Genealogy Chat

Someone on Genes has a lot of family info so we must be linked, However,,,,she has got the wrong info about my mum, My dad was born in 1908 in Seaham Harbour, , The person assumes my mum was born at the same tme and in the same place, but she's sooooo wrong,!!! My dad was 13 years older than my mum. She was born in 1921 in Grimsby,,not Seaham Iv e-mailed her and told her but she still hasnt changed it,, Why enter info onto Genes just by assumtion? I find it frustrating and also a bit upsetting,especially as my lovely mum is no longer here . Do you think im being over sensitive?

You know your data is correct. You have tried to help by letting the other person know. I am afraid that if they are happy to leave the error that's their loss.

Pauline I e-mailed her on 25th October,,,I think thats enough time to put it right dont you?

You are absolutely right to point this out, but please don't get too worked up. It is generally accepted that if you do not have the correct date then you put in an approximate one - most couples are usually around the same age, this was certainly true years ago, but perhaps less so recently. Dont forget also that if you are entering directly onto GR then you alos need a pplace of birth now, so again to put in the same place as your father is not unreasonable. I would wait a copulr of weeks and if notthing happens, send a follow up message on the linse of 'Just wondering if you have had a chance to look at the message I sent on the xx/xx/xx etc, Don't get stroppy and end up saying you would very much love to hear from the person.

As Peter said it is accepted that if you don't know for certine when someone was born, that you estimate it. My father's sister has estimated my mam as being 11 years younger than my dad, but she is only 8 years younger. Am going to have to tell here at some time, but I keep wishing that she would just get her tree sorted out since she has her father's grandparent with mothers surnames unknown and father's first names unknon.

Dont assume she has got the email. Some I have sent have gone to the wrong people AND my tree is still mixed up and so I cant update it until GR sort it out. Im seriously considering not renewing my membership. Ellen

Hi Claire, Unfortunately, on this site, you have to work by assumption. If you enter any person 'manually' you *have* to put something in the year of birth, and place of birth. I'm sure a lot of mine are wrong!! Another reason for chopping my tree down on this site to just 300 'direct' ancestors, too much 'guess work'. I had uploaded mine by gedcom, which over-rides the need to have something in the mandatory fields, and that upsets people too, because there is no year or place of birth! You can't win on here lol Debbie :))

I am sitting here with my mouth open, unable to believe the appalling habits GR is teaching people. When you don't know a date of birth, the very last thing you should do is pluck a figure out of the air. If you don't know, then use not known, or circa, or about, or ????: whatever the system allows you to enter. But not just a year. You will know that it is just guesswork, but by the time the information has been passed on a couple of times, it begins to acquire a credibilty all of its own. Unfortunately, if people are unaware of, or ignore, the amendments that should be made, then the misinformation cannot be corrected. I know of one tree, and there are probably plenty of others, where a child who died aged less than a month managed to marry and sire a large family. Brenda PS I do confess to having a couple of purposely inaccurate bits of info on my tree: as details of the dead can compromise the privacy of the living.

hi Claire, This situation is clearly very upsetting for you, which is quite understandable, we tend to get very possessive about the people in our trees, especially our nearest and dearest who are no longer with us. Suppose for a moment,however, that there might be a very good reason for the other individual not changing their tree! Maybe they've lost interest and abandoned the tree as is; perhaps, their computer is on the fritz and they cannot afford to have it fixed; perhaps they've had a family tragedy and the thought of going back on the computer and playing with their family tree is the last thing on their mind; suppose the individual concerned is in hospital or even has died and no-one has access to that tree now? It's all too easy to assume the worst of other people but maybe we should judge them by their actions rather than by their omissions....J.

Claire, Just to add that I have my tree on GEDCOM that I upload here. It has many changes that need to be made however many people get upset with people constantly re-uploading their trees so I am trying to do all the changes that need to be done before I re-load it on here. I am sure that this person is not deliberately trying to upset you but were trying to put on as much info as possible so that they could find new family members.

Hi all Maybe if people are putting in guesses to get round their validation, they should put something in the notes to say that it is a guess and why they have decided to enter a particular year. and if they do have proper evidence, then again put a reference in the notes. I cut and paste the data from FreeBMD if I have it, and if I have a census record, then record the data from that:- e.g. Type: BIRTHS Date: Jun 1882 Volume: 1d Page: 814 District:Camberwell Aged 8 living at 30 Ivanhoe Rd, Camberwell in 1891 census RG12/466 Aged 18 in 1901 census Living at 120 Brookdale Road, Lewisham (Parents House) RG13/533 so others can follow tghe trail if necessary Ken

Thanks everyone for your comments, I know,,by doing my own tree on Genes, that information has to be entered in order for the tree to progress, The bit that annoys me is that the info about my mother is assumed. My father was born in 1908 in Seaham, Co Durham, My mother born in 1921 in Lincolnshire,,,,13 years and a great distance between them. Maybe its must me being petty and maybe the lady didnt get my e-mail, I will wait a while and send another polite e-mail Thanks once again everyone,