Lemmings!

[Gone]

I'm sure this subject has been discussed here before, but why do people copy others findings? It seems my 2x great granddad, Luke Hulme, b1837, Horton (Biddulph Moor) died 1881, according to many people who have him in their tree. I'm not the best researcher in the world, but by ignoring everyone else, I found a huge amount of info on line about him which led me into the early 1900's and a second family. Even a family research website which claims to have 80,000,000 members,  got it wrong saying he died by 1881. Show me your evidence!
If I'd taken notice of everyone else, I'd have missed so much. And even though I live a very long way from where Luke lived and died, it seems his second family live just over an hour away from me, now I want to go and meet them. 

[pinefamily]

Hulme-Griff,
I can only agree with you. Online trees copied left and right perpetuate the same errors unfortunately. I have found the same errors in Dowdeswell family trees across the internet; John Dowdeswell born 1647 in Temple Guiting Gloucs. did not have a son Samuel. I have wills and data from PR's to back this up, with Samuel Dowdeswell belonging to another family of the same name in the same area. Yet I have been unable to convince almost anyone, including one that was one of the first to show this error. The basis of their research hinges on a Thomas Dowdeswell, who I have discovered died as a teenager.
It is very frustrating, isn't it.

[Janelle]

Brilliant name for these, the mental imagery.

And,  I was guilty of being a solo lemming, I couldn't understand why all trees lead to Joan Stoate c 1650 Selworthy. Until I found that I had picked the wrong john Greenslade and wow is it complicated getting rid of a branch without losing the maiden side and the children.

My tree is private so no one was seeing my blunder. 

Salute,
Janelle

[pinefamily]

But are you sure you got it wrong, and not everyone else? 

[Gone]

Pine family & Janelle thank goodness its not just me.......although I'd rather it didn't happen at all 
Of course, I'm guilty of "errors" but won't add to my tree unless I can prove a link now.
I found one couple's tree with Luke Hulme 1838 on it where his father died 2 years before Luke  was born according to them, when in fact I know he lived at least another 50 years, even though I e-mailed the couple concerned and pointed out that they had several members of my family which were wrong , they  thanked me but ignored it. How many people have found it and copied I wonder?

[pinefamily]

I found a similar one tonight (my time) while searching the public trees on Ancestry. A woman born in 1788, married in 1850, and had a son baptised in 1819!

[Gone]

Pinefamily, good job we can get it off our chests here , I think I'd explode  I once found my granddad on someone else's tree, wrong birth year, wrong family and the photo of him, which was the only right thing was lifted from my tree, grrrr! Lol.
I stopped putting photos on the tree after that.
Its a real shame so many people gave up looking for Luke and thought he died. I found him on 2, seperate 1871 census's, one with his wife in Biddulph, and a second that told me where he really was,  an 1881 census with him on which everyone seems to have missed because his d o b and place of birth are wrong, but its definately him. and 2 further censuses, 1891 and 1901, divorce record,  second marriage cert,  death cert, will, second family with 3 children....newspaper articles, and a photo on line,
Griff.

[3sillydogs]

Surely to just copy someone else's information is not only plain lazy but takes the fun out of doing the research yourself.  I don't see the sense in just being  a "lemming" a very apt name indeed

It is easy to get confused with so many having the same names, my lot were very unimaginative when it came to christian names and it would have been so easy to add the wrong one to the tree and then end up going off in the wrong direction completely.    So don't accept any information without checking it yourself

[Gone]

3sillydogs, absolutely right! I don't think its helped by a certain  genealogy website advertising on television claiming "I typed in my name and date of birth" ...... And suddenly a family tree appears before them. Sorry for the sarcasm    but it just doesn't happen like that.
I've spent 100's of hours on line and reading every word on certificates, (some illegible) and even when frustrated, the elation of finding something is what has kept me interested for some years