Gggrrrrrr!! Private Tree on Ancestry photos copied

[Flattybasher9]

I don't leave my house or car doors open 24 hours per day, as I expect eventually, someone will help themselves to my property, and do what they wish with it. Same goes for my version of my family history.

Regards

Malky

[jess5athome]

Hi all 

I've been following the thread with interest and I have to admit also with a little bit of unease as I got to the point of not knowing if I was protective, mean or just plain old misguided regarding my tree being "Private".
Thank you Jomot for posting that answer to what I feel has become quite a bone of contention for people studying their family history, I did not know how to add to the thread but your answer summed my feelings up exactly, I have to say that my tree is private, But if anyone asks me for information I give them full access to my tree once we have proved a connection, likewise if I seek any information from tree holders both Public and Private I always Ask and give them information so that they can ascertain before answering my request that we are connected, afterall as has been previously stated, good manners cost nothing.

Best regards as always

Frank.

[iluleah]

I am just so pleased I do not post any tree online having spent 35 yrs researching and sitting in records offices to find and copy document, transcribing French or old Latin documents in my quest to find my ancestors the research is valuable and anything of value you treasure.

I have been contacted from forums mainly and for some I have helped, shared and sent copies of documents that they would unlikely have found themselves, others I am far more restrictive but then I have to option of that judgement to make " are they wanting names and dates to fill up a tree and make it impressive" or "are they related to my ancestors too"
I will help anyone and thank anyone who helps me.

Not long ago I had someone PM me from here we exchanged emails and I tried to establish what relationship there was but all they wanted was a Gedcom of my tree and when he didn't get it they turned nasty as if it was a 'right' to have any and all information I had researched offering nothing but nasty comments. Clearly someone used to getting what they want, when they want and any how they want

[Dave Dee]

       I agree that many members have switched from a public tree to a private tree for the very reasons you have outlined.     I got so utterly fed up with it a while ago that I actually switched to a Private Tree - but then, after a couple of weeks, I thought that this was just giving up on my principles, and the Ancestry principles, that the idea of the site is to share.      So I made my tree public again and decided to stick with the solid principle of sharing.

       I can see what you are getting at, though.     

       By the way, I can remember discovering from the Salvation Army what had happened to my Grandfather's long-lost sister - and I wept tears over the letter they sent me.      You'd be surprised how emotional I am about the people on my tree.

Doddsie4, thanks for posting this and for sharing your heartwarming story with us.

Having read these posts, and hearing stories from the other side of the fence, so to speak, I admit to being wrong in making the assumption that all private tree owners are being a bit selfish, so I apologise to all for my mistake and thank everyone here for causing me to "see the light".

What really got me into this forum was the woman I mentioned in an earlier post who hasn't let me have a parish record image she has in her private tree, one I could have got myself, if the Medway Cityark Archivist(s) hadn't been so pedantic about applying data protection and privacy "guidelines" so rigorously and stupidly. The woman hasn't had the decency to level with me and say she doesn't want me to have it. That's what's got under my skin in such a big way, her rudeness. If she'd at least said that to me, although I still wouldn't have liked it, at least I'd have known where I stood, instead of just being ignored. Since then, I've found a good place where I can buy a CD or DVD+R with the missing image, plus a ton of others, so that's what I'm proposing to go for. As regards the ignorant woman, well she can do with her parish scan what the monkey did with his peanuts, for all I care.

Sorry to be so blunt, but this experience with an ill-mannered person has upset me as much as have been some of you owners of private trees about people wanting to benefit from your hard-won data (a view, thankfully, I can now appreciate).

Since reading all the different viewpoints, I've come to the same conclusion as Doddsie4, and am going to stick with keeping my tree public. Even I'd considered going private, after considering all these differing views, but that's not my way. I'm not like that. If, as someone suggested earlier, we all went private, we'd be spending much of our time writing and asking, "Please Sir/Ma'am, can you help me?" - and then getting upset, as in my case, when either being ignored, or having to go through the 3rd Degree, or even being told to shove off. I can't be doing with that. For me, it's always got to be about sharing, courtesy, generosity, and appreciation of the help of others.

I can't see any clear answer to this total problem that would satisfy us all. Ultimately, I think it's down to personal choice - public or private. Minds much greater than mine must have applied their reasoning to this issue, without success. Maybe the boy and girl scientists of "The Big Bang Theory" can help us! I may write them a letter.   

Anyway, I'm going to be watching the continuation of this topic with great interest.

Thanks to everyone for taking part.

ATB.

Dave.

[Dave Dee]

I don't leave my house or car doors open 24 hours per day, as I expect eventually, someone will help themselves to my property, and do what they wish with it. Same goes for my version of my family history.

Regards

Malky

Can see your point, Malky, yes, but at least with your family history stuff, your property will still be there.

[anne_p]

Dave Dee,
The other person who does have the document you so badly wish to have too.

Had she given it to you, What would you have done with it?
 Would you have attached it to your public tree , shared it with someone else who asked or kept it all to yourself ?

Just curious!

[Dave Dee]

Dave Dee,
The other person who does have the document you so badly wish to have too.

Had she given it to you, would you have attached it to your public tree , shared it with someone else or kept it all to yourself ?

Just curious!

Anne, as it's a parish scan, I would have saved it in my growing collection of other parish scans on my computer, but would have put a citation in my tree to say the information came from the scan, and would also have included details of the document (which is of a marriage ceremony), in the Ancestry information panel for that event. I always include details such as who the parents were of the bride and groom, and the witnesses, stuff like that, as much as I can cram into the allotted space. In the case of the Medway Cityark parish scans that continue to be displayed publicly, I indicate, via a citation, that this is where the said image can be found, and also include the web address, so that people finding my reference to it can simply click on the link and go straight to the document on the Cityark website. They would then be at liberty to download the image for themselves. The parish image possessed by this irritating woman would be one hitherto in the public domain, and would therefore not be her own property, and not have been purchased.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes.

Dave.

[anne_p]

Unless I am completely mis understanding you, I assume that  you would not share the scanned image.
Instead, you would direct others on where to find it?

[Treetotal]

I think the way forward is for Ancestry to rethink how trees are presented and give the option of having your tree public with your documents, photos and personal data only available on request.
Everyone has the right to chose how and when to share data and who with....but at the end of the day...all things grow with love and sharing...our aim is the same...whatever our views 
Carol