Finding Your Family History
By Robert Cox MVHA Vice President
Mtn . View Family History Fun Fact !
Any genealogy researcher should be aware of the basic laws and rules governing the accessibility and displaying of personal information . In addition to being legally compliant , those posting genealogical information should show common courtesy to others .
In general , privacy protections of someone ’ s personal data apply only to a person referenced and only while he or she is living . I first studied genealogy in Texas in the 1990s , and my teacher put it this way : “ Here in Texas , we all think that what our daddy or granddaddy did reflects upon us , but there is no legal way for you to keep someone from publishing some true fact about him , especially if he is dead .”
The rules governing the organizing and displaying of genealogical information changed abruptly when the European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation in 2016 . With its passage , displaying information about any citizen of a European Union country , or any person employed by a company based in such a country became illegal , without first seeking that person ’ s permission . This led the leaders of the Wikitree genealogical project , of which I am a contributor , to privacy-protect all data associated with living people on their site . The project leaders also do not allow photos of people , living or dead , to be posted on the site unless the photos ’ owner grants permission . This is true even if the photos are posted on a public website or social media site like Facebook or Instagram .
Laws governing the accessibility of public records try to balance the desire of researchers to learn with the public ’ s desire to protect its privacy . Federal census records are sealed for 72 years after the census is taken . Laws governing the release of birth , marriage , and death records vary by state . For example , it is relatively easy to access these records for older living people Texas and California , while some other states make them almost impossible to access .
When posting information on a genealogical website , consider the people who might be affected by it . Including a person ’ s criminal record , marital infidelities , or reporting the circumstance of that person ’ s untimely death could be embarrassing to the family .
C . C . Stierlin at his ranch , c . 1889 , with daughter Marguerite and grandson Conrad Jansen .
Peter Stierlin , a great-grandson of the brother of Mountain View pioneer , Conrad Christoph Stierlin , is a retired publisher living in Switzerland who became acquainted with his family ’ s Mountain View heritage in a surprising way . Peter was inspired to research his possible connection to Mountain View ’ s Stierlin family by an inquiry about a magazine subscription he received with the Stierlin Rd ., Mountain View , CA address .
C . C . Stierlin was born in 1828 in Switzerland and left his homeland for the port of New Orleans , Louisiana , arriving in 1842 . Working as a mechanic , he traveled to various locations throughout the USA , eventually reaching Santa Clara County in 1851 . In 1864 , he purchased a 164-acre plot near the current intersection of Shoreline Blvd . and La Avenida . C . C . Stierlin passed away in 1904 , but his ranch house was still standing in the 1960s . The area is now home to Microsoft ’ s Mountain View campus . Shoreline Blvd . was known as Stierlin Rd . until 1987 , when it was renamed .
Peter has travelled to Mountain View three times . The first was in 1997 . He is shown here standing next to the current Stierlin Rd . and Fountain Park Lane . His latest visit was in 2015 , where he is shown next to the tombstone of C . C . Stierlin . That tombstone was moved from Mountain View to the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery , when the land in Mountain View was redeveloped .
In my next column , I will cover genealogy software .
The Stierlin Ranch House circa 1964 , now the location of the Mountain View Microsoft Campus
Peter Stierlin at the corner of Stierlin Road and Fountain Park Lane in 1997
Peter and his friend Jurg at C . C . Stierlin ’ s tombstone in the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery in 2015 5