Welcome, Guest. Please login or register for free.
Did you miss your activation email?
Sunday 29 November 09 20:33 UTC (UK)
Welcome Home Help Surnames Library Shop Search Login Register

+  RootsChat.Com
|-+  General
| |-+  The Common Room
| | |-+  The Lighter Side (Moderator: Boongie Pam)
| | | |-+  Family Trees on websites
« previous next »
Pages: [1] Print
Author Topic: Family Trees on websites  (Read 711 times)
tillypeg
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 18


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Family Trees on websites
« on: Sunday 23 August 09 15:44 UTC (UK) »

It's it annoying when you look at someone's public tree on A......y's website and you know for a fact that it's full of mistakes!  I pointed out to one person months ago that they had the wrong census entries and wrong marriage and wrong parents for people who are my husband's ancestors (all certs & Parish Register entries to prove) but they haven't bothered to amend the entries.  So, along comes another person who thinks they might be related, sees that tree, copies all the wrong details and bingo, there's another wrong line.  I did politely offer the correct baptisms, marriages etc but when I looked today, it's still incorrect and all so misleading.  What can you do?!  I really feel like putting all my tree details on that particular site so that anyone looking will find the correct stuff.  Answers on a postcard, please ............ 
Logged

Wells: Sussex, Whitby, Middlesbrough
Williamson: North Yorkshire
Truran: Cornwall, Walthamstow
Wisdom: Plumstead, Woolwich
Carter: North Yorkshire
Best: North Yorkshire
Tunstill: Fylingdales
Baxter: Fylingdales, Middlesbrough
Steve G
RootsChat Senior
****
Posts: 462


My Maternal Great Gran ~ Polly Burge


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 23 August 09 17:52 UTC (UK) »

 Simple answer, Tillypeg? I completely ignore Any 'Hints' from fellow users Trees.

 As ye rightly infer, there's just so much utter rubbish being passed around by some of the headless chickens on there, it's simply not worth the effort paying them any attention.
Logged

GAITES (Alverstoke / Bath Pre 1850)
CURTIS (Portsmouth & Pre 1800 London).
BURGE (Dorset, Somerset and Hampshire)
HUNTLEY (Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, 'Surroundings')
mother25
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 27


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 23 August 09 18:25 UTC (UK) »

I'd agree...best to ignore these fools. In the main they usually turn out to be 'name collectors' with no interest in the dates etc., and definitely no interest in getting the facts right  Roll Eyes
I know it's hard to ignore, but at least your tree is correct with everything verified, so let them carry on with their errors.
Logged
sharonf73
RootsChat Member
***
Posts: 187


Grandad : 1917-2008 xxx


WWW
Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 23 August 09 19:38 UTC (UK) »

Someone recently got in touch with me to say I had the wrong information in my tree (I seemingly had their relatives that are not related to me).  As I couldn't prove it at the time - the information was collected when I first started the research and hadn't taken a note of the full details - I decided to copy my tree, take out those names and re-publish.  I still work off my original tree at home, until I can get to NRH to prove to myself that this person was correct. 

I felt that if she was right and I was wrong I didn't want to give out the wrong information, but I also didn't want to delete what I had in case I was the one that was correct!
Logged

ANDERSON - Galashiels, Coldstream
EASTON - Edinburgh
FOWLER - Yorkshire, Traquair, Pathhead, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Fife, Canada
HENDRY - Coldstream, Edinburgh
MORRISON - Edinburgh
SWANSON - Edinburgh, Lasswade
THOMSON - Currie, Leith
Preshous
RootsChat Veteran
*****
Posts: 554


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 23 August 09 19:49 UTC (UK) »

I know it's hard to ignore, but at least your tree is correct with everything verified, so let them carry on with their errors.

