Genealogy Chat

Just checked a hot match, he has my Great Grandad as father to his ancestor but it was actually his brothers child. I know I shouldnt get annoyed but it does make me angry when the certs are available but people just take a guess instead.

Has he taken the information from a census? Heather

No, he hadnt even done that! It seems like he looked for a suitable marriage (unusual surname) and just bunged that couple as the kids parents.

It's funny (funny peculiar, not funny haha) how these things can really get to us! There are a lot of entries on the World Wide tree where an IMPOSTER bride has stolen my 4x-great-grandfather and there is no sign of his real wife! I have tried telling these people they have it wrong (tactfully, of course!), but not one will accept the correct facts, because their version has been going arround for at least 35 years, since somone did some bad research. It has made me feel very close to my poor 4xg-granny who had a hard life and doesn't deserve to be ignored! I am 101% certain of who she was, poor woman.......RIP Hannah Thackwell. Heather - Are you going to tell them they have made an error? Merry

Ive just mailed him and said why did you believe this girl has my GGF as her father. Got a mail back - I will just check up on that, maybe I was wrong. Honest Merry, he couldnt have looked at the census even because this girl is clearly shown in them as the daughter of William. My GGF does not have a daughter called Alice. So sloppy - I mean if its your direct ancestor, youd put a bit of effort in to get it ab right wouldnt you.

So you won't be sending your new-found rellie a Christmas card, then??!!! You can choose your friends, but not your rellies! Merry

lol, well its distant (as far as I know he could have the girl wrong as well). I shall have to stop getting so possessive, is it just me? But when I see someone may also have same 'status' as me with an ancestor, I feel quite miffed!

OK, he has just apologised, so may be I wont be angry but he is going to get three more generations back from me - what will I get eh? Nowt as usual I expect.

Heather, I would love someone to either confirm or put me right on or two issues on my tree, but unfortunately any corroboration always seems to be a one-way process. I sometimes wonder if I have made mistakes (in the 1700's) and if so, just how many others have simply accepted them and again just passed on the info to someone else! (Frightening thought, isn't it?) Jay

Yes,when Im looking at my tree on my FTM I suddenly get a real panic when I wonder if Ive got the right line. But I go through it all calmly again and think nope, its ok. I just wish I wasnt at so many dead ends on my side. Im acutally spending money on hubbys side for certs now because I cant find a cert to buy for mine.

Heather He will never have the joy, tears, or sleepless nights that we have all had at times in looking for our rellies. By just copying info he is missing out on such a lot.

I guess so Vanda, never feel the excitement of finding them but it is a just a bit annoying to think he will present a ready made tree to his family!

A few points to think about … - starting out, most people will accept information from older relatives as gospel, which can lead them down the wrong path (researching the wrong location, misspelled surnames, cousins with the wrong parents, etc…) - I think it takes most people a while to appreciate the importance of documenting their sources - I would not expect a ‘newbie’ to automatically recognize why it is so important - everyone has their own reasons for doing genealogy and some of us take it more seriously than others - there’s no point in getting upset because someone else has lower standards of evidence than we do(or even no standards at all) - my tree on GR doesn’t necessarily reflect which facts are proven and which are assumed (e.g., years of birth given on census returns that may or may not be correct), although my personal database usually does - I don’t post any information on GR that I am not willing to share with anyone; I’ve received too much help from other people to get possessive about my own research (and if I was, I simply wouldn’t post it here) I’ve had at least one person incorporate parts of my tree (including my parents, grandparents, and myself) into theirs and combine it with information on earlier relatives that I know is incorrect. I’ve pointed out what I consider to be their mistakes (and why I think so), but I really don’t care if their tree agrees with mine or not. Life’s too short to worry about things you can’t control, so just take a deep breath and relax.

Are you a psychiatrist, Tim??! Merry

Oh Heather, Don't feel guilty - we all suffer from similar 'pangs' when we see hard fought for facts being ignored by others! I usually count to ten and tell myself that I've made mistakes too ... whilst I've been at it for 5 years now, it has only been through more experienced researchers of some 10+ years standing that I've learned anything of value ... then I take a view on whether I want to help that person!!! Have a large G&T and move on - you're doing well, take pride & consolation in your own achievements! Regs Annie