Privacy Policy

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society (WPGS) respects your privacy. Any personal information you provide in  your Profile, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and personal preferences, has never and  will never be released, sold, or rented to any third-party entities or individuals. 

  • Payment Details: WPGS will never ask for credit card details when purchasing an item from any WPGS store or event. WPGS uses PayPal for online purchases exclusively and you will never be asked to enter credit  card details as a means of verifying your identity or to login. All WPGS stores have mail-in order forms  available on the WPGS website to download and make payments by check. Payments for items on sale at  WPGS events can be made in cash, by check, or by credit card through use of a Square Reader. No personal  information will be stored after payments have cleared and this information will never be released, sold, or  rented to any third-party entities or individuals. 
  • External Sites: WPGS is not responsible for the content of external internet sites to which the WPGS website  may link. You are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal  information. 
  • Cookies: A “cookie” is a small data text file that is placed in your browser and allows WPGS to recognize you  each time you visit this site. Cookies themselves do not contain any personal information and WPGS never  uses cookies to collect personal information. The cookie is only for your convenience. You have the option  of clearing all cookies each time to exit your browser. Check your browser for instructions for this option.  Click here for instructions for the Google Chrome browser. 
  • Remember the Risks Whenever You Use the Internet: While we do our best to protect your personal  information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to WPGS and you are  solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. Additionally, other internet sites or services that may be accessible through WPGS have separate data and privacy  practices that are independent of WPGS policies and therefore we disclaim any responsibility or liability for  their policies or actions. Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about  their privacy policies. 

Terms of Use

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society (“WPGS”)  offers this website, including all information and services  available from this website or offered as part of or in  conjunction with this website (the “Website”), to you, the  user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all the terms,  conditions, policies, and notices stated here. If you do not  agree with any of these Terms of Use, do not use the  Website. WPGS reserves the right to make changes to these  Terms of Use immediately by posting the changed Terms of  Use in this location. Your continued use of the Website  constitutes your agreement to all such terms, conditions, and  notices, and any changes to the Terms of Use made by WPGS. 

Personal and Noncommercial Use. The Website is for your  personal and noncommercial use. As a condition to your  continued use of the Website, you warrant to WPGS that you  will not use the Website for any purpose that is unlawful or  prohibited by these terms and conditions of use. 

No Warranties. Use of the Website is at your own risk. This  Website is provided to you “as is”, without warranty of any  kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to,  warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose,  title, or non-infringement. The Western Pennsylvania  Genealogical Society makes no warranty that any content  contained on this website satisfies any applicable government  law, regulation, or requirement. 

Neither WPGS nor its officers, board members, employees,  agents, third-party information providers, merchants,  licensors, or the like warrant that the Website or its operation  will be accurate, reliable, uninterrupted or error-free. No agent  or representative has the authority to create any warranty  regarding the Website on behalf of WPGS. WPGS reserves  the right to change or discontinue at any time any aspect or  feature of the Website. 

Exclusion of Liability. Under no circumstances, including  negligence, shall WPGS or anyone else involved in creating,  producing, storing, or distributing the Website be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential  damages and expenses whatsoever, including without  limitation, lost profits and damages arising from lost data or  business interruption, arising out of or in any way connected  with use of the Website, delay or inability to use the website,  or for any information, software, products or services obtained  through the Website, whether such damages are based on  contract tort, strict liability, or otherwise, even if advised of  the possibility of such dames. You specifically agree that no  licensor, supplier, or information provider to WPGS or its  affiliates, officers, directors, employees or agents, or any of  their successors or assigns, shall have any liability to you for  any reason or under theory whatsoever, based upon the  information provided on or through the Website. Because  some states do not permit the exclusion or limitation of  liability for consequential or incidental damages, some or all the above limitation may not apply to you. 

Indemnification. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold  WPGS, its officers, directors, board members, affiliated  companies, employees and agents, licensors, and suppliers  harmless from and against any and all claims, actions or  demands, or liabilities and settlements, including, without  limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting  from, or alleged to result from, your use of the Website, or any  content, product, or service offered through the Website, in a  manner that violates or is alleged to violate these Terms of  Use. WPGS shall provide notice to you of any such claim,  suit, or proceeding and shall reasonably cooperate with you, at  your expense, in your defense of any such claim, suit, or  proceeding. 

Featured Links and Advertisements. The Website may  contain hyperlinks to websites offered by parties other than  WPGS. Such hyperlinks are provided for your reference and  convenience only. WPGS does not control such other websites  and is not responsible for their content; nor does WPGS’  inclusion of hyperlinks to such websites imply any  endorsement of the material on such websites or any  association with their operators. Unless otherwise specifically  stated on the Website, WPGS does not endorse any product or  service or make any representation regarding the reliability,  quality, or accuracy of any products or services featured in, or  linked to, any advertisement appearing on the Website. 

