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Family History Programs, Tree Organisation, Presentation / Using Ancestry hints
« on: Saturday 14 October 17 17:08 BST (UK) »
One thing that I have found using Ancestry and the hints is that is too easy to perpetuate an error in a tree.
Using the hints is a great tool, do not get me wrong. The issue comes with using hints from other members trees. When I look at other members Family trees I (now) always vet the information that they suggest is correct.
As an example, when you look up your Grand Mother, Jane Doe, and the hints show 3 public member trees and seven records, vetting the records is sometimes easy but can be more complex if there her name is common (Jane Doe) and birthdates are close together. Often the transcribed dates can be off by a year due to her actual birthdate and the time of year that the Census was taken.
To vet the public member trees information I click on the "tools" icon on the top right of the screen and select "print friendly". Once you have this screen loaded you and now click "customize" on the top left and select which information you would like to print, I click everything and ensure that all records are shown as well as parents, spouses and children are printed. You may choose to just do a screenshot of this information to save on ink and paper and . file in a folder in your computer.
You now have a record of what others have considered important research information about that individual and you can go through each piece of information and see if it is correct for your Family member. Once you are convinced that the information is correct you can then add it to your tree with confidence.
No one said that researching your Family tree was easy or quick. This takes time and effort along with a great deal of patience.
There are two individuals who are not related to me that insist that one of my Uncles had passed away at the young age of 7. I have a copy of his Marriage Certificate with his Parents (my Grand Parents) names on it as well. I will always follow the paper trail. The boy who passed away had the same name as my Uncle and the age at the time looked correct but it was the wrong person.
Please be wary of misleading information.
I trust that this information helps your research become less frustrating. It is always more difficult to find and correct mistakes that were a waste of time in the first place. Doing the vetting of information may seem like a waste of time but it will actually save you a trip down that rabbit hole of adding someone else's Family tree in to yours by researching the wrong Jane Doe.
Robert
Using the hints is a great tool, do not get me wrong. The issue comes with using hints from other members trees. When I look at other members Family trees I (now) always vet the information that they suggest is correct.
As an example, when you look up your Grand Mother, Jane Doe, and the hints show 3 public member trees and seven records, vetting the records is sometimes easy but can be more complex if there her name is common (Jane Doe) and birthdates are close together. Often the transcribed dates can be off by a year due to her actual birthdate and the time of year that the Census was taken.
To vet the public member trees information I click on the "tools" icon on the top right of the screen and select "print friendly". Once you have this screen loaded you and now click "customize" on the top left and select which information you would like to print, I click everything and ensure that all records are shown as well as parents, spouses and children are printed. You may choose to just do a screenshot of this information to save on ink and paper and . file in a folder in your computer.
You now have a record of what others have considered important research information about that individual and you can go through each piece of information and see if it is correct for your Family member. Once you are convinced that the information is correct you can then add it to your tree with confidence.
No one said that researching your Family tree was easy or quick. This takes time and effort along with a great deal of patience.
There are two individuals who are not related to me that insist that one of my Uncles had passed away at the young age of 7. I have a copy of his Marriage Certificate with his Parents (my Grand Parents) names on it as well. I will always follow the paper trail. The boy who passed away had the same name as my Uncle and the age at the time looked correct but it was the wrong person.
Please be wary of misleading information.
I trust that this information helps your research become less frustrating. It is always more difficult to find and correct mistakes that were a waste of time in the first place. Doing the vetting of information may seem like a waste of time but it will actually save you a trip down that rabbit hole of adding someone else's Family tree in to yours by researching the wrong Jane Doe.
Robert