People who have no issue with copying other trees without checking info! - Genealogists' Forum

BlueSavannah · #1 28-12-12, 18:43

I spent Christmas day at my sister in law's house. When we arrived, I was introduced to her future husband's father. Future brother in law says to his dad "oh dad, this is Claire, you two have something in common as you are both doing your family trees". The father (who was a right bah humbug!) looks at me and asks how far back i've got. I say depends on which line. Some not far and on a couple in to the late 1700s. The father says well i've got back to the 1500s. At this point, my husband says wow thats impressive, how did you research that? The father says well its easy as I just copied a tree online! I look at him and as politely as I could asked how he knew the info was accurate. He just told me I was being stupid, ate his dinner and left!

I really cannot believe that people think its ok to copy stuff without actually checking if its accurate. I suppose there are plenty more out there though that do it.

Shona · #2 28-12-12, 20:25

That so irks me. I did some research which someone plagiarised for a book. I knew it was my work because it included my errors!

Olde Crone · #3 28-12-12, 22:16

I used to get so worked up about this but now I just smile admiringly and think "What an idiot you are".

OC

vallee · #4 29-12-12, 00:02

so do I OC I feel quite smug when I know the truth

marquette · #5 29-12-12, 05:32

I, too just smile, when I look at the trees I know are copied from my earlier research, and think "why did you bother ?" or "why haven't you found that out ?"

Few have ever even altered the date of death from "after 1881" which is where I was up to back then - ancestry sometimes drops the "abt", so all these people who I had dying in 1881 are now dead in several other trees.

I am amazed that not one of them, and sometimes there are several, have ever bothered to follow up anything they copied from me.

I don't think any one person who copied my tree has ever queried anything I did, or sent me back a "you had this info, but now I have found this". I seriously doubt they have even ever looked at their ancestry or gr trees again, let alone mine.

But that's their loss, as there is so much more available on-line now, they could find out lots more about our/their family if only they tried !!!!

Di

Merry · #6 29-12-12, 08:29

It does annoy me when people tell you what information they have found, never saying they didn't do any of it themselves until you find something wrong - then they are very quick to say it's not their research!

Another thing is the way people 'check' what they get from other trees (should they go to the trouble of looking at the information!). Just checking something is possible doesn't make it correct, so seeing that there is indeed a death reg for someone in a particular year doesn't mean it's the right registration for the person in question. If thee individual still appears on the following census then it would seem unlikely the reg found is the right one

, so this sort of 'checking' is of little use!!

JBee · #7 29-12-12, 09:47

When I give out info (I keep my trees private) I always tell them to double check as I have made mistakes previously.

With my current tree I am having a great time using the RC parish records - especially baptisms which gives the parents names including maiden name, often the addresses and the godparents and sometimes their addresses.

On rare occasions it also gives who the child married and when and where - which is great.

BlueSavannah · #8 29-12-12, 12:22

I've come across a few online contacts that have openly admitted that they have copied stuff without checking and dont seem bothered, but this was the first time I had actually met someone who openly admitted what he had done and didnt care less about if there were errors or not. Makes you wonder why bother looking at your family tree if you dont really care that much if the info you have is wrong. It kind of defeats the object of wanting to know where you come from.

I will remember to just smile nicely if I meet someone like that again

HarrysMum · #9 29-12-12, 21:06

There are still quite a few people who have copied my incorrect info as well, even though I've contacted them and told them the mistake.

If they want to keep William Ketley who died at 9 months old as my great grandfather, there's little I can do.

marquette · #10 30-12-12, 09:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueSavannah

I've come across a few online contacts that have openly admitted that they have copied stuff without checking and dont seem bothered, but this was the first time I had actually met someone who openly admitted what he had done and didnt care less about if there were errors or not. Makes you wonder why bother looking at your family tree if you dont really care that much if the info you have is wrong. It kind of defeats the object of wanting to know where you come from.

I will remember to just smile nicely if I meet someone like that again

I don't understand them either.

I find it fascinating to track down a Will or newspaper article or other piece of trivia which gives an insight into my ancestors (and some of my husbands, as some of them were especially interesting).

I would love to understand why Thomas Brazill or Guy Cole, both aged in their 70s, decided to upstakes and move to the colonies ? Both seemed in reasonable circumstances and left married daughters behind to come to NSW or Victoria with their wives, sons and grandchildren.

Alo, its important to me to document some of our relatives who died in the World Wars who were only children and have no close relatives to remember or honour them on Anzac and Rememberance Days.

We shoud all smile nicely at such people who just copy a tree so they can have one, and pity them for what they are missing !