"Oh! Have you finished it yet?"

[rosie17]

Had this conversation around the dinner table last night.....Is it appropriate to add it to our own personal tree and should we add it to Ancestry Trees? Would someone just copy it without checking it's accuracy?
[/quote]

The answer is yes 

Rosie

[kooky]

The other question I am asked is "How far back have you got?"
When I mention 16 hundred and 50 something, just a glazed look. 
Kooky

[groom]

Never finished, as I still have some relatives who must have broken all records, as they are still alive at well over 200 years old! Finally "killed off" a great x 2 aunt the other day, that was a great feeling.

[Joney]

I know just what you mean. It gives me a real feeling of satisfaction when I'm finally able to tie up loose ends like that.
We're in Newcastle /Durham this coming week, going through burial registers to tie up some more. Well done, groom !

[Jill Eaton]

This aspect will never finish, but I do think it's helpful to set yourself specific objectives so you can 'complete' something every so often.

Yes, this resonates with me.

I only started my tree after my mum died. I realised I knew so little about her maternal family and wondered why. Her mother had died when my mum was 13 and she effectively raised her younger siblings. Other than her mother's maiden name and the name of her maternal grandmother and a couple of addresses in the Southwark area of London, my mum knew hardly anything about her own family.

Although I've spent plenty of time of other parts of my tree it's my mum's maternal family, the Harringtons, that I want to try and piece together (as much as is possible). This is my present goal.

Just wish my mum was still hear to tell. She'd have been astonished to discover the Harringtons came from Ireland originally. I'll never finish their story as I'm certain more and more snippets of info will become available on line. but they are MY family, I carry some of their DNA, and their DOB and DOD are only a framework to their lives. Real people, not just names and dates.

[Regorian]

Ones never finished, but personally I'm currently writing up a narrative to the Tree which only starts in 1702 due to date of first surviving Parish Records. My lifespan is running out. Hopefully, someone will take an interest in the future and dig further. No one amongst living relatives unfortunately.   

[jillruss]

I'll be honest - I don't think I particularly want to finish!!

Yes, I'd dearly love to knock down some of my longstanding brickwalls but I don't think I could bear to stop delving! Over the last 15 years, every time I thought I'd come to a dead halt, some new info would become available, or I started going sideways and looking into siblings lives. 'Sideways' comes up with some fascinating discoveries and, often, these discoveries lead to further info about my direct ancestors.

And then, of course, there was DNA!!! Certainly unsure about the pros and cons of doing the test to begin with, I'm now completely sold and would recommend taking the plunge to all serious family historians.

I have a particular relative (she will remain unnamed!) who regularly voices her (unsolicited) opinion that its all a waste of time. Her thinking is that why go any further back than the people you can remember? Mind you, her interest in history is confined to tv costume dramas - I think you have to have a strong interest in history in the first place to get involved with genealogy (and to know NOT to pronounce it as geneOlogy, which is one of my bugbears).

I've certainly learned not to mention family history in any conversations unless I know for certain that someone is interested in the subject!!

[Caw1]

I'll be honest - I don't think I particularly want to finish!!

Yes, I'd dearly love to knock down some of my longstanding brickwalls but I don't think I could bear to stop delving! Over the last 15 years, every time I thought I'd come to a dead halt, some new info would become available, or I started going sideways and looking into siblings lives. 'Sideways' comes up with some fascinating discoveries and, often, these discoveries lead to further info about my direct ancestors.

I think you have to have a strong interest in history in the first place to get involved with genealogy (and to know NOT to pronounce it as geneOlogy, which is one of my bugbears).

I've certainly learned not to mention family history in any conversations unless I know for certain that someone is interested in the subject!!

I can certainly empathise with all of the above.... good job there's plenty of us out there to have some great conversations with..... sometimes it's a pity they're not your family!
I do wonder who will carry on my work when I'm under the ground and turning in it if all my years of hard work is either
Deleated
Shredded
Thrown away! 😱😱😱😱😱

In the time I've left I shall have to find a family member to continue... we're only a small one though so options are limited!

Caroline

[Guy Etchells]

snip

I have a particular relative (she will remain unnamed!) who regularly voices her (unsolicited) opinion that its all a waste of time. Her thinking is that why go any further back than the people you can remember?
snip

I can answer that, my wife was run over by a car when she was 4, when she recovered physically she was left with no long term memory and very fragile short term memory.
Family history is a way for her to connect with not only her siblings and relations but to connect with her own past.

Hopefully your relative will never have to endure such anguish.

Cheers
Guy

PS I still pronounce genealogy as geneOlogy; I have done since I was taught the word genealogy as an infant and I am not going to change it now, 65 or so years later.

Cheers
Guy