right now!
The house DH & I just purchased was a Deceased Estate and had been a 1 owner property. The owners had left a lot of little clues around in addition to their personal touches and naturally I got curious as to who they were before they passed away.
I did a bit of searching and was able to uncover some undoubtedly murky family history. However, from the addresses on the Census until 1940, it appears that both the husband and wife were raised in lower class sections of St. Louis City in late Victorian tenements.
I think this fact though has given me further appreciation for the house we bought.
I can only imagine how thrilled the couple must have been when they first bought the home in 1959 when it was brand spanking new, out in the 'new' post war suburbia and far away from the grit and pollution of the city. The house must have seemed like a dream come true! They certainly took amazing care of it from an aesthetic standpoint.
So, have you ever searched a person in the Census / other records that wasn't related to you? Is doing this unethical?
Either way- I think I have even more of an appreciation for the couple that owned, and loved my house. It seems they achieved their American Dream!
not necissairily, it depends on why you are searching someone else's family history.
So, have you ever searched a person in the Census / other records that wasn't related to you? Is doing this unethical?
All the time. I regularly research friends or other associates of my ancestors. Sometimes when browsing old newspapers for stuff to do with my ancestors, I will come upon interesting articles (which have nothing to do with my ancestors) that peak my interest and I wind up looking for more records on the people mentioned int the article. I've looked up little known historical figures, Titanic victims, etc. To me, it's all just history and I love history.
I can't see it as unethical. It's public information and no one "owns" their ancestry. No one has exclusive rights (legal or moral) to research any person in history.
When my husband and I bought an old farmhouse we were going to rehab, we found all sorts of things when we tore out walls. We didn't find any hidden money...sigh...but we did find really old booze bottles (which explained why the house 'leaned'...yes, it really leaned), a petrified squirrel (lol), some kids toys from the 50's and old wallpaper. But additionally, the most interesting thing we found was an envelope dated from the 1870's and on the risers of the cellar stairs, in very faint letters were people's names. On the envelope, there were some figures that at first, made no sense. But it got me to thinking about the people who built the house and who lived there back when the property was considered 'Indian Territory'.
After a little digging at the courthouse, I tracked the deed to a family who came from Ireland. Using the census, I discovered that the names on the risers of the cellar steps were the names of their children and using other clues found in the house, I ascertained that the figures on the envelope were most likely the number of days, months and years they had been living in the house since leaving Ireland and arriving in America. Researching the family made me feel closer to the house its history and helped me to understand why the property was nicknamed "Victory Hill."
History is fascinating to me and since most family/professional historians are 'ethically' searching for answers (in one way or another) I don't see any of it as unethical in the least.
I don't think it's unethical at all. I photograph small forgotten cemeteries in my area. I often try to find out the history of the people buried in them. In a way, I feel like they aren't forgotten anymore. They are more than just a name on a piece of stone.
I don't think it's unethical at all. I photograph small forgotten cemeteries in my area. I often try to find out the history of the people buried in them. In a way, I feel like they aren't forgotten anymore. They are more than just a name on a piece of stone.
I don't think it's unethical at all. I photograph small forgotten cemeteries in my area. I often try to find out the history of the people buried in them. In a way, I feel like they aren't forgotten anymore. They are more than just a name on a piece of stone.
I've done that for fiindagrave.com and added information from their publicly available death certificates, just what their job was, where they were born, things descendants or relatives might like to know.
I know that I have hit a wall before with my family research and to help my research binge I will work on closely related families or families that lived in the same area... You never know what you might find from a family that lived 2 farms away from your great grandparents...
I know that I have hit a wall before with my family research and to help my research binge I will work on closely related families or families that lived in the same area... You never know what you might find from a family that lived 2 farms away from your great grandparents...
That's true. You may find a relative or business associate, which can lead to new information.
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It's only unethical if you have an unethical reason for doing so, and it sounds like your motives are pure.
