it is MY family tree!!!!!

[MarieC]

Hi, Jayson and Gadget,

I do agree very much that putting our stuff on the Net is a great idea, and it would always reflect our latest research.  But if one's website is part of a payment to one's ISP, it will probably get taken down if we die and are no longer paying!!

For that reason, I'm thinking about applying for some space on Rootschat for my FH stuff.  It would hopefully be there, then, for generations yet to come to find and work on.  As I type, I have just started to think that if I were to do that, a bequest to Rootschat in my will might be a good thing to do, since the information will have to be maintained on a server.  I am sure that Trystan and Sarah and their "heirs and successors" would be able to find a good use for that!

MarieC

[Skipworth]

An interesting and for me, topical topic.  Certainly some interesting points of view expressed.

Here's my tale of woe 

Have a very distant cousin's friend who considers herself/himself to be an expert genealogist.  The cousin has no interest in genealogy. The friend has placed our family history albeit very badly written on  a very poorly designed web site containing a lot of cut and paste from freebdm, directories etc.  Watch out if your name is my family name - it will end up on this site.  We have acquired lists of convicts, felons plus the odd doctor - all with our family name but absolutely no connection  

I thought if I offered via the website, some accurate and documented information, he/she may accede to my request to remove some information relating to my immediate family [a very elderly but alert parent] and the area in which we live.    The information was gratefully received but the information remained on the site in a slightly different format. I was also told to submit the information in an appropriate? format - what ever that is.  However the most irritating part of the whole scenario is her/his claim to be "a very good friend of the family" - now that is a friend I would gladly do without.

On the slightly humorous side - responses from lookups on forums have now become part of the family tree 

This grizzle has been good for my soul - any suggestions how to deal with the situation, gratefully received.

Cheers
Skipworth

[trish251]

This thread is an interest in itself - started in February 2004 - only 6 months younger  than my research.

I don't have my family tree on the net - When I was first researching I found my husbands gggg grandfather married to his niece - the fact that the niece was 7 years old  when the gggg gfather had his first child seemed irrelevant to this researcher! I wrote to him twice, but 3 years later the web site is exactly the same. - So I think I decided then, I wouldn't go down the internet path for recording family trees - it has reduced the number of "living relatives" I have found but with sites like RC I seem to reach enough folks to solve many a mystery.

Trish

[sarah e]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that takes such pride in my research. I never add a name unless I can prove the connection through some peice of paper. Much as I hate sitting on a hunch I always beleive that this information is not only important to me but to some one else out there as well. A couple of months ago I was pnged by some one who was related to my gt gt gt grandfather. We had a peek at each others tree and i discovered that he had all the correct names but had a couple of generations back to front. I pointed this out and sent a quick e-mail showing how the tree went back. I got a short sharp (and quite rude) e-mail back saying 'sounds a bit complicated, are you sure, I will verify it all at a later date, please send me a copy of the gedcom' Which I did. (nice arent I). So 3 weeks goes by, I recieve my hot matches for GR and lo and behold I have a hit, I checked out the tree (which I already had access to) and the guy has copied my entire tree and put it down as his. We are talking 700 names. I know it was my gedcom, as the guy, in his haste to lay claim to it had down loaded it straight to GR with out checking it through. I am a rare one on GR. All my census info, BMD's etc are shared in the extra details tab. There was no way this guy had completed in three weeks what it has taken me four years to do. Have never heard from him since. I will share all my info with any one that wants it but this is the second time some one has appropriated my tree as there own. The first time on was on Ancestry and I worked with some one for six months on another tree and gave them editiors rights (mistake). One day I went online and this person had deleted my tree. All my research was then found in there tree - Won't be making that mistake again.

Sarah

[Skipworth]

Thank you Trish and Sarah for sharing your experiences.  My problem seems small in comparison.  I have made a decision not to put the family history on the net.  To date I haven't come across anyone else interested in my family - it would be wonderful if I did

I have had some wonderful help from rootschatters.

Cheers
Skipworth

[Jayson]

Oh dear! you have had your fingers burnt Sarah.  I don't think I shall bother putting my stuff on the Net.  It really astonishes me just how rude & ungrateful some people are.  It would make me so furious to find my research had been plagiarized by another so called "researcher".  In fact I get quite cross just reading what other researchers experienced

I tend to steer clear of GenesReunited now - not worth the trouble.  But perhaps I'm being a bit harsh.  There must be some happy stories out there.

Jayson

[Gadget]

Yep - I stay well clear of GR.
I had the husband of a 2nd cousin contact me a few years ago. Sent him all the stuff I had on that line. Later found that he'd put all my family up on GR - living and dead. I told him what for 
I must have been fierce because he profusely apologised and took them off 

However, before we get too possessive, we only share the exact same ancestors with our siblings so, other than that, it's never just OUR/MY family tree is it?

Gadget

[Jayson]

Hi Gadget

I'm glad you gave this chap a good telling off.  I think in some instances people just don't think before they act.  I have absolutely NO problem with sharing anything I have discovered with other researchers who express an interest.  However, when they have the effrontery to pass off my hard work off as their own I become so indignant 

Best - Jayson

[Bucksgirl]

My problem is a bit different, someone hi-jacked my entire tree, all sides and reproduced it in his name!  I contacted him to ask what was going on and he said 'We MAY share the same great great aunt'.

Why do this?  He cannot help anyone who gets in touch as I have done all the work and as I only put fairly basic info on the web, all the interesting stuff is there for anyone who can prove a link.

Has anyone else had this happen to them, as I feel a bit miffed

Jenny