Well when can you use someone else's ancestry tree?

[barbaramc]

I have read a lot on this forum about people kidnapping someone else's tree. Here's what I did, was it ok

I got an ancestry hint about another tree which looked promising.  I contacted the tree owner and received no reply.  Since he had a different address for granny than I did, I checked the census with his address and voila, there she was!!!  I did this with a bunch of his info, that is to say, if he had different info than I did, I checked his stuff.  Some of his was for my family, some not.  Since I had checked out each and every document and person I added to my tree, I don't think I did anything wrong.  I just used a hint he gave me, albeit unknowingly.

I haven't copied any pictures or stories from his tree.  It's all public records.  If you can't use hints ancestry sends along, what is the point of sending them?  Did I do something wrong?

[Erato]

"Did I do something wrong?"

Nope, nothing wrong.  I never import trees or even branches or twigs wholesale, but I look at lots of them for clues.  I have found useful clues even in trees where I can see that a large proportion of the information is hogwash.  Just because someone has made a lot of mistakes doesn't mean that it's all wrong.

[crisane]

No of course you didn't do anything wrong. For a start the tree is a public tree so the owner is aware that any member of ancestry can access the information and use it however they like.
From your point of view you have done exactly what is required after being given the "hint," that is double checked all the information to verify what is or is not correct before adding it to your tree.
I have never been lucky enough to find anyone else who is/has done my paternal line let alone provide photographs but like you I would be very loathe to copy them from the site without first asking permission. Maybe send follow up emails for a few weeks then if no reply go for it?

[andycand]

Hi

Contrary to what some people might think once a person posts something on the internet that can be accessed by others then, provided it is not subject to copyright, anyone can utilise that information. It is important however, as with all research, to verify that information yourself and not just copy it as the tree may not be correct. Putting aside the likes of personal stories and photos trees are really just a compilation of data. If someone has an issue with others utilising information on their tree then the answer is simple, don't put it online in the first place.

Andy

[barbaramc]

Great, thanks!!! I'm glad I didn't do anything wrong.  I don't see the point of copying wholesale, who knows who those folks are?  But if you can check it all out...

Thanks again!!

[ghostgirl]

This is exactly how someone else's tree should be used!! If they have info on there that we don't have, we can find the source to back it up, and if it is correct, use it.  It's only when people just copy info from one tree straight onto their own without checking it that it is a problem.

[GeorgiyH]

Yes, I found the son of an ancestor on someone's tree. This family is definitely related distantly to me, but they did not check thir sources properly. They found an 1861 census with correct names for the father's family and a similarly spelled name or the mother, and they imported this family with all the children into their tree, and added the child who was their ancestor, but not part of this family. If they had checked properly, they would have found the real family had been in NZ since the 1850s, and were not a family of fruit sellers from Surrey. This kind of thing must go on fairly regularly...

[weste]

No you did n't do anything wrong. I got a big breakthrough this way but I was able to contact the person and we exchanged info and sorted out a few problems. I would have checked the info out like you did if they had n't.

[jaywit]

I am totally against putting my tree online because as has been said people just take great chunks of it without checking it.

Having said that I recently checked on some trees on Ancestry using the name of an ancestor who has been my brickwall for 7 years. Most of them have parents unknown the same as me but one had his parents names. I did a lot of checking, at some expense I might add and they were correct.

Having said that the death they had for the mother wasn't correct.  It was obvious she had died between 1841 and 1851 and using free BMD they was only one death of that name in the county she lived in during that period. So I sent for the death certificate and it was the wrong person.

Next I did some research to find out where she would have been buried assuming she  died at home.I got a date and place of burial so I entered the name and correct quarter into free BMD and one popped up but in the wrong district and county.I looked at the actual sheet on Ancestry and the type wasn't clear but what was clear was that the transcription was wrong, and it was in fact mine. I sent for the death certificate and it was correct so I have contacted free BMD to tell them of the mistake.