Genealogy Chat

Is it just me? It says '4 matches' and there's only two names. It says '3 matches' and its the same name three times. It says '2 matches' and I don't even have the names in my tree!!!! and wot happened to my old thread?!*^'™&^?/ Disgruntled Billy Flasher

I think it all depends on if you have re-uploaded your tree?? but i dunno about you not having the names in your tree??

NOT matches more like Billy. Like you I have had the same name(s) multiple times, not yet had one without the name on my tree, plenty (majority) not same place. Time for bed, g/night Keith

Dear Disgruntled, Yes I have had hot matches for folk I have never heard of except for in the phone book. Hmm do you think the folk at Genes just play pin the tail on the donkey with the phone book???? There are days when I really have to wonder. Yrs Totally Bemused

I have over 4500 names in my tree so when my NOT matches comes through I despair. More often than not there are a gazillion Browns - I have the misfortune to have a great grandmother with that maiden name and then three generations of John Browns... I wish GR had a facility to also match to place name because I must get hundreds of NOT matches and I just dont have the time or inclination to trawl through them, especially when I have about 20 pages of people who have just one name match to my tree and none of them actually match people on my tree. I have common Scottish names in my tree too and I get a bundle of 'matches' for them. The people who come up as proper matches are people I am already in contact with. *deep sigh* But the thing that really bugs me is when people contact me from their hot matches but dont check the place names and so I then have to check my tree - as no doubt its a common name and then tell them no sorry not a match. I must do this about five times a week! I also despair when people reply to their hot matches as if I was the one who contacted them and I just get messages like 'Sorry Alexandra my John Dean came from Yorkshire....' and I'm sat there puzzled because I know I wouldn't have messaged someone who had someone on their tree from a totally different place to mine! I often reply to let them know I didn't contact them and that the hot matches email is automated from GR but no-one ever seems to take notice - in fact the guy who contacted me about 'John Dean' even sent me the same message again!!! It just wastes my time more often than not.

Hello, How frustrating is this one? 11 Hot Matches. All match correctly, names, dates of birth, birth places etc. Do you think this person will get back to me. I have tried many different ways to contact. Even found them on this site with 5 different people's names who have put them on there. Emailed them but still nothing. Why do people bother to put names on here if they do not want to be contacted? Baffled, I am sure. Pam.

I find that a lot of people join up on a whim but aren't really interested in family tree stuff and so dont update their email address on here if they change it. There is someone out there who has my mum and her parents and siblings on his tree and is definitely not a cousin or uncle of mine and I have tried to contact him about three times and no reply. Either he doesn't want to talk to me or just isn't really technically a member anymore... Its frustrating as I believe he may be a half brother of my mums (as a result of an affair) and I just want to know who he is so I can rule it out etc. I have tried searching for his name on GR to see when and where he was born but he is either not on his own tree or if he was my mums half brother he wouldn't be born under the same surname and he is one the site with a different surname but he comes up in my contacts list as Marshall a bit like the whole women and maiden names thing (which also really bugs me that I have to trawl through my contacts list to find the right person to give them access to my tree).

I agree! I've only just joined GR and make my humble effort at my tree. Imagine my delight in finding someone with FOUR hot matches - email duly sent off but ...nothing. So disappointing. On the other hand I have had messages from those with only one match and they have been lovely - very interesting and friendly, but only very distant relations. Nevertheless I shall keep checking in the hope that a reply will eventually be received.

I only ever look at them if they have more than 1 name mentioned - and then I only ever do that when I have absolutely nothing else to do. Generally find them a waste of time. Only exception to that is if I've recently added a new bunch of people under one name when I look out for that name - occasionally strike lucky. Jill