Searching on Ancestry today, I saw this:

The following is a journey of my sentiments as I read the above, expressed via GIFs:

This is the second installment of “As Seen on Ancestry…” and quite frankly my dears, ultimately—I agree with each.

There seems to be an endemic Little Red Hen mindset among far too many people “interested” in family history. Who’s going to help me find court records? Who’s going to help me locate old family photos? Who’s going to offset some of the considerable costs associated with genealogy research? Who’s going to take time to share oral family history stories and information with me?

Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit. There are folks (too few and far between, sadly) who will share the monumental and the minuscule in family history information. They are sincerely appreciated, applauded and needed.

The thing is-this thing, our thing, called family history is a cooperative exchange. Double and triple dipping into the genealogical pot without one iota of consideration or any attempt to give back should absolutely be called out.

To be clear, this public service announcement, as it were, is not aimed towards those who are adopted, foundlings, or any who are otherwise deprived of any knowledge of their family history and who are willing to do what they can to learn more.

This cuts directly to those who are hoarding information and family photos as if they’re some type of genealogy golem, with no interest in sharing the heaps of pictures, records, and ephemera that they have amassed through whatever measures and yet still feel entitled to siphon from public family trees on Ancestry.com and the like.

Here’s to you, kid

I am here for it. Reciprocity-any which way you can.

This is our thing, our situation.

The Genealogy Situation Room