Genealogy Chat

hi i know this probably sounds silly but i have spoken to someone on here who is very very distantly related after speaking to them about our trees for a few weeks we opened our trees to each other. I have just been doing a family tree search for some relatives i have on my tree and just typed in my grandads name and there he was. I opened this persons tree and he even has everything down to my son who is only 1 he has copied all my census references bmd references everything. The only way we are related is going back about 5xs great grandads sister husband is the tree that this person is doing so i only really had the names on there. I have sent them a message saying please remove so and so naming the people i do not wish for him to have on his tree. What should i do if they don't remove them? Why do people do this i have only corrected the spelling of 1 person from there tree. Thanks a heated jen

Grrr just had another look and it's not even copied properly!!!! why oh why do people do this grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Jen

hiya, if they dont do as you ask, you MUST contact GR directly, they will remove it for you, as it states that their must be permissions from living people to be included in the tree, HTH Julie

You have been back into your contacts and unticked the 'let them see my tree' - haven't you?????? The living people you can ask genes to remove if he doesn't. The others - well now you know why many of us don't open our tree. I let people have a copy of the bit they need & no more. Jools

Ohh must get them off of letting them see my tree. How do you only let them see part of your tree? Thanks Jen

hiya jen, go into your contacts and you will find their name in there, with a box next to asking if you want them to see your tree, untick the box, and they cant have you tree anymore HTH Julie

No one owns the knowledge of the way that individuals are connected by birth and marriage. The tree was never yours in the first place.

Of course the tree was hers. If it wasn't for the people on her tree she wouldn't be here. Pam

Pam What's that got to do with it? My parents' births, marriage and deaths are recorded in public records. These events have special significance for me, but I don't own the knowledge of them, nor can I stop anyone else assembling the connections that will enable them to compile a tree that features my family if they want to. No one owns their family tree.

Public record information you can do little about, but there is a requirement that you should have permission from anyone living, to include their details on the tree. Anyone who copies information from your tree cannot acquire that permission simply because you have allowed them to see your tree. If the living names are not removed promptly GR will remove them as soon as you draw their attention to the abuse - otherwise, I imagine, they must run real risks of finding that that have contravened the Data Protection Act - with all the problems that would bring them. Christine

I agree that it discourteous, and possibly unlawful, to publish information about living individuals without their permission. What I cannot agree over is the sense of proprietorship that so many genealogists seem to have about the very building blocks of our interest. You don't own the information, and if you don't want to share what you know, no one forces you to.

Clive Who in their right mind would want to copy a tree that has nothing to do with them. Half the fun of compiling a tree is actually making the discoveries, about people who carry your genes. Pam

Pam That's a different question, but an answer is easy enough. I don't find it particularly more interesting to research my own relatives, compared with other peoples. Many times, my curiosity about the connections between people, particularly when families intermarry repeatedly, is sufficient to research several generations of someon'e ancestry or descendancy when I have only the most distant connection with them. I can't imagine why I would want to 'collect' names just to make my tree bigger, but then I am entitled to decide for myself how distant a relationship interests me. If the person is no relation, then they cannot be in my tree, because there is nothing to connect them. If there is a connection, and if the research interests or satisfies me, then as long as I am not using improper means to conduct my research, then it is no one's affair but my own.

Clive, What do you mean by improper means? Is by puting a 1 year old child on your tree and other living people without their consent not inproper? Thats why I say never never open your tree to anyone! Regards Pam

Clive As long as your happy - thats ok then is it. What a selfish outlook Pam

Jennifer, I do know how you feel! This has happened to me too and my tree is posted on another website. Although they never got my children as I didnt put them on my tree. It is very upsetting to see your parents and grandparents in someone elses tree. These relatives are personal to you and shouldnt really appear on anyone elses tree unless they are your siblings or cousins. Some people are name collectors and just want there tree to be as big as possible so they copy from others. As Clive says the information is public, but if they had to search themselves they probably wouldnt bother its just easier to copy from others.... I also never open my tree to anyone now. lol

Jennifer To answer your question about only showing part of your tree.You can't (at least not with GR anyway),it's all or nothing. If you uae an alternative programme for your tree (eg Family Tree Maker) you can send reports/tree charts for specific branches of a family,but GR tree builder doesn't give you this option. Glen

I'm unsure how the 'law' would stand on this, it may be that by allowing someone to view your tree, that permission to use it's contents have been implied. If nd when someone asks to view my tree I ascertain which branch they are interested in and then pass the relevant information in note form for them to do with as they like AT

same happened to me with a person who shares some relatives. I gave her a look at my tree in good faith she would use the relevant stuff. But she even took my ex husband's g gparents step parents. When i asked, she said she had it already, yeah right, also published it on www. All I had asked her originally was to fix the mistakes and remove a couple of names. Another person, has managed to get all the same info, funny that, and put it up over the course of 7 days. I've written to her several times, but she doesn't reply. Theres no 2 way exchange of info, even friendliness there. Yvette

If you go to 'My Account Details' on the left hand column, you can select the option 'hide living relatives'. According to GR, 'This will hide details you have entered for individuals born in the last 120yrs with no death date; except you!' That way, if you wish to share your family tree with anyone else, they can only see the deceased relatives. Gordon