Give me access to your tree!!

[Lisa Harding]

Thanks Maragaret.

Is this information accurate on there? I know that the whole subject of genealogy is fraught with inaccuracies in general but I am just gauging before shelling out my hard earned cash!!

Thanks for the welcome, I hope i can be a useful contributor.

Lisa

[MaryA]

I believe it's GR's fairly curt automatic responses.  If you want to contact somebody there are a few of these and if people are too lazy to add a please or any sort of explanation as to why, then they don't get a favourable response from me and my access remains X'd.

Yes it is sad that not everybody has integrity and manners, but having received the demand from one person on two occasions without being able to find a connection, following which I discovered he had included the whole of somebody else's tree - including a family married into the direct line and so no close relationship at all, then I'm very skeptical until proved otherwise.

Mary

[little meg]

It is always safe to check everyones trees to make sure they have got it right.

I am in contact with someone who has never bought one certificate and yet is determined that is her line.
Needless to say I went and bought 2 certificates to see if she links!
Still waiting with fingers crossed.  

I have found at least 7 real links (contacts) through GenesReunited.  And have only joined in the last couple of months. You can sign up for a short time, and then if you don't like it - leave it.

We go over each others details, and look at any inaccuracies.
the best one was : my contact had a Jonas Denby marry a Mary Brear, so did I, but they were different marriage dates.

Turns out he married his first wifes 1st cousin. And because they were the same age and both born Bradford the census gave the impression it was the same person.  If I had not met him in GR neither of us would have been any wiser.

the site is:
www.GenesReunited.co.uk

Hope I am allowed to put that up

hope this helps
margaret

[mahees]

Hi all,

Lisa, It's worth doing a search first to see if anyone else has people on their tree that match your ancestors. I like GR, for one thing it's a useful place to store the family tree, although there are other good sites for that that are free, like tribal pages.

As for people taking info off my tree, it doesn't really bother me as long as it's not living relatives. I like to share my family history, particularly as so few people are researching it. I do a search of the site every now and then to make sure no-one has put me or my living relatives on their tree without my permission, but apart from that, I give my info away freely.

Erin 

[Maggott]

I've looked carefully at the info given by some of the tree-snatchers & they give baptismal dates in the very recent past (*not* related to current dates-eg 1999 for 1899).  I wonder if the snatchers may be Mormons/Letter Day Saints trying to baptise anyone with the same name?  Not an excuse for their actions, but a reason - in some cases anyway.
Maggott 

[Jebber]

I have been a member of GR for a long time and have made many useful connections.  However, I would advise anyone not to use GR for their main family tree, it is more advisable to have a dedicated programme on your own PC and use GR as a supliment.

I have a very large tree on my computer, only a fraction of which is on GR, also the information I keep on my GR tree is very basic, just names, year and Towns of BDMs, this is sufficient for others doing a name search to decide if they think we may have a link.

Sadly, there are some people who expect to have everything handed to them on a plate, or they will incorporate your whole tree into their own, regardless of whether they are genuinely connected, and others who will take what you have to offer without sharing their own information


I am happy to open the tree to anyone who appears to have a proven connection, then once we have exchanged basic deatails, I prefer to correspond with them direct and will happily pass on full details of the branch through which we are connected, including certificates, wills and other documentation and sources. This ensures only genuine researchers get the the benefit of my years of research and expenditure, I would still expect them to do there own checks on whatever I have passed on as I do don't claim to be infallible.

Jebber

[millymcb]

Hi all


I have mixed feelings about GR.  I have found quite a few 3rd cousins through the hot matches and am in contact regularly with many of them. One of them lives locally and we are now becoming freinds which is lovely. I have been generous with family photos and letters and they have been generous with information in return - so all worked out well. 

Other times people have contacted me and then I have heard nothing.  Sometimes I have contacted people and they have not replied. Or replied once and then nothing.  On the other hand, I am probably a little guilty of that sometimes too when I get sidetracked on another line and "forget" about them for a while.

Just a thought for anyone who has accidently opened their tree...if you go into the contacts section you can check the box again and remove their access quite easily.

I never used to worry about my tree being open to people but recently have become concerned that as more and more trees are posted on the web, people are using these to cross reference information rather than original sources.  It could end up with the situation where a few people have the same info in the tree and the conclusion is that if they all think the same then it must be true.  (I once followed a few trees I found on the web and on Ancestry and they were all citing each other as sources in a big circle!). Unfortunately, if all this information comes from the same original source and is incorporated into various trees over time, then the cross-referencing doesn't really work.

Also, my latest quandry... I have some information in my tree pre 1800 from Parish records which was  kindly shared with me by a very experienced person complete with source annotations and "workings out".  We have sinced worked together to add to this information.  If I were now to share this information I would be giving away something which was not all my own work in the first place. But without sharing I don't feel I can ask others to share their info with me.  So this line is temporarily closed and I am not sure what to do about it!

Any thoughts?

[fek33]

I must admit to being in total agreement with Jebber.

I have my main tree totally separate and my GR tree is very basic too.

I have been 'stung' once by someone who was distantly related, I sent her photographs, newspaper cuttings and she didn't respond at all to any of my questions.  It really upset me.

One thing on GR that you have to be careful of is that you have 'ticked' the box to not show 'living relatives'.  This I didn't know until some kind sole on Rootschat informed me.  I promptly changed it!!

On the other hand, I have found some very useful people via GR and we have exchanged information via email. 

I have noticed that people tend to open their trees very openly, without even being asked.  I must admit I look at them, but never use any of the information - I like to do all my own work.

FEK33 

[aghadowey]

Just had an e-mail via Ancestry last week from someone wanting all information I had on my great-grandmother listed on a family tree I'd posted. If they'd taken a better look it would be clear that I don't have a tree posted on Ancestry but had only posted a correction (at the owner's request) to one that's completely messed up. E-mailed the person back asking if we are related but haven't heard back yet.