Genealogy Chat

Is it just me, or is anyone else getting irritated by the number of names submitted with neither a hint of birth area or of date? When I get the little message saying that there have been loads of new entries for the names on my list I get all excited, but when I look at them about 70% of them don't have any other information, so are just about useless.

No Angela it isn't just you, I agree with you, it is like you say....useless!! Gail :(

Hi Gail, I feel the same. I don't bother to contact any names unless they have a birthplace and approx date of birth. Gwynne

I cant see why GR allow this to happen. I assume people are downloading gedcoms which omit the info. It is so annoying because you just get a name, no date or place of birth and you feel reluctant to contact someone with just that info.

I would never bother to contact someone who can't give a possible place of birth or date. It is just a waste of time. Unless you have a reasonable amount of information there is not a lot of chance of anyone making a definate connection.

The best one is "unknown" and then a date, what type of message is that! Yes very very annoying!

Angela, it's not you; it irritates me so much! Grrrr. In any case, I thought the computer wouldn't accept the names without approx year of birth and place.

Can anyone tell me why I see so many "contacted" at the side of names when I search my names? I also have come across a couple of names that have trees on this site and when I have sent a message , it has been ignored, even though a lot of their ancestors are definitely mine!!!!! If they are researching their tree why do they refuse more ancestors from other people....really confuses me!!!!!

It is GR's fault for not allowing baptisms. Pre 1837 we rarely know where our ancestors were born or when. I am not going to put spurious info on my tree. If I want to find a good contact I usually can, whether or not they have full details, for all but the John Smith names. B

When you upload a Ged file, GR's system will not recognise a Baptism date, only a Birth date, so it remains blank. Kim

Hi Ann, The reason you see 'contacted' by names on the site is that you have had some sort of contact with the person who has listed that entry. As for why people don't reply .....well thats a whole other thread ;) Sometimes people put their trees here on GR and don't come back here for a while. Not everyone is as addicted as half of us on here. Also there are a lot of people who are not in the habit of using the internet a lot full stop, so it's anybody's guess as to why they don't reply. Personally I try not to get too frustrated and send another polite mail, saying just incase they missed the first one etc. Sioux

I agree very frustrating .do you think we should all get onto GR and Complain? Christine

Hi MGHS, That's precisely the reason I only have a few generations of direct ancestors on this site. The layout is poor and it doesn't allow for uncertainty. In general (for the purpose of this site) one can assume that babies were born in the place they were baptised. It is also possible to find birthplaces and dates on census, pre 1901. Any guesses can be explained when contact is made with a possible relative. Gwynne

It is annoying,even if they put Scotland/England or what age aprox.I have contacted a few just going by name only, to be told ' it could not be the same one has he /she married so and so from ? lol.I did contact one, and asked if they knew anything about the person! Then they told me what age they were,and who they married lol I am trying to delete a name I have on twice,so I ended up putting her name in as I cant delete Lockhart! Marion

M G H S It's the GR system that does 'Unknown' it hasn't got into the real world yet, so does not undertand 'Illegitimacey' it thinks every child has 2 parents! I have over 80 'unknowns' on mine, which I cannot correct as I upload from my GED programme. Regarding 'Contacted' though, if you have emailed someone, or they have emailed you, regardless of the subject, could be a census query or anything, and it is coincidental that they have the same surname in their tree, ie Smith, Brown whatever, it will have 'contacted' by the name as the programme 'assumes' there has been a link. Kim