Genealogy Chat

The third time of trying to post this.....Please see below :))

I had one of the automated 'Can I view your tree?' requests.....Their tree was closed to me. I replied that I had x number of Joe Bloggs in my tree, listed them and asked which one were they interested in. The bottom line to the reply was...... They send the tree request to anyone they think may be a link to their Joe Bloggs or whoever they are interested in and then use the tree to see if they have a match. Well matey not here you don't!!! LOLOL I wouldn't have believed it but according to this contact they have had alot of success using this method! Chris

Chris I agree with you. Too many are doing this and building trees without any work and creating false trees. The other day there was someone on here with 2500 names in their tree asking where to get certificates from. I wonder if this was person has just collected off here?

John I was very tempted to give them access to my tree.....All one name of it because I had, only just, deleted it apart from me!!! If people who act like that are name collectors they would be thoroughly disappointed.....And I bet they wouldn't come back to query the contents of my tree :)))) Chris

Chris It doesnt surprise me in the least that lots of people have had great success using that method - you only have to look at their trees! LOL You had a lucky escape. OC

Ann I totally agree....Automated responses should be abolished! When I joined you only had the search facility which meant you HAD to send a personal message linked to that particular name. When I searched I gave specific details for that 'name' and hopefully awaited an agreement to a match. When contacted I was usually given details of why we could be connected. I NEVER had a blanket request to view my tree under the old system!!! OC I sometimes worry that I am being 'hard' on the contact...But not usually for long :))) Chris

I have only shared my tree with one person on here, someone who is about a 4th cousin removed. We have met and I believe that every one of his entries to be correct but I have not added it to my tree as I still want to verify it. Why name collect, where's the fun in that, especially when you do solve a mystery. I try and help people on here but if it is a simple question and they have loads of names I will not do so.

Its terrible really when you think about it, I've been lucky with my contacts, mojority have loads in their tree, but I always make sure a verify everything just incase I get it wrong. However, when there is a deffo match, but they have solved something that I haven't ie, a rellie of mine I had birth and a census record for him, but couldn't find him anywhere else, some kind sole from here sent me copy of bunyan tree which said he died drowning in river stort Roydon, I logged it and and now am trying to search to confirm story. Surely thats what its supposed to be about rather than just sitting back and letting others do he work. I though the idea of it was when you have a contact that does have same rellies as you, that you shared what information you had and helped each other out. Nicola

I agree Anne, I am addicted, I just can't help myself the more I find out the more I want to keep going. I have loads in my folder and today I found a whole family on census was well chuffed lol Nicola

Myra There is no way that you can see if a person you have contact on here is a full member. Having said that.......... If someone makes an initial contact with you on here then, at that moment in time, they are a full member. Only full members can make initial contact. If you make initial contact with them and they are not full members they can reply to your message and can then continue making contact. Hope that makes sense Chris

The automated requests and responces are fantastic. You can request information from anyone with a matching surname and deny information to anybody with a match on full name, date and place of birth with the press of a button. What is the point? Both of them annoy me. When I contact someone it is always with good reason, and I always take time to provide them with informtion. There may or may not be a link but what I want to be able to do is prove or disprove it. Being able to exclude a family line is very useful as well. To get an automated responce or simple 'not mine' responce is a sign of ignorance and yes your probably dealing with a name collector. Its just as much use as the majority of postings on the forums.

I've not only suffered in past from showing some person my tree but they copied my tree with (not deliberate) mistakes in and added their own mistakes as well . So they must have looked at my tree copied the names and then made up the places and dates of birth. So they have produced a tree with twice as many errors in that probably is of no use , because it doesn't tally with reality. What's the point , you may as well post Cinderalla's tree. Kim

Some people open their tree to me even when I've NOT ASKED them to! Then, because they have given me the dubious honour of looking at their 'research,' they seem to think that I am duty bound to open MY tree - WRONG! Cheers, Horatia

Hi Jill, Yes, I know that many people open their tree with 'no strings attached' but usually one or two messages will sort out if there is a connection. If the person being asked about has the same parents, children or spouse then you usually have a match. No need to open trees willy nilly when a few pertinent questions can find out if there is a match. However, everyone must do what works for them; but as long as people don't get above themselves and act as if they have the God given right to see my tree then I don't mind. Cheers, Horatia

The ones i find amusing but sad are the success stories,the 'i have been a member for less than a week but this site has told me my tree back to 1550 with over 6000 names..............' Yeah right,you couldn't even verify someone else's research for that in a month. The ones i really think are worthwhile replying too are the typed requests from someone with maybe 100 names,and still looking at their direct line, (who have a marriage into my direct line),i have had some great exchanges with people in this situation,and when they find that they are first cousins two or three times removed the connection seems to spur on research. Glen

This might sound daft, but I feel as if I know my ancestors as I have spent a lot of time trawling and digging for them. Surely if you're just a name collector you have no affinity with them. They are just names on paper. Sue

Not daft at all Sue, I feel the same myself. Cheers, Horatia

Glen I keep meaning to ask you - everytime i see your name on here. Do you keep the same knickers on from one Christmas to the next? Are they itchy?

55,000 names - LOL! Just work out how much that would cost in birth certs alone - then add the marriages - then add the death certs - OC

My online Tree contains only blood relatives and their spouses. My offline Tree has just crept over the 18,000 mark, and no, I haven't checked them all. As I see it, this is a ''Work in Progress'', and it is to be hoped that those who follow me will continue to work through it and confirm the info I didn't. However, it seems silly not to accept any info which is offered, so I have strayed off the direct path somewhat. although I did resist the temptation to hang someone's 10,000 name Tree on to mine by a single marriage,