Is this odd, or is it just me being cynical and suspicious?

scooter · Post by **scooter** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:41 pm

Hi All,

Another interesting thread, I find these people who just collect names fascinating, what purpose does it serve other than a conversation piece over dinner?

About a year ago I uploaded some information, some of it 'hard fought' onto ancestry, but naively neglected to tick the box making it private. Consequently vast swathes of my research appeared on another members 'tree' in days with no obvious connection to her at all. To date she has 31768 people on it, and of course has refused to answer any of my emails regarding where the link was. I also notice that her 'research' is in two parts, with another 22,000+ in Pt.1! Again, like others, the information has been copied but riddled with errors which is very irritating.

Ah well......

Post by **Ina** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:40 pm

Hi Andy,

Nice to see you posting again. When reading this thread I thought about you and all the names you have collected through the years.

One of the women in my genealogy class is a descendant of Paul Revere. She collects not just the Revere families, she also collects the names of everyone who ever lived in Stanford Connecticut. She has a database of over 20,000 names.

Personally I don't add to my tree any name that I haven't proved to be mine.

Ina

Post by **SarahND** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:21 pm

I was just checking Ancestry World Tree for a line I had not looked at in some years, just to see if anybody had come up with anything interesting in the interim. I clicked on one that seemed to have sources and read through the notes thinking, "My, this person seems to be a close relative, they talk about all the relevant people!" Imagine my surprise when I came to the end of the notes and saw my name signed to it!

This person had taken, verbatim, an email I had sent to him years ago and pasted it in his tree, complete with full signature. So... be careful what you put in your emails to distant cousins, and especially how you sign them!

Sarah

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:51 pm

I don't have any problem with big families - as I said, I'm from a long line of big families and I'm sure if I followed each and every one of them, and who they were related to, I'd have a much bigger tree too. I just don't have the time, resources, or inclination to do that and I just know I couldn't cope (financially or otherwise) with researching 18, 000 (or anywhere near!) people in any great depth. I'd just be collecting their names.

And that's my problem - name collectors who, to my mind, are screwing Ancestry (and doubtless other similar sites) up by not being more careful and thorough with their research. That guy who added my lot, for instance, has got them all higgledy piggledy - none of it makes sense now. He's added my 2xgreat grand mother and her sisters to an entirely incorrect line, and given them brothers that they didn't even have and a father who died in the US (theirs died in Liverpool).

So, I guess I'd like to add to Sarah's warning: if you have a tree at Ancestry (or similar), and you hit the 'hint's button and find yourself on someone elses tree, be VERY careful who you add!

KarieK · Post by **KarieK** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:26 pm

Hi All
A very interesting thread as just yesterday I received a Hot Match notification for my son on three trees. Two of the trees are second cousins and asked me if they could add my family names the other is a person who contacted me a couple of years ago and I allowed him to view my tree and the next thing I see that he copied my tree and he has never verified that we have a solid connection. I have access to his tree and I still can't find where he has linked our families. I have only posted half of my verified names on Genes and because of this man I am not posting anymore. I have been lucky that I have made contact with people who are genuine relatives or I would delete my tree from the site. I agree with everyone and do get annoyed as I have been researching my Scottish roots and Canadian for over 20 years and I don't even want to contemplate how much money I have spent in certificates etc and someone with no verifiable connection is using my work. I wonder how he sleeps at night?
Karen

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:31 pm

someone with no verifiable connection is using my work.

And others will be linking to it, thinking they've made a connection in their tree!

I wonder how he sleeps at night?

Probably very soundly - because he's not up til all hours researching archives and histories on the internet!

Post by **SarahND** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:41 pm

Ann In the UK wrote: So, I guess I'd like to add to Sarah's warning: if you have a tree at Ancestry (or similar), and you hit the 'hint's button and find yourself on someone elses tree, be VERY careful who you add!

Just like to clarify that I have never posted a tree online anywhere... but have corresponded with various people over the years, who I find are using my data. That is fine, as I wouldn't have told them anything that I couldn't verify, and I appreciate that they are reporting the source from which they got the information. What I found disconcerting was that they just copied and pasted the entire email as written by me, and posted it for all to see. I had signed my full name, which I don't like to use on a public forum. I have since adopted a special email address for genealogy that only has my first name, but the old ones are still coming to haunt me!

Regards,
Sarah

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:35 pm

I have a similar thing happen to me. I assisted a distant cousin a while back and then found she had put all of my data on Ancestry.com, including my own photos of family members. At the time I gave her the information I asked her to state where she got it from but she has not.

Since then I have made contact with people here and there and one of them referred me to her. This got my shackles up and I replied to the man that SHE had gotten that information from ME and in fact she had some of it wrong (some birthplaces and years were way out and I have the certificates - which I always offer to share details of, but NOBODY ever wants them! Sourcing is too much hard work for a lot of genealogists out there!) The man never wrote back.

I did contact her and ask her to remove the photos which she never did, and then asked her to change those details which were wrrong, again she ignored me. I think that she thinks she has got it right and I am wrong, but as I said, I spent the money to find out the real story and if she would have just listened to the research instead of 'family gossip' she would have an accurate tree today. Not that I care about HER....but it is about others searching, who in their innocence may take her tree as gospel and like a virus, disinformation will spread, and that makes me sad.

Nina

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:00 pm

it is about others searching, who in their innocence may take her tree as gospel and like a virus, disinformation will spread, and that makes me sad

You've hit the nail right on the head there ninatoo, misinformation spreading like a virus - that's exactly my concern.

StewL · Post by **StewL** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:54 am

Personally I don't really care if people feel a need to add people to their tree's without regard to whether they are right or wrong. I think that is their problem. I have around 1400 lang deid yins in my tree now, a far cry from only just over 18months ago. But that is due to my contacts from Genes, who have helped me fill in gaps etc. Which has led me back to 1620 on one of my mothers lines. I have no qualms about sharing my tree, and if people feel the need to just take without research, so be it. As it has been because of the generousity (spelling) of others that has helped me build my tree, but numbers has never been an issue for me, the only reason I know the numbers is through exporting my Ged file.