Genealogy Chat

I deleted all of my living relatives that I had on my tree when the 'Someone using your Identity' message went out. I ticked the box to hide relatives and just left my husband and myself on but as 'Living Relative'. I was surprised to receive an e-mail from a new member looking for a connection with my daughter whom I had deleted 3 weeks ago. GR are looking into it. I also requested anyone I had let view my tree and taken information that they delete my living relatives, which they did. The one member I had problems with GR dealt with and thought all was OK until I did a thorough check for myself. If you go into My Tree Matches and select a surname you wish to check out then go down to Refine Search and enter the christian name you wish to check out and hit search in theory you shouldn't have it listed. My family are still listed against this member even though GR say it has been deleted. Am I doing something wrong or is GR having problems?

Jo No, you aren't doing anything wrong - the Hide Living Relatives only works for people viewing YOUR TREE. The names are still visible on a name search on this site. Change your living people on your tree to 'Living Male' etc - that is the only way you can stop the names appearing in a name search. OC

Thanks OC I only have myself and my husband on there now all my other living relatives have been deleted but somehow or other this new member was still able to contact me regarding my daughter. How can they do this? Jo

Hi Jo I'm wondering if this member has contacted you through Hot Matches rather than Tree Matches. If your daughter's name was still on your tree when the Hot Matches were 'collated', she will show up in the member's Hot Matches. By the time the next batch of Hot Matches comes out, your daughter's name shouldn't be there. You could always ask the member if it was through Hot Matches so you can be absolutely sure Jeanette x

When you go and search using 'My Tree Matches' then the names you see listed against a persons name are the names they have in their tree, not in yours. Deleting or changing names in your tree only affects what someone who has access to your tree can see.

Because your daughter's name is still listed in the name search. There is a very easy way of reconstructing someone's tree, using the name search facility. I don't want to describe it on here as the fewer people who know how to do this, the better. OC

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will contact the member who e-mailed me regarding my daughter and see if it was through Hot Matches and if so then she should not appear on the next Hot Matches run. As regards to my other relatives that were on the refine search list they are all against a member I had requested to have them removed. As I had to get GR involved they came back and said it had all been done. Have just had an e-mail from this member and has removed 3 out of 7 and I have gone back requesting the other 4 be removed. Many thanks everyone Jo