The MOGenWeb Project 'MOGenWeb' is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the free use and access of public domain resources and reference information.
Compiled or transcribed facts that are in the public domain are considered discovered data. Neither the author nor The MOGenWeb Project acquires copyright on those facts or records. The MOGenWeb Project will have the right to offer donated records online permanently without further permission. While abstracted or condensed records (records with an "added value" in some creative or useful way) may cause an abstraction or abridgment to become protected by copyright, although the original facts or records remain in the public domain, the mere transcription of records or putting a list of facts in alphabetical or chronological order is not considered sufficiently "creative" to warrant copyright protection.
No part of any government work is subject to copyright. For example,
the Federal Census is a work of the U.S. Government and no
transcription of it can be subject to copyright.
No copyrighted materials shall be used without the permission of the
authors to post such information online.
Materials from any publication copyrighted within the past 95 years shall not be allowed into any archive without written permission of the author or person/persons who own the copyright. Project volunteers should refrain from copying or posting copyrighted material.
If you are unsure of an item's copyright, it is best to err on the side of caution and not post this information online. The MOGenWeb Project will not pay royalties to any person or organization and will not mediate any copyright infringement issues.
Note: Submissions made to third-party Message Board system are governed by the copyright policy by the administrators of said board systems.
Until further notice, the copyright law observed by The MOGenWeb Project shall be the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 .
The mission of The MOGenWeb Project is to provide quality genealogical knowledge and historical data to the community at large, always free of charge.
The names "The MOGenWeb Project", "MOGenWeb Project", and "MOGenWeb" are service marks of this organization and as such, are reserved for use ONLY by this project and may not be used by any other website or person or group. No member of The MOGenWeb Project may use any version of our name other than those versions specified within this section. The MOGenWeb Project State Coordinator reserves the right to decide who may use the service-marked names and right of use may be refused at any time at the discretion of The MOGenWeb Project State Coordinator.
The domain name MOGenWeb.org is registered to the State Coordinator on behalf of The MOGenWeb Project and is administered by same. Ownership of the domain shall pass from State Coordinator to State Coordinator.
Ownership of MOGenWeb Project logos is the property of their creators and are for the use of The MOGenWeb Project and its affiliates, specifically, on any and all of its project web pages so long as the logos are not altered, except to be resized. Ownership of USGenWeb logos is the property of their creators and is for the use of The USGenWeb Project and its affiliates, specifically, on any and all of its project web pages so long as the logos are not altered in any way (logos may not be resized).
The MOGenWeb Project is governed by its State Coordinator and his or her Assistant State Coordinator(s). The main function of a State Coordinator and Assistant State Coordinators is to add stability to the project by providing a sense of organization. This includes but is not limited to: maintaining the project website, upholding policy and standards, maintaining communication via the coordinator mail list, serving as arbitrators should the need arise, and generally being available to the public to answer questions about the project.
The MOGenWeb Project is an equal opportunity organization that does not tolerate discrimination in any form on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
State Coordinator: The State Coordinator is elected by majority vote of The MOGenWeb Project County Coordinators and serves a two-year term. At the end of each term, the State Coordinator may ask for a renewal term of another two years. If no objection is raised, the term shall be renewed. If any County Coordinator expresses a desire for a new election at the end of any State Coordinator's term, or if the State Coordinator fails to ask for a renewal term, an election may be held.
There is no limit to the number of terms that the State Coordinator may serve. A State Coordinator must appoint at least one Assistant State Coordinator and is responsible for maintaining an accurate list of all local-level and special projects volunteers, along with their current email addresses and the date that they became part of the project.
The State Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the state-level
website, as well as any abandoned or vacant local-level or special
project websites.
The State Coordinator must be subscribed to the national mailing list
for state coordinators and to the state mailing list. The State
Coordinator must provide his or her current contact information
(address, telephone number, email address) to the National Coordinator
and the Assistant State Coordinator(s) and must immediately update
his or her contact information if it changes.
The State Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all project websites meet both USGenWeb requirements and MOGenWeb requirements. The State Coordinator may, at his or her discretion and at any time, appoint an Audit Panel to audit local-level and special project websites.
While, typically, there is no financial obligation to any volunteer with The USGenWeb Project, The MOGenWeb Project is self-funded as far as domain name and server space. In the event that donations collected from project supporters do not meet the financial requirement for renewing domain name and/or server space, the financial burden for renewal rests with the State Coordinator. Domain name renewal and server space renewal must be made for a period of not less than one (1) year and must be made no later than 60 days prior to expiration.
The State Coordinator is responsible for keeping an accurate accounting of all project donations and a record of same must be made available to any project volunteer who requests to view it.
