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New to Ancestry.com question

New to Ancestry.com question

Posted: 30 Dec 2008 5:39AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 13 Jan 2009 7:03PM GMT
Surnames: ancestry
Hello,
Glad to be on Ancestry. I'm wondering how accurate are some of the very long lineage's. On a few lines of my family, there is information (little green leaf pops up) from other ancestry trees going all the way back to 1000 a.d. in Wales. Once I started these long lines, each generation leads to another one very quickly. I guess people have done a lot of leg work?

Thanks,
Demian

Re: New to Ancestry.com question

Posted: 30 Dec 2008 6:36PM GMT
Classification: Query
Do not believe those lovely, long lineage lines unless you have done the research yourself. This is just the reason there are so many so-called trees out there with absolutely unbelievable data reaching back to royalty and sometimes all the way back to Adam and Eve. Unless you can prove your ancestry back that far, please do not merge or attach those trees to anything of yours. Those trees were more than likely created just that way, by attaching or merging another's tree, and another's, and another's, etc, etc. If you are new to genealogy, be wary and be smart. You will be glad you did. It takes years of research along with as much documentation as you can find and then you will probably never reach the end of the road.

Re: New to Ancestry.com question

Posted: 3 Jan 2014 3:01AM GMT
Classification: Query
It's always good to see a new genealogist doing it right. Question everything.

I don't take as accurate anyone else's work. I always research it myself. Heck, I've found mistakes even in my own family's genealogical trees (and in my own sometimes too!). When you're looking at the work of total strangers, going back 1000 years, you can bet on it being mostly complete B.S. Too many people see a tree that looks like it belongs with theirs and merge it into their own. So you end up with dozens of sets of bad scholarship rolled into one.

Does that mean you should ignore the trees? Nope. Use them as hints. If you're stuck on an ancestor, see what others have said to check if you can authenticate it. Sometimes the other person will have the exact reference you need (the document proof). Most of the time you'll just get a date, place, or name to help you in your search. But don't believe anything unless you have solid evidence: a paper document (or scan of one) or speaking to someone who personally knew the subject in question.

Cyndi
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