Copyright. Except for material in the public domain under  United States copyright law, all material contained on the  Website (including all software, HTML code, Java applets,  Active X controls and other code) is protected by United  States and foreign copyright laws. Except as otherwise  expressly provided in these Terms of Use, you may not copy,  distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish,  license, modify, rewrite, create derivative works from,  transfer, or sell any material contained on the Website without  the prior consent of the copyright owner. None of the material  contained on the Website may be reverse-engineered,  disassembled, decompiled, transcribed, stored in a retrieval  system, translated into any language or computer language,  retransmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photo-reproduction, recordation, or otherwise)  resold or redistributed without the prior written consent of  WPGS. Violation of this provision may result in severe civil  and criminal penalties. 

You may not use this Website or content therein (including  names and contact information for those who submit  information) for any purpose other than your personal or  professional client family history research, including, but not  limited to, contacting individuals for purposes other than  genealogical research, selling or promoting products or  services, soliciting clients or any other commercial purpose. 

You may not distribute such copies to others, whether for a  charge or other consideration, without prior written permission  from WPGS or the copyright owner of the copied material.  Requests to reproduce materials on the Website for  distribution or other purposes should be mailed to: 

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society 
4400 Forbes Avenue, Third Floor 
Pennsylvania Department 
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4007 
Email: President@wpgs.org 

Trademarks. Trademarks appear on the Website with the  permission from their respective owners. Your unauthorized  use of trademarks appearing on the Website may constitute  trademark infringement, which could subject you to  substantial civil penalties. 

Termination of Privileges. WPGS reserves the right to  terminate your privilege of using all or any portion of the  Website if you breach any of these Terms of Use. If WPGS  receives notice or otherwise discovers that you have posted  material that infringes another party’s copyright or trademark  rights or violates another party’s rights of privacy or publicity,  WPGS may terminate your access to the Website, including  all your privileges or accounts that you may have established  in connection with the Website. 

Copyright Infringement. WPGS will not tolerate copyright  infringement of any kind. WPGS does not, however, monitor  user-submitted materials for copyright infringement. If you  believe that any material on the Website infringes your  copyright, you may request to have the material removed by  sending WPGS notice that includes all of the following  information: 

  • Your full name, address and telephone number
  • Your e-mail address 
  • Identification of the copyrighted work(s) that you  believe is being infringed 
  • Identification of the infringing material and  information sufficient for WPGS to locate the  material 
  • Your statement of good faith belief that (a) the  material infringes your copyright(s), (b) the  under penalty of perjury, you are authorized to act for  the copyright owner 
  • Your physical or electronic signature

Direct such notice to the WPGS designated agent for receiving  copyright infringement notices to the WPGS address noted  above. Upon receipt of notice complying with these requirements, WPGS will act to remove infringing materials  and, if applicable, send notice to the user that posted such  materials on the Website. 

If WPGS removes materials posted by you as a user due to  alleged copyright infringement, you may request to have the  materials reinstated by notifying the WPGS designated agent  in writing and including the following information: 

  • Your full name, address, and telephone number
  • Your e-mail address 
  • Identification of the material that has been removed  or to which access has been disabled, including its  location before it was removed or disabled 
  • Your statement under penalty of perjury that you have  a good faith belief that the material was removed or  disabled because of mistake or misidentification of  the material 
  • Your statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the  Federal District Court for the district in which your  physical address is located or, if you reside outside of  the United States, for the Western District of  Pennsylvania (where WPGS may be found), and that  you will accept service of process from the person  who provided notice of copyright infringement or  from such person’s agent 
  • Your physical or electronic signature 

Upon receipt of a notice meeting the above requirements,  WPGS will send a copy of the notice to the copyright owner  who initially claimed copyright infringement. Within 10 to 14  days following receipt of the notice, WPGS will replace or  enable access to the removed material unless WPGS receives  notice from the copyright owner who submitted the first  notification that it has filed an action seeking a court order to   restrain the user that posted the materials from engaging in  infringing activity. Please note that parties who misrepresent  that materials are infringing or were removed by mistake or misidentification are subject to substantial civil liability to  WPGS and/or the copyright owner or website user. 

Forums. WPGS may provide chat rooms, message boards,  and other public posting areas or interest group forums  (“Forums”) operating on the Website. If you use a Forum, you  are solely responsible for your own communications and the  consequences of posting those communications. WPGS does  not assume any responsibility for the consequences of any  Forum communications on or arising from use of the Website.  In cases where you feel threatened or believe someone else is  in danger, you should contact your local law enforcement  agency immediately. 