Assistant State Coordinator: An Assistant State Coordinator is appointed by the State Coordinator. It is the Assistant State Coordinator's responsibility to assist the State Coordinator in the administration of the project. If the State Coordinator is unable or unwilling to perform his or her duties, it is the responsibility of the Assistant State Coordinator to take over all State Coordinator responsibilities, pro tem, until the State Coordinator returns or is replaced by election. The Assistant State Coordinator shall, at all times, have access to all records pertaining to the project, including a list of all passwords. If the State Coordinator is unable or unwilling to perform his or her duties, administration of the project's domain name, server host, mailing list, and finances shall pass to the Assistant State Coordinator. The term of this position lasts only as long as the appointing State Coordinator's term. An Assistant State Coordinator may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator. The Assistant State Coordinator must be subscribed to the state mailing list.
County Coordinator: A County Coordinator is appointed by the State Coordinator. There is no term limit for this position. A County Coordinator may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator.
County Co-Coordinator: A County Co-Coordinator is appointed by the State Coordinator. There is no term limit for this position. A County Co-Coordinator may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator.
Assistant County Coordinator: An Assistant County Coordinator is appointed by the State Coordinator. There is no term limit for this position. An Assistant County Coordinator may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator.
Webmaster: A Webmaster is appointed by the State Coordinator. There is no term limit for this position. A County Webmaster may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator.
Special Project Coordinator: A Special Project Coordinator is appointed by the State Coordinator. There is no term limit for this position. A Special Project Coordinator may be removed or replaced, for due cause, at the discretion of the State Coordinator.
All Coordinators must meet the following basic requirements:
*Time to devote to properly maintaining a county website,
*A basic knowledge of HTML page coding and design, access to an HTML Editor, or access to a reliable Webmaster,
*A basic knowledge of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and access to an FTP program,
*Ability to respond to email messages from site visitors and from members of the administrative team in a timely manner.
Quarterly
check-in is mandatory so we know you are still interested in
maintaining your county(s).
Failure to respond to this roll call 2 times in a
row may result in your county being returned to 'Adoptable' Status.
All County Coordinators, County Co-Coordinators, Assistant County Coordinators, and Webmasters must keep the State Coordinator apprised of his or her current email address at all times and must remain subscribed to the MOGenWeb Project mailing list through Google Groups. The list is a discussion forum. Messages may be received on a message-by-message basis or in digest form. All coordinators and webmasters must respond within ten (10) days to roll call whenever the State Coordinator initiates it.
County Coordinators are responsible for maintaining a website for their county's project & may be hosted where the coordinator chooses. NOTE: The MOGenWeb Project provides free hosting for its projects which is administered by the MOGenWeb Project State Coordinator and Assistant State Coordinator(s), at no charge.
Being a Coordinator or a Webmaster carries no financial obligation whatsoever. The MOGenWeb Project does, however, accept donations from willing supporters to maintain a domain name and web hosting.
County Coordinators are responsible for adding actual data to their
county's project website at least once each year. Project websites
that only link to other external sites are not contributing to our
mission and, therefore, are not acceptable.
Each county website within The MOGenWeb Project generally is
maintained by one individual volunteer. In some cases, duties are
shared by more than one individual. The duties for each level project
involvement are outlined below:
County Coordinator (or County Co-Coordinator): The County Coordinator hosts one or more counties within the State of Missouri. The County Coordinator (CC) is responsible for creating and maintaining the county-level project website. The CC may recruit research and lookup volunteers. The county website offers general assistance to the researcher and usually has links to a general query or message boards or mailing list(s) that researchers can use. In addition to the above, the CC tries to establish working relationships with other county websites (archives, research, universities, etc.) and often coordinates transcription projects to benefit researchers in that county. In the case of County Co-Coordinators, each coordinator shares responsibility and control of the county website equally. County Coordinators need not reside within the county that they host, though resident status is preferred.
Assistant County Coordinator: An Assistant County Coordinator (ACC) offers general assistance to the researchers (usually lookups) and/or provides other services for a County Coordinator, such as transcription of data. ACCs do not have direct access to county-level project websites, but they do contribute services and/or data to the website via the County Coordinator or County Webmaster. Assistant County Coordinators almost always reside within the county for which they volunteer services.
Webmaster: A Webmaster manages a county-level
website for a County Coordinator, but generally does not offer
assistance to researchers or provide any other services. Webmasters
need not reside within the county for which they volunteer web
services. Webmasters work with County Coordinators and Assistant
County Coordinators to publish county data to the county's website.
Special Project Coordinator: A Special Project
Coordinator (SPC) is responsible for creating and maintaining a
special project website. The SPC may recruit research and lookup
volunteers. The SPC tries to establish working relationships with
County Coordinators and often coordinates transcription projects to
benefit researchers in various counties.
Every MOGenWeb Project county and special project website is required to display a USGenWeb Logo (see: Logo Page) prominently on its index page. Said logo must include a return link to The USGenWeb Project home page (https://www.usgenweb.org/).
