People stealing things off your tree?

[Josephine]

It would upset me, too. Unfortunately (IMO), this has become the norm with people who have online trees. It becomes a case of "once burned, twice shy."

You've learned (the hard way) how much it bothers you. It may not bother some other people but your feelings are yours and they are valid. All you can do now is figure out how you will proceed from here.

[mike175]

... I learned my lesson a long time ago, when I sent someone  transcriptions I had made of some handwritten documents, I later found them  on line passed off as the recipients work. I knew it was my work because the  originals are in my possession and have never been in the public domain.

Yes, same here . . . but we live and learn . . . hopefully.

I've since decided that life's too short to worry over what is done, but try to avoid making the same mistakes again 

Mike

[libby9]

Personally, I think it despicable to pass a pice of work off as your own when in fact it is someone else's hard work.  Some people obviously have no shame. 

Have you contacted the person and raised the issue?

[hallmark]

Never share your tree!!

I've had people contact me about someone on my tree and requesting (insisting?) I give them access.

I just ask them who they are looking for, names dates etc.... enough to see if it is same person on my tree, never hear from most again.

The last one was from NZ and I got enough info to see mine was same person.

I then replied that it was and I have 5 children for the person

All I got back was "No, she had 92 and I never heard from them again!! Most want stuff but give very little!

Their loss as I could get 4 generations back in time......

[hallmark]

Change  "No, she had 92   to    "No, she had 9"   

[CelticMom]

If it is a public tree on ancestry I think the assumption is that it's fine to copy and upload to your own tree.

However, if it was a private tree that you have given access to, it is rather rude that they didn't ask permission first.


Take this as a lesson learned and maybe next time someone requests to view your tree, state that they are welcome to use your research to help theirs, but please do not copy and upload my pictures etc, sometimes if you make it clear they may take notice.

[Jebber]

Personally, I think it despicable to pass a pice of work off as your own when in fact it is someone else's hard work.  Some people obviously have no shame. 

Have you contacted the person and raised the issue?

Yes I did, I received an apology and an offer to inform the site they had posted on that it was my work, I responded that it too late. I  had intended sending them the originals as the were by the persons direct ancestor rather than mine, but after their duplicity  I decided to keep them, so they have lost out.

[Mart 'n' Al]

If you make a very minor error in something that you pass to someone else you will then be able to identify that error if ever they copy your work.

Even the London A to Z Street atlas adds a few dozen nonexistent streets and buildings, just for this very reason.  They are called trap streets.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street

Martin

[libby9]

Good on you.  Taking someone else's hard work and passing it off as your own is theft. 

I take the point of those saying if a tree is public it is there for the taking, but that's not the issue here, the issue is private trees opened for researchers with an ancestor in common, and the said researchers then take photos, work pieces etc without asking AND pass them off as their own.  It is dishonest.