Your direct line - should it be poached?
HI all! As many of you know, there are researchers who like to collect names. Some fancy writing books about entire clans. To me, you can only truly become an expert of your particular line. I do a great deal of historical research along with the bmd. What I am struggling with is the folks who steal my info (and add insult to injury by mispelling it!) or want my line carte blanche. My thinking is that once my namesake has a family association then I will submit mine. I recently found a french family tree website where you can only access your own line and I was thrilled! Does anyone know what the rules of family associateions are regarding submission of names that are not in your direct line? ie Do they allow it? I would be curious to know... Thanks for listening to my rant!
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
One issue I can see with only allowing access to a direct line is that sometimes information from a distant relation can resolve questions/problems that have arisen researching a direct ancestor. I have been very annoyed with how some of my research has been taken by others, by I more often benefit from the generosity of others.
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
Poached? That's such an emotive word, suggesting deep resentment that anyone should copy part of your family tree like it is something you own personally... but why feel that way? We don't 'own' our ancestors, or their records, and all of us have benefited from information which is freely available, or trees which are freely shared by others. So I fail to see the problem if somebody wants to copy whole chunks of our tree. We have simply saved them some research time or expence, just as seeing other trees saved our own time and expence in the past. And as for the 'direct line' topic, I have learned so much about my ancestors from researching in-laws' and cousins' lives... who trained who in a trade, who fostered an orphaned child, who was well educated and wealthy, or even the opposite... it all builds a feeling of 'knowing' people that would be impossible if I could only access 'direct' ancestors. I am more than just a show-dog with a blood-line!And having researched these other folk for my own curiousity and understanding, I am happy to leave that information publicly available for those who might be their direct descendants. We ALL needed a community to draw information from when we were new to this, and we were grateful for those who freely 'shared' their trees, so let's not be mean-spirited and call it 'poaching' now that we are the ones who are giving instead of taking.
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
I'll tell you the problem, people don't go looking into what they take. My grandmother was taken from my tree and attached to someone else's tree. The problem? They have the wrong Mary, so now there are 7-8 trees that have used her and everyone of them is now wrong. I don't mind people using the information I've gotten, but please use it right.
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
I know this situation well, of people adding incorrect and unverified information to their trees, and although it may be frustrating if you are a relative of the incorrectly attached person, those other trees are not really 'your' problem, and anyone who adds from those trees without verifying the information is a fool and deserves to have a messed up tree. If it genuinely bothers you, you could easily include a denial of relationship in that person's 'description', so the error doesnt proliferate like a virus! And maybe even send a very brief email to those who have attached it wrongly? It depends how much you care about other people having accurate information in their trees. Rose
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
Genealogy Research vs. Genealogy Piracy?!
I prefer the "old fashioned" way and have the greatest respect for those who do their own genealogy research and verify the vitals and source the facts!
There are just too many lazy "newbies" out there, who get a "shaking leaf" and just assume that's their "Ole Olson," born 1860 in Norway and died in 1930 in North Dakota. No verification, just a "click."
Poached: Last year, a relative inadvertently put part of my gedcom on ancestry.com's PUBLIC trees. I didn't notice until a couple of months later. By that time, the damage was done - the tree with 20,000+ names, spread like wild fire! Seems my Erik became a wanted ancestor!! (Most of the persons who have uploaded my tree are not DIRECTLY connected to the persons in tree.)
Years of costly research (including 2 trips to Norway), thousands of hours spent at county records offices, historical societies, Norwegian stevnes, trips to cemeteries, thousands of hours typing in over 20,000 names, etc. - and now with a click of the mouse, someone else can "steal" all of my hard work.
And just recently, a woman added her relative to my great-grandmother's family. Her relative's surname didn't even match my g-grandmother's family. Duh! Then to add insult to injury, she used my g-grandmother's death date and location!! I've asked this woman to remove the link - but it hasn't happened (yet?)!
Do I care what others have in their trees? Yes, if someone erroneously links my family/ancestors to theirs!!