Every MOGenWeb Project county and special project website is required to display a MOGenWeb logo (see: Help Page) prominently on its index page. Said logo must include a return link to The MOGenWeb Project introduction page (https://mogenweb.org/)
Specifically, no MOGenWeb Project website may display any logo, seal, flag, coat of arms, or any other insignia or symbol that is associated officially with any county, municipality, town, village, or unincorporated area within the State of Missouri unless written permission is granted by the official organization .
Every MOGenWeb Project county website should link to the home pages of all neighboring counties on its index page.
Including both USGenWeb and MOGenWeb logos and links on every page throughout a county website is advisable, but not required.
The MOGenWeb Project encourages the free expression in choosing appropriate themes, backgrounds and page graphics for county and special project websites. The use of regional photos and images is encouraged. All county and special project websites must refrain from using political statements and/or images. The use of inflammatory or derogatory statements or images will result in the immediate removal of the responsible project volunteer.
When designing a county or special project website, volunteers are
encouraged to be mindful of individuals with certain disabilities that
might prevent them from seeing certain color combinations. For example, do not use red text on green background or vice versa. The
State Coordinator has the discretion to require certain changes if any
website design if the website is determined to be inaccessible to
individuals with certain disabilities.
The page layout designed by the coordinator/webmaster is the property
of the coordinator/webmaster and not The MOGenWeb Project, unless
ownership has been granted to The MOGenWeb Project specifically. Any
data on a website that has been donated specifically to The MOGenWeb
Project belongs to The MOGenWeb Project and such data shall not be
removed from the web server by any coordinator or webmaster upon
exiting The MOGenWeb Project under any circumstances.
Every MOGenWeb county and special project website shall include on its index page a brief introductory paragraph that includes the coordinator's name(s) and email link(s), an acknowledgment of any webmaster, if applicable, and the name and email link to the State Coordinator and each Assistant State Coordinator.
Every MOGenWeb county website shall include on its index page a very brief history of its county.
Every MOGenWeb Project county website should maintain an area (such as a bulletin board) for queries and shall link to that area from its index page
Every MOGenWeb county and special project website shall include on
its index page a date stamp indicating when the page was last updated.
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A copyright notice or a link to the USGenWeb Project Copyright Policy at https://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.html should appear at the bottom of the main index page of your website.
Solicitation of funds for personal gain is forbidden. Solicitation of funds is defined as the direct appeal on any page of any of the websites comprising The MOGenWeb Project for funding to do research, to pay for personal server space, to do look-ups, etc. No website associated within the project may have a page that is dedicated to a specific person, company, or organization and its fee service(s). A county or special project website may, however, include a link to a personal page, company page, or organization page on which research services for reimbursement are offered. Additionally, a county or special project website may list research materials and/or services which may be for sale/hire, either by an individual, a genealogy society, or others. Fee-related listings and links shall not be on the index page of the county or special project website, but may be linked from any page other than the index page.
The contents of each MOGenWeb Project county website will vary depending on the coordinator's knowledge and understanding of the region. The following elements are encouraged on all project websites:
*Resource Site Links (libraries, archives,
societies, official county sites, etc.)
*Bibliography of county-related books
*Maps
*Listing of available lookup volunteers
*Mailings lists and other county-specific resources
*Area history and geography
Active Status
To fulfill the mission of The MOGenWeb Project, it is imperative that each MOGenWeb Project website be kept current. At a minimum, each county and special project website shall be updated once every 12 months. This update should include a check for any broken links, a change to the copyright date, and a check to ensure that contact information is current. County and special project websites that have not been updated for a period greater than 12 months may be declared abandoned and the coordinator(s) may be removed from the MOGenWeb Project in accordance with the two Sections below.
No one associated with The MOGenWeb Project can seize, copy, and/or redistribute web pages from any other project website. Every project website is the sole property of the Coordinator/Webmaster except those pages that belong to The MOGenWeb Project itself (home page, county index, policy page, etc.).
No corrective action shall be issued with less than 30 days notice given to a Coordinator unless the situation is deemed serious (site is off-line or unavailable for a prolonged period of time). A Coordinator shall have no less than 30 days notice to make any corrective actions deemed appropriate by the State Coordinator and/or the Assistant State Coordinator(s).
Any dispute between Coordinators shall be handled by the State Coordinator.
Violation of any said policy (including those listed above but not limited to: use of inflammatory, derogatory materials or statements, political statements, pornographic materials or web links, site abandonment, refusal to abide by MOGenWeb Project policy, etc.) may result in the immediate removal of any volunteer from the project.
Removal of Coordinators and Webmasters shall be at the sole discretion of the State Coordinator. Grievances against the State Coordinator may be filed with the USGenWeb Project Grievance Committee.
State Coordinators are subject to removal by a 2/3 vote of the USGenWeb Project Advisory Board and a 2/3 vote of the local Coordinators within the state. A quorum of 75% of the local Coordinators shall participate in order for the vote to be binding. Assistant State Coordinator appointments become null and void upon removal of the appointing State Coordinator.
Updated: 22 July 2025