Genealogists' most hated phrase

[Spidermonkey]

See, I can cope with 'most likely', 'possible' or 'maybe'. 

My most hated phrase (most often heard being said by my MIL) is "oh yes, I knew that, I could have told you that". 

I hasten to add that MIL is not deliberately being difficult, but she knows a lot more than she realises and also thinks that we don't want to know things just in case they bore us!! 

[Sloe Gin]

Who would complain about the hint that set them on the right path?

I would imagine those like me who have in the past gone down the wrong path on the strength of a "most likely" and those who have done the extended research which proved the person's error of assumption.   Wasting time and resources which could have been better spent.

I didn't say anything about going down a wrong path, though.  My example was of a path which turned out to be the right one.   

But surely following leads which turn out not to be the right ones is all part and parcel of research, anyway.  Elimination is a helpful thing in itself.  It certainly doesn't make me as angry as you sound.   

[eadaoin]

See, I can cope with 'most likely', 'possible' or 'maybe'. 

My most hated phrase (most often heard being said by my MIL) is "oh yes, I knew that, I could have told you that". 

seconded, thirded, fourthed!!

I don't have my tree on-line, so I can't lead anyone astray.
But, in my write-up I say that Bridget is most likely Patrick's mother (for all sorts of reasons, though the silly man didn't SAY she was his mother when he registered her death!)

And I say that "I think Sarah Jane is likely to be William's mother" (for other less certain reasons) - I don't think this is going to confuse anyone.

eadaoin

[groom]

My most hated phrase on any genealogy forum is:

"Looking for any information on John Smith"

That's it - no dates, possible family, place of birth etc.   

[majm]

Groom

Your John Smith experience is worse than mine

JM 

[Billyblue]

How about those people to whom you send information, following a plea from them, only to be dismissed with a 'I can't help you'.  I think - hello!  I was trying to help you.  Here's information to show you've got a wrong person - someone recently listed someone with our family name as marrying aged 28, despite him having died when he was 3.  Would not believe she had the wrong person.  Finally admitted she thought he was the right one because the 2 people she mixed up had the same first name, irrespective of fact that they had different second initial on the NSW BDM online!

Along lines of JM's John Smith saga, our research officer once received an email "my g-grandparents married in Brisbane in yyyy and they lived in a white house on a hill. Can you please give me the address?'
Anyone who knows Brisbane knows that there are thousands of white houses on hills!

I think my most hated saying would be "I know I'm right" - even when they can't prove it!

Dawn M

[Wiggy]

I wonder if I'd be excused for saying - all the history from the family to date on this person has proved to be right so . . . . .        sound familiar JM??   

[majm]

Oh Yes,  Wiggy, definitely sounds familiar....  and not just once or twice or thrice .... but perhaps most of the time.

Dawn M ....  I can definitely confirm that my cousins' gt grandparents also lived in a white house on a hill in yyyy at Brisbane ..... BUT their white house and that particular hill was at Brisbane WATERS (Woy Woy, and not yyyy).... which of course is north of Sydney, just like Brisbane is also north of Sydney.

Brisbane Waters is where the Hawkesbury River meets the Tasman Sea, and thus JUST north of Sydney NSW Australia.  And to confuse you all even more,  the Hawkesbury River and the Nepean River were discovered separately by explorers, and are in fact one and the same river, just that the explorers were confused.

Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, Australia, and both locations are most likely named after one of the early governors of New South Wales ....  And to confuse you all even more,  Queensland was once part of New South Wales, until Whitehall and QV approved separating off another colony from NSW (in 1859).  Whitehall had allowed for VDL (Tasmania) to go off in 1825,  New Zealand in 1841, Victoria in 1851 .... oh deary me ... if only things had been left alone, it would be so much easier to do family history searchings in Australia.

PS But there's around 550 miles between Brisbane and Brisbane Waters. 

Cheers,  JM

[Deb D]

A couple of years ago I ran across a tree where a fellow's wife's name in the listing had had the words "I dunno" inserted where her maiden surname should have been.  Someone else, I discovered, had taken that literally (?) and put her into their own tree as "Lily I. Dunno"