RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: LizzieW on Saturday 24 November 18 10:59 GMT (UK)
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I can't find this topic anywhere, sorry if it has already been discussed.
Have any of you put your tree on to Findmypast? Each time I log on, it's suggested I put my family tree on there. Also they are pushing their DNA tests too. I've already had my DNA done with Ancestry, so not about to have another one done, even though FindMyPast states that their results will be more British than Ancestry (stands to reason).
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Hello
I've tried both and they are much the same for me.
There are two considerations with Find My Past trees.
1) there are less of them so if you are looking for matches they don't spring up and other people are less likely to check them and get in touch.
2) While on Ancestry you get access to your family tree even when you don't have a subscription ,this isn't true for Find My Past.So when your sub runs out so does the chance to look at your tree.
The latter is a big minus for me which is why I prefer Ancestry.
I want to know I can access the info I've searched whenever I want.
Ciderdrinker
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Thank you ciderdrinker. I have my a private tree on Ancestry but only because of doing my DNA with them and hoping for decent matches. However, I do have a private tree too which is not on line. I can't really see the point of putting it on FindMyPast as well. I do have a tree on GenesReunited, but it hasn't been updated for years, I suspect, like most of the trees on GenesReunited. I don't even know of anyone who uses that site any more.
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I think the tests are carried out by LivingDNA for them, Lizzie.
I've often clicked on the family tree option by mistake and the person that I was searching for was inserted as a start to my tree. I then had to delete - so a warning to not click on the option by mistake ;D
Added - https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ancestry-dna-testing/
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I did start doing a tree on FindMyPast but I found it a bit "clunky" to use. I finally decided to bin it yesterday.
It seems to me you cannot search trees on FindMyPast like you can on Ancestry even though there is a check box to make your tree a public tree. It states "having a public tree allows you to connect more easily with other trees who share you research and interests". If anyone knows how to search FindMyPast's trees I would be happy to be enlightened.
Venelow
Canada
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Thank you all, I'll stick with my off line Legacy Tree and my private Ancestry tree, which I have just in case someone has an ancestor that can lead me to my g.grandfather's origins. I'm sure I'll still be looking for him when I die, then I'll be able to ask him myself. ;)
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FindMyPast's trees are a recent addition and need much development. They seem a lot more clunky than Ancestry's, but both are much inferior to what I work with offline. Ancestry takes about 4 mouse clicks to move from one person to the same view of another in the same family while FindMyPast takes about 10. My offline program takes just a double-click.
FindMyPast does not yet have a "search trees". "Public" means you can send a link to another FindMyPast subscriber. A search might appear in future.
FindMyPast has extra event types for censuses and knows the dates of them, while Ancestry just has "Residence" and only knows the years. FindMyPast can also fill in quite a few occupations from records.
FindMyPast is also better at filling in addresses from records being attached. Ancestry is particularly bad even when the data is available. Their 1939 Register entries, for example, have street addresses in the Record view, but when attached to a person in a tree, just show "<county>, England". Both brands need a lot of editing when adding records from their databases.
If you add an image to an event in a FindMyPast tree, there is no way to see it again. The only thing you can access is a thumbnail. Make sure you keep an offline copy.
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Thank you all for your opinions. I'll stick with my Legacy off line tree which I've used for many years now and find very easy to use.
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I confess that I've never used FindMyPast family tree, but when it was announced I messaged them (I was a member then) asking why they couldn't use or link to their Genes Reunited trees, a much bigger database (780 million per Wiki) since they're both part of BrightSolid. No reply.
As to no-one using GR any more, it's true that messages have tailed off - but so have those on Ancestry. They claim 13 million members which probably includes those lapsed, but still not bad for a mainly UK-based company. A glance at their message boards shows still some activity.
I keep my tree there for three main reasons: one, that it's much easier to navigate - just one click to move between people, two because it allows cousin marriages without duplication - I have a lot of those, and three because I like to have an online tree in case my PC dies on me, which has happened before. I use this as a provisional tree and export it to Ancestry every so often when I'm satisfied with my additions. Strill under £10 a year last count though they push the pricier versions that allow access to FindMyPast records.
I think that Brightsolid promote FindMyPast rather than GR brcause it's more profitable, and that they may close down GR when it suits them, like they ditched Friends Reunited, so I'll keep exporting my gedcom at regular intervals. That includes my valuable "Notes" but Ancestry doesm't pick those up.
Anyone know of a site that picks up Notes when importing a gedcom?
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Anyone know of a site that picks up Notes when importing a gedcom?
The only site I know which keeps virtually everything I have uploaded is RootsWeb, which is, unfortunately, read-only at present.
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Thanks Andrew
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Before I add what I think of FindMyPast trees I will have to admit that I am an embittered previous subscriber to FindMyPast who is smarting over a couple of changes they've made this year. I've had more annual subs to FindMyPast than to Ancestry.
I felt a little sorry for FindMyPast when Ancestry appeared to be romping ahead with DNA bringing in considerable revenue. The recent connection to LivingDNA appears to me to be an attempt to try to recover some ground. However there's one or two things about LivingDNA that just don't sit easily with me. At times it seems like a lot of hype and a very pretty wife/co-director.
The FindMyPast trees ARE clunky. And I'm not impressed with them linking now to FamilySearch trees which can be rather a mess. I'd like to add some expletives before the word 'mess' but this is a family show. I have numerous relatives 'watched' in Familysearch trees and every week I receive an e-mail with updates that have been made to them. Quite often the updates are incorrect. I've had the unfortunate experience of a relative of mine (beyond 3C) getting obsessed with the details of one of my relatives (his distant in-law) and CONSTANTLY changing them. They'd reverse every change I made and were insistent that the parents were incorrect. He'd never met any of them whereas I had.
A year ago I was a huge fan of FindMyPast but I am not happy with how their website has ceased to work on some platforms (such as my iPad) since April and how they've pulled the plug on being able to view records in 'MyRecords' unless your have a current sub.
Ancestry and its marketing methods have been blatantly obvious for years. FindMyPast seemed like the friendly nice guys but actually they're just the same, so they've lost their competitive advantage and it will take one helluva offer to lure me back.
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Hi Andrew
Thanks for your explanation. So one has to know that someone is a subscriber before one can link to them. That seems strange. I guess they don't want to show the trees because they don't have very many due to the clunkiness factor. Their hints are not always useful. They sent me one where the subject was born 13 years after he died. Their program should be able to catch stuff like that.
FindMyPast's strengths are in their collections of images of records and their newspaper collection. I have found some world class scandals in the newspapers. Murders, adultery, suicide - my late mother in law would be mortified.
Venelow
Canada
Venelow
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Events after person's death? That's nothing! At least they got the name right. Have a look at https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=799194.0
Cue "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch. ;D ;D ;D ;D