My experience has been that -most- people document that they have borrowed records, documents, photos, etc. from me. Occasionally, I've run across these same items that I know came from me, but no credit has been given. I suppose someone downloads it and uploads it fresh.

I notice this, but ultimately, I don't care. I have had such good fortune collaborating with others that this doesn't bother me. I'm not going to keep my work private. So much history is lost all by itself that I'm going to share anything I have with anyone who wants it--no questions asked.

I've also discovered distant cousins through genealogical work that I correspond with regularly. I'd hate to think of the relationships I would have missed out on if I'd kept my research to myself.

As for my stepfather's mother, she was born in 1916, so I don't anticipate there would be too much of an issue with "family secrets." We know that's always a possibility. But ultimately, I believe people engage in DNA research because they want to make new discoveries about their family. Ultimately, one's family is not defined strictly by biology, but I understand the curiosity to know one's origins.

My hope for my stepfather is that there is a family out there hoping that someone will submit their DNA and get a hit just as I'm hoping to find the family that may have descended from my aunt's child are out there looking, too.

To me, life's too short and history is too interesting to worry about how a few folks might use my research or react to DNA matches. The positive value of sharing my work greatly outweighs any negativity that I might occasionally encounter.