I could not agree with you more. Check check and check again.
Logged

Preshous: Yorkshire/Durham
Penwrights: Bedfordshire/Tasmania
Blake: Sunderland
Stace: Sussex/Sunderland
Murray: Cumberland
Sanderson: Berwickshire/Durham
Burnside: Darlington
tillypeg
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 18


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 23 August 09 19:54 UTC (UK) »

Yes Sharon, I know what you mean, but this person had put up three links to wrong census entries - all for Mark ... instead of Matthew.... all different ages and different birth places!  I know that we all have discrepancies and the enumerators were told a load of fibs sometimes (and had to read illegible scrawls) but I feel he should have looked into it more before posting on A......y.  We all get hunches and gut feelings about tenuous links but surely it is best to do a bit more research before putting it all out into the public domain.  I guess some people just don't like gaps in their trees and put the nearest thing into them sometimes.  Perhaps I should try & look up "his" relatives and send him the right links! Note to self: must be more tolerant and try to simmer down.  lol.
Logged

Wells: Sussex, Whitby, Middlesbrough
Williamson: North Yorkshire
Truran: Cornwall, Walthamstow
Wisdom: Plumstead, Woolwich
Carter: North Yorkshire
Best: North Yorkshire
Tunstill: Fylingdales
Baxter: Fylingdales, Middlesbrough
Luzzu
RootsChat Veteran
*****
Posts: 520



Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 23 August 09 22:19 UTC (UK) »

I think the worst one I've seen where my family is involved is where my gt, gt grandmother is married to some chap in Wisconsin.  My gt, gt grandmother never left Manchester and the man she married never left Manchester and they are buried together in Southern Cemetery.  I have often thought of getting in touch to put the owner right but when I look at his tree I think what's the point.  I also keep my trees private on both A******y and G***s and am very cautious who I open them to.

I also smile at the "advanced" researcher  Roll Eyes who has been researching for 2 years and has 70,000 plus names on his tree whilst I have been doing my tree for 30 years and haven't reached 1,000 yet.  I always think if you are going to make it up as a work of fiction, what's the point.
Logged

Buck, Staffs & Hants; Crummett, Norfolk & Burnley; Osborne, Cornwall & Burnley; Haigh/Hague, Manchester & Todmorden; Grant, Manchester & Ireland; France, Manchester & Yorkshire; Shackleton, Burnley, Yorkshire & Australia;
mother25
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 27


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 23 August 09 23:07 UTC (UK) »

That's exactly what I mean about 'name collectors'  Grin  They just want to boast about having a large number of people in their tree, correct or not  Roll Eyes
I had a similar difficulty with someone who claimed to be related to me through her husband's family  Huh  She opened her tree to me and when I checked I noticed she had some dates apparently wrong. I got my grand-daughter to check it all with me and we compared what I had already got, and had certs etc., to prove it all, and sent an e-mail to this person, giving her the details. After a while I got a reply to the effect that I was wrong and her dates were definitely correct....never mind that she had one relative giving birth to two children within 6 months  Shocked Grin
What had happened was, she had noticed that I had some family members with the same names as some of hers, and from the same city. She just assumed they must be the same family regardless, and has so far refused to acknowledge her errors.
However she did say something that was quite revealing....she told me she wasn't going to change her tree because she had reached her target of 1,000 names and had no plans to change that  Roll Eyes
Logged
maxxangel
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 72


Grandma and Grandad


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #8 on: Monday 24 August 09 05:38 UTC (UK) »

However she did say something that was quite revealing....she told me she wasn't going to change her tree because she had reached her target of 1,000 names and had no plans to change that  Roll Eyes

Grin Grin Grin That's brilliant!! It's made my day! I'm off to get 1000 random names now and make a tree with them!  Grin

On a more serious note, I do find matching to other trees can come in useful, but I always make sure to confirm it myself. I got a bit carried away when I first started and added a load of names going back on one line, until I realised that as I went back I was returning to a later date again. Couldn't figure out why a mother was born after her daughter to start with!!
Logged

Tutin - Ireland and Yorkshire
Powell - Ireland
Watkins - Wales
Davies - Wales
James - England
Allen - Staffordshire
Barrett - England
Hewlett - Oxfordshire
Nick29
RootsChat Aristocrat
******
Posts: 2905



Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #9 on: Monday 24 August 09 14:31 UTC (UK) »

Welcome to the weekly Name Collectors thread  Roll Eyes
Logged

Best Wishes, Nick.

