Genealogy Chat

Has anyone put there tree up here, if not I would definately recommend it. The layout is very modern and easy to use, and it also has a smartmatching option. I have already found 2 ancestors through this and the submitters had traced back in our roots alot further than I had so I am now up to the 14th century and I only put my tree up last week. Most impressed, if you haven't tried it, give it a go. Regards, Siobhan

where will I find it? Lynn

Lynn http://www.ancestry(.)co(.)uk/ remove brackets I have mine there. I also like the layout. Lynda

Many thanks Lynda Lynn

I love the smart matching, not only does it match too other trees but also to records on ancestry. Saves having to do searches for each individual.

Something to keep in mind when you are posting your tree to sites like Ancestry (and the LDS site): Part of their terms state they may compile, copy, use, etc....information you are posting at their site any way they wish with no compensation to you. In other words, they can compile your information, put it on disks and sell it. Although this part of their site is free to viewers, you are also signing away your rights to your tree for them to use as they wish. Their terms and conditions (as well as LDS terms and conditions) are posted on their site. LDS's terms and conditions were easy enough to locate....although not necessary that you read them before you post....once posted, oooops to you if you realize after the fact that you no longer have any control with what they do with your information. Ancestry's terms and conditions I had to dig for at thier site.....works the same way. There are plenty of places you can post your tree to share with others without authorizing a company to profit from your work. Just my two cents worth, for what it's worth! Judy

And if you donwload the Ancestry family tree software and open your GEDCOM into that, it will do the smartmatching within the software - without the need to upload anything - probably a safer option.

Great idea, Simon!

The terms and conditions come up before you agree to add your tree. I personally do not see any harm in them having the information from my tree, as how are you supposed to contact fellow ancestors if you do not allow others to see your tree. Whatever site you put your tree on, you are allowing access to millions of people to do as they wish with. I can see some people have problems with this, but I am not bothered. It is no fun keeping the information of your tree all to yourself. Thats my personal opinion, others will differ.

I agree with you Siobhan. The more people see your tree, the more potential connections.

My point is, and you can check LDS's terms, is they can alter your information for one. Second they are profiting from it. The profiting is what I have a problem with. As I stated, there are plenty of places to post ones tree to share your information and not authorize someone else to alter, compile, copy and sell your information. You may not have a problem with that, and others may not, I certainly do. My tree is posted on several sites, accessible through a simple name search in your browser, and I don't have to worry about who changed it, altered it, or is profting from it. I am more than happy to share what I have, with who ever wants it, without profiting at their expense. Judy

Judy, I understand what you are saying, but even with these other sites, you cannot guareentee your information will not be copied and used elsewhere. If it is free for others to view, it is free for others to copy that information, even though you have the sole rights to the information. It is common knowledge that this happens.

Siobhan: While what you say is certainly true, I can't knowingly give someone that authorization to profit from me, or to charge others for something I am so willing to share for free. According to copyright laws, what I post, I own. Should I come across where someone has copied and profited from it, I have legal recourse to do something about it. I have no problem with people using the information for their own personal use. I will not knowingly sign my rights away for someone else to profit from it or allow them to alter my work....why would anyone, knowingly do that? I mentioned terms and conditions as many are not aware of that fact....if people have no problem with others altering and profiting from their information, that's there perogative. For me, I share what I have on my own terms....not someone elses. Judy :)

Judy, I agree 105% with what you've said! The LDS have my tree (submitted by a relli I sent it to) and have included it in their OneGreatFamily project. I actually subscribed to the site for a while just to find out out what it included and it took me FOUR months (including numerous emails and requests for re-imbursement of fees) to unsubscribe! I really can't uinderstand why people use sites like that! It's just as easy (and FREE) to use something like TribalPages (and it's not at all difficult to get the site registered with Google). I get soooooo angry with the commercial enterprises who are ripping off the unsuspecting in the ever-expanding field of family history! Sue

Anybody getting back to 1400 in a weeks is definitely suspect! Much of what is on Ancestry.com is a collection of names culled from other people's trees and cobbled together to make a tree fit with mostly unproven "facts"! I sent some information to a possible relative and next thing I found my tree all over Ancestry.com, totally unchecked and unproven by the person who put it there. They had wrong places of birth and incorrect years of birth mainly because they had not bothered to check out the difference between a birth and a christening. Christenings may be years after births. I had not given them all of of my information and they had made many very incorrect assumptions to include my relative having gone to another country! I cannot prove or disprove that my relative ever went to that country in 10 years and the person who received my info put my tree on Ancestry.com without even thinking whether or not that relative ever went there!! I had to write a strong note of protest as my name had been given to unproven facts. There is more to family hisory than a cobbled together family tree and the fun is doing it yourself. If you do get help from relatives check, check and check again. Getting back to 1400 most definitely needs a knowledge of Latin and Olde English and that cannot be done on the internet in a week. So distrust those records for starters. I have some knowledge of Latin but even I am having difficulty getting back to the 1500's after about 30 years experience of family history. I am back to 1600 0n one side only. Now I am into records requiring a good knowledge of olde English and Latin and my first foray in the British Library was a baptism of fire. I struggled! Janet

Hi Janet I understand where you are coming from on this, Although I have put my tree on Ancestry, I haven't put my FULL tree. I have only put up the ones that I am having trouble with and a few of their connections in the hope someone related sees it. Plus it helps when doing record searches on ancestry, cos you don't have to search every individual one by one. I have only but very basic information on there, and if people want to copy aload of statistics, then let them go ahead, it is I who have the DETAILED information and they are never getting that.