Suggestions

Thank you again for very encouraging responses.

TF: You highlight my very concerns about relatives' privacy. FTM certainly has good reviews. Thanks for your good luck wishes.

CC: Again, you have bolstered my concerns re privacy. Am impressed with your word-processing and spreadsheet skills. Mine not up there wi flowcharts etc. I've found that widening my tree of 'old' ancestors to include siblings has led to contacts who have been able to answer questions and solve some long-standing riddles.

JC: Name-jumbling is good idea. When first I joined GR I had a John Smith on my tree. Soon learned to jumble that particular name!
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All in all I think I'll delete living relatives altogether online. Rather be safe.

Thank you again for all your help.

If you want to keep people in your tree for your own future ref, but not have them findable on tree searches, try just jumbling their names.

Mary Ann Smith could be a person with no given name, no middle name and the surname MaryAnnSmith. No tree search will find her then. Hiding living relations will also make sure that no one viewing the tree sees her.

I don't generally give access to my tree. Instead, I exchange information in prose form about the particular line I share with someone.

In any event, I mostly only have my direct lines in my tree here -- starting with my deceased grandparents, then their parents, grandparents, etc. I don't bother with anybody's siblings (or siblings' children), unless they're in a line that's a mystery where nobody seems to know the origins, since I figure people I share ancestors with will find me on a search for the actual shared ancestor.

Sentosa, I keep my main tree off line and have split my maternal and my paternal sides on here by using two accounts, one subscribed and one free.

I exclude living people because without them giving their permission to be in anyone's tree then that is a breach of their privacy and trust. Even though I do not have living people in my trees I have made some very good contacts through my grandparents and other ancestors. I only open my trees to contacts who can tell me about their research so that we can ascertain that we may have a connection.


I also find it easier to share using FTM software because I can filter information into a report to email along with source materials when appropriate.

Good luck with your research

Thanks for all your responses.
I think my 'hidden' relatives must have been 'released' on general view a few years back when I temporarily opened my tree completely to a newly-found cousin in another country.

CrumblingCookie: thanks for your tip about GR being able to remove names from other trees if requested. I hope it won't come to that but it is good to know that option exists. Thanks for yr BMD comments as well.

TF: I put living names on my tree for future generations - I don't use any Family Tree Maker or similar software and intend to put details on Word.

jax: You're probably right. I haven't tested!

Thanks to you all. I feel a bit reassured.
S.

I was under the impression if you added someone to your tree who is living it would still be shown if you searched the trees but hidden if you let someone view it??

My parents and myself are in my tree but if I search for them it does not show that I have them but anyone else searching for them will see it. Same goes for dec'd ancestors my gran does not show up on my tree when searching but she is on others

Please correct me if I am wrong


jax

I just don't put living people in my tree. I don't see the point if I am going to hide them

I'm a bit puzzled. I have always requested that living relatives on my tree are 'hidden' - 'my account' section of GR. I've now found a few trees with details of my family listed.

I think it would be good if, when sharing information, the 'hide' request could be transferred as well. So that the information about living relatives doesn't become altogether public on family trees in general.

Any comments?