General Chat

Does anybody else sometimes find when they are trying to help somebody trace their family back the step-by-step way, i.e. suggesting they get their ancestor's marriage cert, find out the father's name, get a likely birth cert (perhaps using the census to help decide which one), see if the father's name matches, and so on - somebody else starts posting up loads and loads of possible family entries getting further and further back, which they have found on various censuses, IGI, etc. (am I ever going to finish this sentence?), well, if this happens to you, do you ever worry that your 'helpee' is going to take all this information as definite and not bother to get any certificates, wills, etc. to check? How many times should you point out to them that they can't be sure they have the right people in their tree without getting such documents to check? All right, if their ancestor has a unique name or lots of in-laws etc. with them on censuses they should be able to get away with it, but if their ancestor has a common first name and a common surname, no middle name, and especially if he / she was born in a town or city or large village...! Should I really worry about this, or just leave them to get on with it? I am not getting at anybody in particular here, honestly, it just seems to happen from time to time and I never know what to do for the best. Kate.

I understand completly. .... One step at a time is the way to go. I too have urged caution, but I'm not sure that the warning is always heeded. If I am given information for my tree, I am most grateful and thank the person concerned..... I don't immediately add it all to my tree though, but check out as much as I can from other sources. Trust - but verify.

erm... I wouldnt be worried about what other people put in their trees, it's up to them how accurate it is,lol.. But, just on the off chance, you're not a liverpool Rimmer are you???? LOU xxxx

Yes Kate Just added to one similar, then afterwards thought, well it might not even be the right person cos all of the previous stuff has been given to him by others off the site just tracing back through censuses. (another long sentence there! lol)

I think that as long as you have pointed out that they need to check/verify the information then you have done your best....The rest is up to them. Chris :)

It certainly doesn't help if you have a great grandmother like mine who didn't tell the truth about her age on anything! (censuses, marriage cert, deathcert was wrong too). The only one I believe is her baptism record as she wasn't old enough to speak lol

i am a newbie and am always very grateful for any advice, being pretty skint I can't always afford certificates, but thanks to people here I now know how important they are to help confirm my findings. So you know at least that someone listens to good advice.

I think part of the trouble is the internet, Kate. - people expect to get immediate answers. I think by not combing record offices to see original documentation, people are missing out on so much and also run the risk of going wrong. Luckily most of my lot lived in small villages and were the only family of that name living there, so PR (combined with census) has helped to identify complete families, but it has meant that I have to get out and about, away from the computer, and also have patience! At the end of the day, you can only go on pointing out to people the importance of checking as they go - it is their tree and if it goes pear shaped, then so be it. Jay

I sometimes am amazed when someone says that they have been on GR for just a few months and have managed to trace their family tree back to the 1400's - who they personally or by someone else's hard work or are they just assuming that the information via LDS website is a 100% correct - wrong. It has taken me 10 years so far to get back to the 1500's which took a lot of rummaging at Canterbury Archives. I get the feeling quite a few newbies on this site think you build a tree via hearsay or collecting information from others not realising that the whole idea and pleasure of this hobby is the detective work that goes with it. Lin

Kate, I know what you are saying. I myself have got a bit carried away on occasion when doing look ups for folks, but I do try to advise the person to verify the facts, pointing out that without documented evidence eg certs, we are really just guessing that the person is their ancestor. And even with certs, if it is a common name we cannot be 100% sure. We cannot be responsible for what others put in their trees however. Liz

Its just taken us a year to find gggg,s beacase census said Weaver but IGI says Wavin,go back two generations its Weaver ,so IGI and census's can be wrong

Thanks for all your replies. Lou - my Rimmers came from Southport, the 'ancestral home' of all the Rimmers! And what worries me isn't that people end up with inaccurate trees so much as that newbs do, but don't realise that all the information they have been given may not be correct or may not be their particular family. Kate.

hi kate,what i did was first was all the ground work ,backed up by other matches.when i had it all laid out i went for the females,and got birth certs.which would tell me maiden names.everything i had done was correct ,ive not ended up buying a wrong cert.i also tell people when they ask,if i have certs to back them up or when i intend to buy em.also i send them my info,certs etc.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxjoy