Genealogy Chat

Hi Robin Thanks for that. I'm not saying such a directory is a bad thing, just a little surprising when it comes out of the blue that your details are in it! Joyce

The GRD is a commercial venture and entirely separate from family history societies, the huge majority of which are charities. It is, however, very common for fliers to be put into family history journals for the GRD. You do not have to pay to advertise your interests in a FHS but you do have to subscribe to the GRD if advertising in it.

Thanks for replying Brenda, I'll let you know if she finds out more. Hopefully the person will reply with her exact source. I've never heard of GRD but then I've only just joined a society. But my friend is quite involved in hers so I would have thought she would have heard of it, if this was a standard thing. the site we found for a GRD was an Australian one http://members.ozemail(.)com(.)au/~grdxxx/ Have we missed a UK site? I've been right through the website of the society I've just joined and there's nothing about it. Joyce

this is from the Emery Paper on GENUKI: GRD: The Genealogical Research Directory is published annually. Each edition runs to about 1,200 pages and contains well over 100,000 entries submitted by thousands of researchers worldwide. The GRD enables researchers to find fellow researchers with similar interests. It is published in Australia in April and is distributed worldwide to contributors, societies and libraries. Each edition gives addresses and other details of genealogical societies, record offices, archives and libraries. ---- It seems this started in book form back around 1990, in the days when there was no spam and no contact sites, and genealogists were desperate for contacts and not worried about privacy. Many societies run a 'Surname Interests' list which is separate from the actual membership list and is intended to be circulated, otherwise there's no point.

Isn't the GRD part of the family history societies though. So theoretically they haven't sold or passed details on to any third party. This is possibly how they get round it. I know a friend of mine is part of one of the london societies and her details are in the GRD.

NB Every family history society has to consider the implications of the Data Protection Act, which is why there is the specific statement made by the one your friend has joined.

Years ago, there was a huge fuss because disreputable companies bought up directories of members interests and remarketed the names. I'm not aware that the practice is around at the moment. The GRD IS the Genealogical Research Directory. Either whoever contacted her has made a mistake or another organisation is calling itself the GRD. Please keep us posted on this.

Thanks for replying Siobhan. The thing is the FHS specifically states 'details will not be given, lent or sold for any reason, to any third party, private or commercial'. I've just joined a society myself and I'm not sure I want these details to go into wide circulation. I can see the benefits, but I'd like to be asked whether I agree to it. It's given my friend a bit of a fright. I think we need to get some clarification from the society! Joyce

I believe if you belong to a Local family history society, your details of who you are researching do go in the Genealogical Research Directory. But I am not 100% sure.

I'm trying to find out what GRD is - I think it might be genealogical research directory but I'm not sure! A friend got an e-mail to her private e-mail address over the weekend looking for links to a name she is researching and saying they got her details in the GRD. She'd never heard of it. She tried asking the person who e-mailed what her exact source was but they haven't replied so I said I would try this board as you're always very helpful! We've been googling and have found the Genealogical Research Directory so we think that might be it. The thing is, she hasn't submitted her details to this. She doesn't post on boards or lists anymore, and when she did it was using a different e-mail address, so they haven't lifted old details of something like that. The only people who would have that address and the name she's looking for are the local family history soc and they specifically state they don't sell on their member lists. Can anyone confirm that GRD= genealogical research directory and if so are they allowed to have membership lists of FHS. The examples on the website publish addresses which is why she's so concerned. Joyce