Research interests:
Field - Luton & Islington
Hole - Somerset, Suffolk & Surrey
Farnish, Parker, Cattermole, Last, Wasp, Church - Suffolk
Lewin/Lowin/Lowen - Hertfordhire
Martin - Eltham & Greenwich, Kent (London)
Stead - Greenwich, London (Kent) & Maidstone
Wood - Hertfordshire

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
tillypeg
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 18


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #10 on: Monday 24 August 09 14:39 UTC (UK) »

I've just had a grovelling reply back from this person on A......y saying he has amended his tree.  But when I look, there are still all the wrong census pages linked up!  Also I fail to see how my relatives fit into his family!  Gggrrrrr!  I've offered to tell him the correct info, if he tells me where we fit in.  This could run & run.  lol!
Logged

Wells: Sussex, Whitby, Middlesbrough
Williamson: North Yorkshire
Truran: Cornwall, Walthamstow
Wisdom: Plumstead, Woolwich
Carter: North Yorkshire
Best: North Yorkshire
Tunstill: Fylingdales
Baxter: Fylingdales, Middlesbrough
downside
RootsChat Marquessate
********
Posts: 3210


Make my day


WWW
Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #11 on: Monday 24 August 09 14:57 UTC (UK) »

I have recently had access to Ancestry mambers trees and I came across a tree of particular interest to me.  I looked at the tree owners profile and he was 60 years old and had a B.Sc and a very distiguished CV.  He was willing to help other users on Ancestry trace their roots.

I then wrote to him to point out that his father-in-law's mother was completely incorrect.  I said I had looked up someone born in 1916 on freeBMD and noticed that the mother's maiden name was completely different to the one in his tree.  He then wrote back and agreed that I was right and his excuse was that he had not bothered getting the birth certificate. 

Obviously you do not need to have a birth certificate after 1912 to establish the mother's maiden surname so that seemed a lame excuse and as for claiming to be an expert that is willing to help others ..........

I wasn't impressed, but occasionally there are people on Ancestry that know what they are talking about but they are thin on the ground.
Logged

Sussex: Floate, West
Kent: Tuffee
Cheshire: Gradwell
Lancashire: Gradwell
torre
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 43


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #12 on: Monday 24 August 09 15:11 UTC (UK) »

I've only been researching my family for about six months and I have found it totally addictive.

But so far I have found about 50 ancestors. Most of these I have got birth, marriage or death certificates.  All of them I check and then double check.

I can't see the point in making things up,  I just want to find out about my family.

How can someone  have found 70,000 people?  He must have gone back to the year dot. (And I didn't think they had written records then)
Logged
tillypeg
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 18


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Re: Family Trees on websites
« Reply #13 on: Monday 24 August 09 18:55 UTC (UK) »

Update:-  have just had an email from the person on A......y, apologising for his mistakes and saying that he has deleted all of "my" relatives from his tree.  Success!!  Mind, he does want to get back in touch if he does find a connection.....

Torre - You've made an excellent start, sending for certs etc to prove relationships.  Good luck in your research.
Logged

Wells: Sussex, Whitby, Middlesbrough
Williamson: North Yorkshire
Truran: Cornwall, Walthamstow
Wisdom: Plumstead, Woolwich
Carter: North Yorkshire
Best: North Yorkshire
Tunstill: Fylingdales
Baxter: Fylingdales, Middlesbrough
Pages: [1] Print 
« previous next »


[Copyright] [Shrink Link] [About Us] [Terms of Use]
All Census Lookups are Crown Copyright, National Archives for academic and non-commercial research purposes only
RootsChat.com cannot be held responsible directly or indirectly for the messages or content posted by others. Inline images in messages are the copyright of the respective linked sites.
RootsChat.com, Europa House, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 5BT

In loving memory of Eric George Davies, 1934-2009, the father of RootsChat.com































Powered by SMF 1.0.7 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines LLC
0.06:21