What do you think?

[JBee]

I found f-I-l and his siblings and various ancestors of my OH on a public ancestry tree but when I looked I couldn't find a connection in this tree. Ancestry keeps flashing up hints to this person's tree which is really annoying now.

An enumerator had made a mistake of county of birth in the 1871 of OH's ggf which this person picked up as he was researching the same surname in that county. OH's ancestors have no connection to this county at all.

So I sent him a message telling them who ggf's parents were and that there was no connection to that county or his family. the reply was that he added the parents to his tree!!!!!! I then replied saying he misunderstood and that I meant he needed to take OH's rellies off his tree if he wanted a correct tree and also that people may just copy his tree without checking.

He replied saying he's keeping them on his tree as he has other same surname lines that aren't connected to him but wants it as a reference for other people researching the same surname to see the connections and how they relate to each other.

He wants me to share certificates etc but I don't know whether I want to given there is no connection. I do share some information when I know people are researching the same family but my trees are private so can control what info I give them. If he is given the info then it will be public.

Am I wrong to expect him to remove OH's ancestors from his tree?

[Asa]

No, I don't think you're wrong and I'd feel exactly the same. But I have come to appreciate that if our relations are dead, there isn't much we can do about them appearing in other people's trees.

If I was you, I wouldn't share any information with him but that's because I've learnt from the past and don't want to see my research spread from public tree to public tree. It took me ages to get a tree removed from GR recently which had myself and my siblings on it and I really regret ever sharing any info in the past.

[Lindsay]

I'd feel the same. What's the point of having a tree that's wrong - and why should you share certs etc if there's no connection?

I recently contacted the owner of an Ancestry tree to point out that she had the wrong parents and husband for my grandmother - she'd obviously not bought any certificates even though she'd added multiple sources (BMDs, school records etc). I never got a response, although she's on every day and continues to add (incorrect) sources. It's complete garbage.

Unfortunately it makes me very wary of sharing information - it's one of the reasons I don't have an online tree.

[Merry]

Can you get him to at least correct the county of birth on his ancestry tree?

I don't really see why he should remove part of his tree just because he isn't related to them (as long as he hasn't included living people), but there's no point in having incorrect information recorded.

I have many hundreds of people on my tree who are not my relatives, because I've extended my research to include the relatives of some people who have married in to my tree. As I've done this research myself I would not be happy if someone told me I shouldn't have these people on my tree just because I'm not related to them.

I don't think I would feel I needed to send him a load of certificates just because he would like them! I might send the one that proves his mistake, but only if he wouldn't change the info without the cert, but that would be all.

[JBee]

Thanks all.

I will ask him to correct the place of birth of OH's ggf.

I can see he has put a lot of effort into his tree and wouldn't want it to go to waste but I do feel he is a name collector albeit one surname and one locality one. Perhaps he should do a one name study lol. Isn't there a group/site that does that?

It's just it was so disappointing after finding the right names and info about OH's ggf's descendants in his tree that there wasn't a connection at all.

[kiterunner]

I can see he has put a lot of effort into his tree and wouldn't want it to go to waste but I do feel he is a name collector albeit one surname and one locality one. Perhaps he should do a one name study lol. Isn't there a group/site that does that?


There is the Guild of One-Name Studies, but you have to pay to join, and you have to agree that your research will be "global in scope" and that you will reply to queries about that surname. So not suitable for everyone. I don't see anything wrong with having a public tree of people with a certain surname who may not be related to him - and after all, if he traces back far enough, he may find a link to them yet!

[Olde Crone]

I have a public tree which has thousands of names on it, none of whom are related to me (as far as a I know). I have done the research myself and have not linked into anyone else's research, although I do sometimes give links to people who have further or more in-depth information.

This tree is a sketch tree only, I have no certs for it. I warn people to use the information as a guide only and to get certs to firm up the research. I also ask viewers to give me any information/corrections to the tree. I wait in vain!

I NEVER put living people on any of my trees, nor do I include the recently dead.

This tree (and another one!) started as my own one name study but spread out from that. I do not want to join GOONS because their rules are too narrow for what I am trying to achieve.

I can see that it is very irritating to have YOUR relatives on a tree with incorrect information. The only way you can correct that is to give him the right information! You don't have to share your tree, just give him the proof of birthplace.

OC

[JBee]

Thanks all

He has changed the place of birth already so didn't need to ask.

Think perhaps I'm over-reacting its just that when a hint comes in and you find people on your tree on it you look for a connection. I've spent ages looking and thinking I'd missed something - then to find in the end there wasn't one.

OH's ggggf hails from Ireland so is from a completely different country than this mans rellies so very unlikely to find a link between them unless a lot further back where I doubt records exist.