In consideration for being allowed to use the Forums, you  agree that the following actions shall constitute a material  breach of these Terms of Use: 

  • Do not disrespect the privacy and views of others.
  • Do not use the Forums for commercial purposes,  including the promotion of any specific goods or  services. 
  • Do not post obscene, profane, sexually explicit,  libelous, slanderous, defamatory, harmful,  threatening, illegal, or knowingly false information.
  • Do not post blatant expressions of bigotry, racism or  hate, or material encouraging conduct that may  constitute or contribute to a criminal offense, give  rise to civil liability, or violate any national, state, or  local law, regulation, or authority, or any other  material which WPGS finds objectionable. 
  • Do not use the Forums for unlawful purposes.
  • Do not impersonate another person. 
  • Do not allow any other person or entity to use your  identification to post or view comments. 
  • Do not post material that infringes on the copyright  or other intellectual property rights of others or the  privacy and publicity rights of others. 

WPGS reserves the right to record dialogue in the Forums. WPGS is not responsible for screening or monitoring material posted by users or any other person or entity. If notified by a user of communications that are alleged not to conform to the terms of this Section, WPGS may investigate the allegation and determine in its sole discretion to remove or request the removal of the communications. WPGS reserves the right to remove communications that are abusive, illegal, disruptive or that otherwise fail to conform with these Terms of Use. WPGS reserves the right (but is not obligated) to delete any communications posted on the Website, regardless of whether such communications violate these standards for content.

Furthermore, WPGS reserves the right (but is not obligated) to monitor or disclose any type of posting on the Forums for adherence to the Terms of Use, if required in the course of normal operations and maintenance of the Website, or if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (i) comply with the law or comply with legal process served, (ii) protect and defend the rights of WPGS or others, or (iii) act in an emergency to protect the personal safety of our users or the public. WPGS HAS NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO USERS OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR PERFORMANCE OR NONPERFORMANCE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SCREENING ACTIVITIES.

WPGS does not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any of the material posted by Forum users or endorse any opinions expressed by such users. ANY RELIANCE UPON CONTENT POSTED IN A FORUM IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Any public Forum areas are for discussion and debate only. You may not use any Forum area to post or transmit advertisements or commercial solicitations of any kind. You  may not post or transmit any material of any nature, including  text, audio, software, animation or photographs, belonging to  any person or party other than yourself, without the prior  written consent of such owner. Simply because material is  available on the Internet does not mean it is in the public  domain. Most of materials on the Internet are protected by  copyright and trademark laws. WPGS shall have the right, but  not the obligation, to monitor any Forum areas of the Website  to determine compliance with these Terms of Use and any  other operating rules that may be established by WPGS from  time to time. 

By posting messages or other material in any Forum areas of  the Website, you are granting to WPGS and its licensees a  worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive, and  irrevocable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt,  publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute,  perform, and display any posting by you (in whole or in part)  and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or  technology now known or hereafter developed. 

Through your use of the Forums, you are agreeing to all the  Terms of Use for such Forums contained herein. 

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless WPGS  and its officers, directors, affiliated companies, employees,  agents, licensors, and suppliers from and against any and all  claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements,  including, without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting  fees, resulting from or alleged to result from your use of any  Forums or use by others of any Forums with respect to you,  including without limitation, any claim of libel, defamation,  harassment, violation of rights of privacy or publicity, loss of  service, or infringement of intellectual property or other rights,  or violation of these Terms of Use. 

General. These Terms of Use (including the Privacy  Policy above, which shall be deemed to be a part of these  Terms of Use) constitute the entire agreement and  understanding between you and WPGS with respect to use of  the Website, superseding all prior or contemporaneous  communications and/or proposals. These Terms of Use also  are severable, and in the event any provision is  determined to be invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or  unenforceability shall not in any way affect the validity or  enforceability of the remaining provisions. WPGS reserves the  right to make changes to these Terms of Use immediately by  posting the changed Terms of Use in this location. By  continuing to use the Website, you are agreeing to all changes  made by WPGS. A printed version of these Terms of Use shall  be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based  upon or relating to use of the Website to the same extent and  subject to the same conditions as other business documents  and records originally generated and maintained in printed  form. 

Jurisdiction. The website is controlled and operated by  WPGS from its principal location in the Commonwealth of  Pennsylvania, United States of America. WPGS makes no  representation that materials on the Website are appropriate or  available for use in other locations. Those who choose to  access the Website from other locations do so on their own  initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws if  and to the extent local laws are applicable. The Website is not  intended to subject WPGS to the laws or jurisdiction of any  state, country, or territory other than the Commonwealth of  Pennsylvania and the United States of America. 

Contacting Us. If you have any questions about this  privacy statement, the practices of the Website, or your  dealings with WPGS, you may contact us at: 

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society 
4400 Forbes Avenue, Third Floor 
Pennsylvania Department 
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4007 
Email: info@wpgs.org