I am not able to keep up with emails requesting information on how to make reservations at local bed and breakfasts or trips to Cumberland Island. I also do not have a list of motels. I am *not* a travel agent. :-) Please call one if you need this type of information or contact Camden County Online or Kingsbay.net. My focus is more towards the past than the future...
- About this Site
- Copyright
- Donate
- Link to The Crypt
- Services Offered (read before contacting me)
- HOW did my family information get on your web site?!?
Index
This site has been designed using NetObjects Fusion 5.0. Prior to the fall of 1999 I created and updated this site using a plain text editor. Due to the large size of the site I felt a program like NetObjects would make it easier to handle.
For a browser I use the latest versions of Netscape
Navigator and MS Internet Explorer. Fonts used are Arial 8, Arial 10, Arial 12, bold and italic. This site has been designed with *my* browsers in mind. :-) I do try to keep the width of the pages to about 640 to minimize side scrolling on smaller monitors. Image resolutions are usually about 100 dpi.
In August of 1995 my then-boyfriend (now husband), James Fields, helped start the first Camden and Glynn County Internet Service called GnatNET. With his help I quickly learned how to
make web pages. After looking around the web I realized that my page was just one more page among millions that really didn't offer anything of interest. I decided something had to change or I just wouldn't bother keeping a web page.
Early on in our relationship James took me to a place called Burnt Fort Chapel. This chapel was named after a community in Camden County, GA. I thought the chapel was quite beautiful. It was nestled in the woods off a dirt road. I asked James about the
history of the place but he really didn't know much about it. His mother showed me the local history book and there I found a bit more information about Burnt Fort - and many other places I had never heard of. So this decided it for me: I would try to add to the usefulness of the 'net by centering my site around the history of Camden County, GA. Once I was done with my first few pages I received many favorable responses from those who enjoyed visiting my site. In addition, I received many
questions that had more to do with genealogy than history. Knowing nothing about genealogy, but still wanting to help, I began putting various types of genealogy-related information online.
Since I couldn't do the research myself - I *still* don't know anything about genealogy nor did I have time to do the research - I decided to present the information so people could do it themselves. During this time I was invited to join the US Gen Web Project, which was still in its infancy. I
accepted but then backed out of the project once it became too big for its britches. Basically, the USGWP started to "demand" certain things from me and my website inorder for me to conform to their standards. Their demands included having certain links, graphics, information, etc. on my website in addition to mandatory mailing list subscriptions. Since this was my website, one which I created before their project was even planned, and since I was invited to join, I did not agree
with the idea of them demanding anything of that nature. :-)
During the last couple of years my site has grown quite a bit. Once I learned that much of Charlton County used to be part of Camden County I spread my efforts to include that county. I now offer, all online, marriage records, gedcoms (genealogy databases) provided by visitors to this site, census records, tax digests, and over 8,000 burial records. In addition, I started a genealogy/history mailing list for anyone
interested. Buried in here somewhere is the original set of history pages that started this whole thing off. I'm currently working on a photo gallery.
So far my site has been linked to by two major newspapers, the NY Times (because of the Kennedy marriage on Cumberland Island) and the Times-Union (during Halloween they linked to my ghost stories page).
Future plans include finishing up the burial records. I have personally updated over 60 cemeteries (nearly 9,000 burials) so
far. There are a few others that are private that I don't have any records for yet. Because my family and other obligations take up so much time I can't do personal lookups in sources that I don't have at home - i.e. I can't look into reference material from the libraries or records from the courthouse. I do visit as many places as I am able and collect what information is available to me. I take lots of photos as well.
In all this I haven't said WHY I'm doing this. I'm not making ANY
money, and it's not my job. In fact, it has cost me thousands of dollars and even more hours. I do it simply because it's a hobby that I enjoy. I love this area and wish to help those that can't be here themselves. I wasn't born here - and as far as our family genealogist, my sister, has been able to figure out we don't appear to have any ancestors here.
The visitors to my site have given me the encouragement I need to keep this project going. Some of them have put a lot of effort
into adding in their own genealogy databases, doing lookups for others, and typing up information to put online. Without them this site wouldn't wouldn't be what it has grown to today and I
thank them all from the bottom of my heart.
On April 28, 1997 I moved my pages to CyberGate, Inc. because they bought GnatNET.
