OUR MISSION
Our mission is to research, document, and report the genealogy and family history of the family of Frank & Jesse James, their related families, plus their relevant social communities.
What we learn, we make available for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. We invite collaboration.
GENEALOGY
The genealogy data we collect consists principally of names, dates, and locations of births, deaths, and marriages of related individuals both living and dead. We also collect data in multiple subsets of information, such as burials, adoptions, migrations, etc.
We identify source evidence for the core genealogy of the James family in order to document a substantive, all-encompassing, and authoritative genealogy, always openly available for individual consultation or peer review.
FAMILY HISTORY
The family history we collect and preserve includes stories, biography, photos, and documents. While core genealogy data acts as the skeleton of what we collect, the family history we collect puts flesh on the bones, allowing the long-deceased to provide meaning and relevance for today’s living descendants and relations.
We actively challenge family claimants, to either prove or disprove claims. We also debunk charlatans, fraudsters, and con artists, especially relating to falsely claimed relationships or family artifacts.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our belief is that genealogy and family history exists for the benefit of the living. Genealogy and family history are of no benefit to the dead, other than to perpetuate an existence once known to have lived. To this extent, all our effort is dedicated to serving knowledge, understanding, and meaning for those living today and those who may follow.
By combining our research of genealogy and family history, we seek to know, quantify, and identify the known and proven genetic identity of the James family that we share. In addition to our shared physical characteristics, we also seek to identify our commonly shared character, personalities, common motivations, and very soul.
OUR DIFFERENCE
Stray Leaves’ philosophy differs fundamentally from those who advocate for the privatization of public information of living persons.
Stray Leaves understands the issue of privacy related to living individuals who do not want any information whatsoever published about themselves or others in their family.
However, genealogy content appearing in Stray Leaves is public information that appears in the public record or in documented sources. This genealogy content can be accessed and obtained elsewhere.
PUBLIC INFORMATION IS NOT PRIVATE INFORMATION
Those who seek to protect their individual sense of privacy, while denying access to public information by others, advocate a position of privacy that cannot be supported or defended under current law. Such concerns are more aptly addressed to legislators. Government, not individuals, determines what information is private and what information is public.
Stray Leaves reserves it right to publish public information. Stray Leaves also reserves its right to make editorial choices in the conduct of its activity.
COLLABORATION BENEFITING ALL
One cornerstone of Stray Leaves is to produce content based upon a voluntary and collaborative effort of itself with others in a spirit of sharing and open transparency.
Genealogy and family history continues to be the backbone of our efforts. Over 200 genealogy researchers have contributed to our success. Their contribution has made it easier for the James family itself to break 130 years of self-imposed silence to make contributions of their own. The same effort has found long-lost relatives. Adoptees have found birth parents. Families have been reunited. Descendants learn of the ancestry they never knew, or perhaps never understood. Everyone benefits. As life continues, there is much more shared family to discover. No one person can do it alone.
Stray Leaves continues to encourage the voluntary and collaborative efforts that have contributed to its success. Doing so, Stray Leaves continues to advocate for the open and public dissemination of genealogical data deemed by law to be public information.
STRAY LEAVES
211 Wilderness Rd.
Danville, KY 40422
This privacy policy is effective May 24, 2018.
PRIVACY GDPR (EU) & TERMS OF USE
For more about our personal information policy, see also PRIVACY-GDPR (EU) and TERMS OF USE.
