Exposing a Genealogy Scam, Page by Page by Damon Veach (originally published in "Louisiana Ancestors", Feb. 5, 1995, The Times Picayune newspaper, New Orleans LA) Once again, let me warn you about some of these book offers that may come to your mailbox with personalized greetings from what appears to be another family member. I recently saw a copy of the book ordered by a Baton Rouge resident, and it is exactly as I have described it in abbreviated form before. Each week, I get calls or letters asking about these offers, and I feel a complete description of this book is necessary at this time. If you need to identify people that have the same surname as yours, then this is probably a useful purchase, but please remember this - these books are mass produced, with telephone or other public listings with particular surnames dropped into the final chapter. The names are compiled from all over the world, and the purpose of listing them is to make you believe that all of these people have researched and compiled data on the surname. It is actually the list of the people receiving the notices, that usually comes with a request for a $5 deposit to reserve a copy. What this does is give the scam artists the number of copies needed on that surname and this determines how many they print. The cover of the book has the title dropped in - let's call the family surname Doe, but it could be anything. The only words on this cover are "Doe Heirloom Edition." It is printed on a heavy card stock and the cover looks like thin leather but is actua lly inexpensive vinyl. The first page is "a certificate of registration" for the Doe family since 1652. And it continues with the wording "this certifies that the World Book of Does has been printed exclusively for" and the name of the person who has ordered the book is listed . It is published by Halbert's Family Heritage of Bath, Ohio, and no one at this facility has any reason to do your family research. No one there is related to you, and no one there cares about your heritage. It is merely a way to take your $30 or so. Be ing involved in newspapers for a number of years, I found the next part of this first page to be laughable and pathetic. It states: "No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. This publica tion is not connected to any particular Doe family and represents a compilation of public information." That's it right there - public information. Then it continues like a school textbook, for junior high students or younger. The text and graphics can be found in any history book. The first page of the first chapter shows a ship about to sail the globe, apparently to conjure images of Columbus. T he Does learn all about the migration of man, and mind you, I said man, not the Doe ancestors, although they are in there somewhere, maybe. This is basic world history. The text takes you from the Vikings to medieval Europe to that period of time when America was about to be discovered. For the next 38 pages, we see every important figure in history taking his place with your ancestors. Now we make it to Chapter 2, and you get to see a whole page containing the enlarged sketch that was on the first page of Chapter 1. Let's see, there's a representation of five different nationalities. Then we have a whole page for a quote from Shakespe are. This is followed by an explanation of the origin and meaning of names. The next five pages describe how different surnames are spelled in different countries. Then if you want to make personal notes you have blank pages for that. The next entry i s a standard list of first or given names. This is followed by two more blank pages for personal notes, for what I'm not sure. Then it describes how to put together a shield, a coat-of-arms, a motto, but nowhere is shown the coat-of-arms for the Doe family. Next we see a sketch for a medieval knight in armor, with an explanation of what each part of the armor is. Next comes the explanation for the Soundex system, which you can get from any librarian or genealogical researcher. The surname Doe appears on the next page; it's a computer drop in of four paragraphs, marking only the third time the Doe name is mentioned and we're halfway through the book. Chapter 3 begins with how the early coats-of arms were granted, but as I recall, you can get this from one of the many Robin Hood movies. The colors, shapes, and other parts of the shield all mean something, but like learning your birthstone, you really don't have to buy a book of minerals to learn what it is. Now we get all the way to Chapter 4, and what do we have? A tree, with a bunch of heads stuck on the branches, all representing different phases of history. This sketch was so good, it is repeated on the next page with a heading of "How to discover your ancestors." This is the first indication you have that someone is apparently going to explain to you how to find your ancestors. But, alas! I thought this was a book devoted to the Doe family! You are told to buy two loose-leaf binders, personal road maps, a family history sheet, and then what are you told? Sit down and search your memory for the existence of records such as family Bibles, scrapbooks, letters, etc. Now that this is completed, you can hit the road and dig into all those records just waiting for you in archival facilities all over the world. Wow! And by the way, the only place, according to these "experts," to do research in Louisiana is the Office of Vital Records in New Orleans. Don't everyone rush down there at the same time. I doubt if the staff could handle the enormous workload you would b e placing upon them. After a few addresses of this type listed for our global research, we come to a page with a pedigree chart, just what we need to drop in everything we have learned or will learn when we get around to doing our own research. The following page contains a family history questionnaire, and then a family record chart, with another tree decorating the page. This brings our great family record of the Does up to Chapter 5. Here we have the Doe Registry and some of the early immigrants are listed. Here is what has happened at this point. The publishers have gleaned a few records from various sources that are readily available to us, too. Ever heard of the Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore? The publishers have lifted a few Doe names from one of the books published by this company. Two more sources are quoted. That makes three sources, and only 11 names are listed - all on one page. Then you find yourself right back to that basic computer program of family associations, surname registers and reunion committees. There are four pages of this material, available at any genealogical library or your basic research guide book, and at this point, you are still looking at a lot of time and hard work ahead. Finally, the Doe international registry is described. Then we begin to read all those public listings. Well, Australia only had one known Doe family, but it took one whole page to list that four lines of information. Germany had a Doe family, four line s, one complete page. I suppose all that space is left so you can fill in other addresses as you do your global research. Then we come to the Does since the Civil War. It's an alphabetical listing by first names of the Doe families from public records. Well, I've come to the end of my reading and evaluation, and learned nothing. I'll see you all at your local library or archival facility. I think my $30 will go toward some coffee to help me through the coming days as I enter the wonderful world of genealogical research. ---- Correspondence to this column should be addressed to Damon Veach, Louisiana Ancestors, care of the Living Section, The Times Picayune, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70140. Queries are printed free and can be any length but should have a Louisiana con nection by heritage or residence of researchers working on lines in other states. Books and other publications are reviewed only if a sample copy is submitted with each request. Dated notices should be sent several weeks prior to the scheduled event. Otherwise mail is filed by date of postmark and used as space permits.