Genealogy Chat

I have spent quite some time recently tracking down some members of my family through 1837online. I really want to include them in my tree but this is where I have hit a brick wall (seems to be alot of them about). Around 80-90 years ago, my great grand mother had a falling out with my great uncle (my grandfathers brother). This resulted in him and his wife moving away and refusing to speak to the family. Unfortunately, this trend is being carried on by the future generations and although I have sent a message to a registered member (who I believe is my great uncles grand daughter) she refuses to reply to me. My question is - can I still include the living members of the family in my tree even though I cannot get permission? I really find it so sad that this row is being carried on and because of it, I will probably never meet or speak to some of my immediate family. The stupid thing is, nobody can recall what the disagreement was about. Any suggestions? Thanks....Janine

Apparently, You can include them in a tree that is not online!! but if it's online then you can't as the data protection act comes into force. Hope this helps!! family rows i have no idea how to overcome.... :O)

oh jannie that is terrible it would'nt hurt the person to reply unless she is not registered any more if you think that these people could be your relatives just add them to your tree after all they are also your family,take care im sure everything will turn out allright for you in the end kind regards donna

The information you have is aready public, so why couldn't you add it to your tree ? The position with the Data Protection Act has changed, and it appears that hobby Genealogists are now exempt from the Act. See the letter from the Data Registrar at http://freepages(.)genealogy(.)rootsweb(.)com/~allpoms/ukdataprotection(.)html dave

It is part of the terms and conditions of this site that living people are not added to a tree unless you have their permission. I know I wouldn't be very happy to discover my details on someone else's tree without being asked first. Sam

GR's rules are quite explicit on this point - you must have permission of any living person to include them in your GR tree (irrespective of whether they are relatives or not). I couldn't disagree more with Donna if she meant just publish them in your online GR tree and be damned. However if she meant keep details at in your tree at home then no problems. Having just battled with GR to remove my personal details and those of my wives, children and grandchildren from another member's tree which he had published without my permission I get a bit a bit hot under the collar on this point. Identity theft is getting too prevalent, and I don't believe in making fraudsters lives simpler by irresponsibly publishing personal details of other people. What's the first identity question that your bank/credit card company asks you if you phone? What's your mother's maiden name? Don't make it too easy for the con artists, and don't risk further antagonising the other side of the family! That's my two penn'orth! Kind regards David

Taking from the other perspective. My family have had several fallings out within themselves. I have had to contact genes admin three times to have myself, my mother and my brother removed from my aunts tree on here. It came very hard as she originally added us to her tree the day we told her my brother died. she continues to keep adding us and I continue to ask for them to be removed. I find it incredibly offensive that she think the fact that we are related gives her the right to put my own details in the public domain opening up a risk to myself, my mother and my brothers children. I take great care to ensure that ANYONE I add to my tree who is still living is disguised in some manner unless they have given me permission for information about them to be put into the public domain. Zoe

I had difficulty in downloading my ged file of all dead relatives from PAF5 to GR. PAF5 wouldn't show me cos I'm still slightly alive and GR would accept the ged cos it couldn't find the link. In the end I showed myself as dead and GR accepted it. dav

Thank you so much for all your views on this subject. It sometimes helps to get a different prospective on a matter. I have decided to try to contact the relative again but I will not be including them in my tree that is on GR. I realise now that this can be upsetting and disrespectful. I will, ofcourse be including the, in my home written tree. Thank you so very much......Janine

dear janine im glad that you have made up your own mind ,i seem to have upset david/notting hill on this matter which i would like to appologise to him i did,nt mean that you was to put it in a publishers tree but if i was you i would keep it in your own file, i do feel sorry for him and his situation but at the end of the day everybody should have there own point of veiw ,and i did think it was terrible the way your family was treating you, like amanda i to am adopted and do understand that when you try to contact somebody and they don,t answer you back it can be very fustrating and very dissapointing after all manners do not cost anything kind regards donna

Hi Donna You didn't upset me! We may not have had the same viewpoint (although I don't think we actually disagreed!) but we are all grown up enough to agree to differ amicably. Your viewpoint is just as valid as mine. But I do think this is an issue that GR should grasp, particularly given Zoe up North's terrible experience. At the moment they only take action if someone complains, so if the living person doesn't know about it then his details remain public. Perhaps they should investigate the possibility of automatically blocking certain fields for any person born after, say, 1900 unless there is a death date included. Thanks and regards david