GenesR - Request to view tree or not

[LizzieW]

I had the usual e-mail from Roots advising me that 8 people had someone, who was my 4 x g.grandfather in their tree.  I clicked on the list and found that 7 had my ancestor, someone else was showing a totally different person.  So late last night I sent the same message to the 7, just saying that this man was my 4 x g.grandfather and what was his relationship to them. 

I've received one reply so far, which states "My tree is that massive it would take me hours to answer your question"    I think he's a name collector.  If someone asks me if X is an ancestor of mine, if I don't instantly recognize the name, I just open Legacy and see if they are an ancestor, or just married to an ancestor.  I'm not going to open my tree for him. 

[Greensleeves]

I had a similar request from someone on GR and in response to my query she said her tree had about 6,000 names and that she wasn't able to clarify her relationship to my tree, so I refused her sharing rights.  As you say, a lot of people regard family history as kids do stamp collecting: the more you have the more successful you are.  But we serious ones know that certainly isn't the case.  Better to have a tiny, well-researched tree that you can rely on rather than acres of mismatched nonsense.

Regards
GS

[Maggie.]

I fail to understand why some people take pleasure in name collecting.  I get far more satisfaction in finding out as much as I can about the people I know I'm descended from.  I'm not particularly interested in going umpteen generations sideways either.  After having photos pinched without permission in the past, these days I'm very particular about who I open my tree to.  I'm no longer a subscriber to GR but I still get request to view so I must still be on a database somewhere.

Maggie 

[Greensleeves]

I have my late husband's tree on GR; as one of his family names is Smith, you can imagine that there are quite a few people claiming kin-ship, and I get requests such as "I am descended from John Smith of London.  Can I see your tree?"....

[Maggie.]

I have a similar problem with my Taylors, most of whom were called John, William or Margaret and of course with no middle names.

[groom]

I find it rather strange that since cancelling my Genes R subscription, I get an email at least once a week saying that they have found connections to my tree. Before that I was lucky to get one every six months.

I never share my tree unless a person can prove that they are related. By the way GS - I have a John Smith in my tree so we must be related. 

[Maggie.]

Same with me, Groom re: the emails, and it must be 3 years since I cancelled my subs.

Remarkably I have yet to find a single Smith in my ancestry ..... although I have Taylors in many lines, including Taylors who married other Taylors.  A nightmare.

[LizzieW]

My 4 x g.grandfather was born at Lowfield House, Pennington in Furness, Lancs in 1762,which seems to have been a toll gate house.  There is a will in the National Archives of someone who died there in 1830 who was a yeoman.  As his father owned property and land, I guess he too was a yeoman, and when my 4 x g.grandfather died he was also a yeoman.

Some of the people on GR, actually quote the correct address as my 4 x g.grandfather's place of birth, but the one who has so many he doesn't know the relationship, just says he was born in Pennington.  Of course, there are other Penningtons in Lancashire, mainly in the industrial parts of the county and as this particular person just says the man was born in Pennington, it could be that he doesn't even know which Pennington.

[arryboy10]

Noticed that family history shown by Greensleeves is a Family of Garnham from Suffolk. Don't know if it is the same family I am related to but I am descend from a Garnham family around Market Needham in Suffolk