On August 3rd, 1998 James and I finally married (after a 4 year wait). Now I can add my name to those who have been married in Camden County.
In December
of 1998 I moved my site from CyberGate to my own domain at www.camdencounty.org . My domain is hosted at www.addr.com Their service is affordable and reliable. This domain allows me pretty much all the space I need for the near future.
I picked the name "The Crypt" because it was the name of my old BBS and because what's more fitting? This Crypt holds information of people long gone...
Acknowledgements! James Fields, thanks for always looking when I said "James!
Tell me what you think about THIS!!!" Mrs. Barbara Fields, for telling me cool stories about the area and for lending me some great books! To Robin, my son, for not kicking me off the computer the small periods of time I get to use it every week. To my computer, for not crashing and for chugging along so well while being so mistreated (knock on plastic). To the Bryan-Lang Library for providing the first set of burial records, and for doing so much to help others! To Jack Mays for sharing
stories and for letting me "borrow" (long term!) a couple of wonderful history books! And last but not least... to my car! It has never stranded me while out on a dirt road / back woods trail journey!
That's it in a nutshell. Feel free to look around and check out what's available. Enjoy.
- When you write copy you have the right to copyright the copy you write, if the copy is right. If however, your copy falls over, you must right your copy. If you write religious services you write rite, and have the right to copyright the rite you write.
- Very conservative people write right copy, and have the right to copyright the right copy they write. A right wing cleric would write right rite, and has the right to copyright the right rite he has the right to write. His editor has the job of making the right rite copy right before the copyright can be right.
- Should Thom Wright decide to write right rite, then Wright would write right rite, which Wright has the right to copyright. Duplicating that rite would copy Wright right rite, and violate copyright, which Wright would have the right to right.
- Right?
- Copyright 1991 Shelley Herman S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., Whittier Chapter
All Information is free for non-profit purposes.
All pages and photos Copyright © Tara D. Fields 1996 - 2001 unless otherwise noted.
Here are four "golden rules of copyright" from the USGenWeb Project:
1. Materials older than 1923 are absolutely safe (public domain)
2. Relaying FACTS is ok. (This does not mean copying.)
3. If the material created diminishes the market value of a person's work the copyright has been violated.
4. Getting written (not email) permission from the author/publisher is the surest way to ensure that you are not violating copyright law.
Read the complete story on the website. Go to http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.hytml
And now some great information on Copyrights:
Donations of books, genealogy material, photos, etc. are always welcome. If you'd like to donate these types of materials, you can send them to:
Tara D. Fields
PO Box 509
Kingsland, GA 31548-0509
or
Feel free to pick something off of my Amazon Wishlist. Most of these books are history or archival-related. Prices go from about $5.00 and up. Many of these items are available used at a discounted rate.
There is certainly no obligation to donate - but I've had a few people ask me about donating so I'd thought it'd be easier to just put this page on-line.
If you like this site enough to link to it, feel free.
If you would like to use a text link, please refer to my site as "The Crypt" and use the base URL: http://www.camdencounty.org
If you would like to use the banner below, you may do that as well. It's a standard 400x40 animated gif. The file size is 12.9K. There is no java that may crash your visitor's computers!
If you code your web pages "manually" here's some sample HTML code to use with the image:
<A HREF="http://www.camdencounty.org"><IMG HEIGHT=40 WIDTH=400 BORDER=0 ALT="The Crypt: "http://www.camdencounty.org"></A>
If you want me to link to your site, please send me the URL. However, it must have something to do with Camden or Charlton Counties, Georgia or the history or genealogy relating to the State of Georgia. Thanks!
Basically, what you see is what you get. I do not have much material that is not already on-line (that can legally be put on-line). I would recommend visiting or contacting the Bryan-Lang Libary for more information.
If you need a paid researcher, I may be able to help. Please contact me with the specifics and I'll let you know the fees involved.
HOW did my family information get on your web site?
The main way your family information got on my web site is through your other family members. Some genealogists that you may not even know donated their research to this web site. Every section contains the name and contact information for the person who donated the material.
I am not related to anyone in this area by blood. The family I married into is not related to any local families (either by blood or marriage). I cannot provide you with any more information than what is on this web site already; however, I may be able to provide you with contact information of other people who are researching your line.
