Should I tell other genealogists when they have made a mistake?

[torre]

I was, and still am, very upset to find my grandmother on a tree which has absolutly no connection to our family.
The other tree's owner had my grandmother's brother as her ancestor.
I wrote to her, telling her that he never married and never had any children. I have a copy of his birth certificate, (which is not on Ancestry), and a copy of his death certificate. His death was registered by his niece and the executor of his will was one of his sisters.
I have his address, when he registered his mother's death and his address when he died. I have also found him in the 1939 register aged 50 and still single. All the addresses are in Southampton.

This other tree owner has him living in Leicester. She's even got his date of death wrong.
When I wrote and told her, she said she would 'look into it'.

This was over a year ago, so I can only assume she reads very slowly!

Or could it possibly be!!!!!

If she does look into it, she will find that all my family on her tree are nothing whatsoever to do with her and she will have to delete them.
Over half her tree will be gone!

My Ancestry tree is private, but there are others, who are distant relations, who have parts of my family on their public trees.

I cannot understand why anyone just copies another tree and accepts it as their family. (There I go, being sensible again)

I started my family tree to find out about my ancestors. And it's been a revelation.
I will never understand why anyone just adds a name to the tree without a paper trail.

I love to give people information, some are grateful, just as I was when I first started, others just want to add as many names as possible.

[lydiaann]

I totally agree, torre.  I had a shed-load of my tree 'lifted' by another Ancestry user (I have since privatised it), including my personal story of my mum which was written for my family.  The other person did take that down after I got quite shirty about it (we are so far removed from each other, having one person who is part of their line but a spouse of a distant cousin in my line and my mum really had nothing to do with them) but defended it saying they thought it was a historical document!  I might add that this person has around 3,500 people on their tree, and they had been 'researching' for about 3 years at the time.  However, I noted that they have since copied another tree which has a glaring error in it and, this time, I haven't pointed out that they are totally wrong - revenge is sweet!

[Andrew Tarr]

I can understand your feelings, torre, about having your family tree hijacked, but you have to console yourself by remembering (a) the other person may feel equally possessive about theirs (b) they may well have 'barked up completely the wrong tree' (c) most people will believe whatever they want to believe, and (d) you can't do much about it - beyond what you have already done.  Sit back and feel smug that your version is the right one   

[ThrelfallYorky]

I have pointed out one or two "errors", where what I know to be correct about a person differs from the information on an online tree - I admit, I'll often have a browse around, based on someone I know securely in my own tree. My grandfather has a few times been gifted an additional christian name - which confuses him with someone else of similar age who ISN'T him! Rarely does it change anything - although better-mannered people reply. I've contacted people when I think there may be a link - giving them only specific information that, if it checks out, would be almost certainly a link, and most of those have been very well-mannered, and the conversations we've had have sometimes clarified matters for both sides.
I would be highly delighted if someone pointed out an error or omission  in my lot! Especially if it helped with some of those mystery folk ( we all know them, and have them in our trees), and gave me actual, checkable facts.
"You can tell 'em - but will they listen?"

[torre]

Thanks Andrew, I do feel a bit smug, but mostly I'm upset. I'm upset and angry that my grandmother, her parents and grandparents have been hi-jacked and there's nothing I can do about it.
Lydia, Thanks for coming back to me, I can see you do understand my frustration.

[venelow]

As Smudwhisk pointed out the Ancestry Comments are longer visible. This is a really bad move on the part of Ancestry.

Very often I would just comment by quoting the actual content of a parish record to alert other researchers that they should consult the original. Especially if the supposed ancestor died in infancy.

Now new researchers to genealogy will likely not get to read the comments because they don't realize they exist. I saw several trees today referencing a marriage that just does not exist on the date and in the parish quoted but there is little point in leaving a comment when the existence of the comment is not clearly shown.

Venelow
Canada

[GUT]

Ancestry at times appears to have more wrong than right.

[jaybelnz]

I used to add comments, particularly if there was something I was not quite happy with, or no satisfactory source.   I would also add something to the overview - to the effect of "still researching this for confirmation".

I also add a question mark to a surname if I'm in any doubt re documentation!

When my tree was public, I would get annoyed when people copied things from my (what was then public) tree without acknowledging it personally in the comments, or through Member Connect. I know that it's permitted, that's fine - and obviously I have been able to to garner a few things myself that way.  But I ALWAYS sent a message of thanks and gratitude to the tree owner, introducing myself, and giving my connection, etc. -  most of them respond, and sometimes we are able to help each other out - but some don't respond at all - and I can see the recent times they've been active)!  A few of those have even requested an invitation to view my tree, without giving me any "credentials" whatsoever!  Do they get an invitation?  Certainly not - nor even an acknowledgement from me!

My tree is now private, but my photographs still pop up in Public Member Tree searches!  Which can be copied! As do some of other family members whose trees are supposedly "Private"!

[cando]

As Smudwhisk pointed out the Ancestry Comments are longer visible. This is a really bad move on the part of Ancestry.

I agree.  Who is going to go to the Tools icon and click on Comments to see if any have been left.  I've contacted Ancestry and to date, no response.  I'll probably get an automated reply 'one day'.

Cheers 
Cando