I think all "public trees" at ancestry.com should become "private trees." If someone finds a possible link, then they can contact the gedcom owner for more information.
Whew! Got that of my chest!! :-)
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
"I prefer the "old fashioned" way and have the greatest respect for those who do their own genealogy research and verify the vitals and source the facts!"
That isn't the "old Fashioned" way- that is the *ONLY* way!
Doing it any other way isn't genealogy, its junkology-period.
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
rlinskill said: "If it genuinely bothers you, you could easily include a denial of relationship in that person's 'description', so the error doesnt proliferate like a virus!"
That doesn't help because the tree owner can remove your comment.
The problem is the "Ancestry subscriber mindset" that finding someone on another Ancestry tree is 'research'. Folks claim genealogy is their hobby, but in reality their hobby is saving segments of other trees without regard to 'the study of' portion of genealogy (actual, honest to goodness, research).
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
What is the difference between a family historian and a genealogist? Family hstory requires tracing members of a family, showing the relationships among them, recording their family stories, collecting their treasured photos and documents, and sharing all that with other family members.
Genealogy, on the other hand, is often considered to be a more rigid, even scientific, activity that incorporates standard ways of recording information, rigorous methods for assessing evidence, an academic component providing formal learning, and professional accreditation. Genealogists plan and attend conferences; publish books and articles; contribute to other disciplines such as medicine, genetics and history; and promote and lead efforts to preserve and make accessible records of the past.
I believe it safe to assume that the majority on here are family historians. The rule of thumb I was taught denoted that you researched the 4 generations above yours. Having said that, you do so in great detail. In effect you may not own that data set, but it does render you the expert. And as the expert, you ought to be able to know your stuff inside and out so that you can best help people. So if you are the expert in your line, how can someone else be who is not even in your line??? Those folks with 30K plus names can't be relied upon to provide any kind of solid assistance! If you so decide, the next step involves researching your ancestral line. And again digging up as much as possible to get a well-rounded view of their lives. Research takes a great deal effort and time. I am speaking of time-frames in the decades. Again, while one does not own the data set, do you not believe a researcher should be compensated for a decade's worth of hard work? Would you not want to be? There are people on here that don't even say thank-you! I do agree we all have needed GUIDANCE at the begining. But taking the easy route out serves no purpose. You ought to be looking for the TOOLS and hints regarding METHODOLOGY to find people for yourself. Where is the satisfaction in cutting and pasting? Now yes I have benefitted from the trees of others, but usually it is one person who has become a brick wall. If I am lucky enough to get additional info, I don't put it on my tree until I have researched it myself and determined its validity. There are so many mistakes on here because people are lazy. I have seen everything from spelling mistakes, the reversal of ancestral order ie the person researching puts themselves as the first generation, individuals that have no place in the line, placenames that don't exist, and no citations. How many times have you accredited the people whose trees helped you out? It would be good form to ask them how much information they are comfortable with you putting in your tree and on-line.
Yes, I guess I get mean-spirited when I have spent years on my research and I don't even get a thank-you. (I gave someone the names of our entire ancestral line - saved her month,years,of work and did not get so much as a thank-you!) What could I be thinking?? To the person who commented on "if I cared what goes into other people's trees..." You must be kidding! Misinformation can lead people to researching the wrong line, because they have taken information to be legitimate. The goal of genealogy is pride in accuracy and certainly not to purposefully create red-herrings for fellow-researcher. That's mean-spirited....
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Re: Your direct line - should it be poached?
I should think that any information presented in any family tree given without citation or source is to be viewed as tentative. Only with citations and sources given is the information proven. Any person borrowing from another family tree is expected to understand that without proof the borrowed information could be subject to error or inclusion into the wrong family. As long as your tree contains the proof you worked for why should it bother you that someone else has an error in their tree. They may be searching for the proof or disproof at the very moment it is included into their family. Ancestry is aimed at helping the "regular ordinary" person construct their family tree...this includes some trial and error. Simply because another person is more advanced at practicing genealogy does not mean they should feel superior to the new comers. Not everyone has doctorate degrees or money for study trips to the homeland.
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