When you find an error on someone else's tree, do you tell them?

[ugo]

 When I started I was given a lot of help from people who had researched the hard way, no online help, cousins who passed on information, and I hope I gave back. Should not moan

[BumbleB]

When I started I was given a lot of help from people who had researched the hard way, no online help, cousins who passed on information, and I hope I gave back. Should not moan

I quite agree - but today, there are a vast number of people who just "take" names from others, without thought, attention or PERMISSION, and are, quite literally, "number crunchers".  And that is the start of the avalanche, especially when they ignore or refuse to communicate.  Hence my comment that I add "comments" to their entries, which will, I hope, help those who really want to get their ancestors in order.

[giblet]

If i notify someone that their are some errors in their tree and if they choose not to alter it thats their problem not mine.  I dont lose any sleep over it   

Trees should only be used as a guide and the info in them should be checked. If its checked then they should realise pretty soon if the info is right or wrong.

In the meantime i just go happily on my merry way .....   

[jess5athome]

Hence my comment that I add "comments" to their entries, which will, I hope, help those who really want to get their ancestors in order.

Hi, that's a very good point, while researching my Denby line in Snaith, Yorkshire, I came across a tree on Ancestry (in fact there are several) with the wrong birth/Baptism for a family member and someone had kindly left a note for the owner and even pointed out the correct source for the information they were correcting, so I purchased the record which had been mentioned and now have the proof to put to the event, and can you believe it ................................ the owner of the tree has still not corrected the entry on there own tree .
Regards,
Frank.

[Helina]

Yes I agree the familytrees as any other online trees can only be a guide and in that sense can be usefull once proven.
But another point that annoys me, one sees a birth date and so often one finds its the christening date.

helina

[Ringrose]

It annoys me when I see my grandparents on wrong tree.There have been many instances when I have been able to prove that Zim right with certificates and record office records,I just tell them I have the proof and if they are interested to get in touch.Nine times out of ten they don't which to me means that are name gatherers and if it fits it must be right
Ringrose

[BevL]

I recently tried again to correct 2 trees who had a name incorrect but as usual it is just ignored.   I even told them that I like my tree to be correct and I am sure they would likes theirs to be the same, but that didn't get through either.
So I will just grit my teeth every time I see their trees with the wrong information on it regarding my close relative (my grandfather).
Kind regards
Bev

[Helina]

Do not give up hope yet.

Surprise surprise, this morning while browsing though ancestry trees found a tree that had my Mother's family on with some wrong entries awhile back. Again I had contacted the owner and cannot remember if I had any reply but certainly nothing happened regarding the tree.

But suddenly he has slimmed his tree down and only correct entries in.

helina

[geno500]

Of course you should tell the person and give the reason why they are wrong,you will probably not get a reply,I have tried this before,it is a thankless task,I supposed this started some years ago when people used the Latter day Saints site,of course as a fringe religion who are matching names at Salt Lake City the whole process is flawed,this has carried over until today with the many sites available to people and because people want to take short cuts to their history they will accept anything that maybe fits,I find the worst people are people following a female line who marry into your male line,and get things wrong,so when you contact them and they see you are a male from that line,you get very short emails like I know or none at all,they seem to resent that you are a member of that line and not had to marry into it,it is all a bit weird but that is what you get when you have a hobby of finding dead people.