We welcome any query on Who When Where. If you have previously posted it on another forum (including the old WDYTYA forum), please state this in your opening post - this will save people redoing the research which has been done before: they can look at it and possibly go further with it.
Family trees
Family trees
I have just been looking at information on other family trees on one branch of my family. It says there were divorces, even though the woman actually died and one of the births was when the father was said to be 12 years old, sorry he wasn't, he was about 24 years old. Also separate entries for service in the Gordon Highlanders and then in the 92nd Foot, when actually the 92nd Foot became the Gordon Highlanders!. Several deaths were stated in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, whereas they were in the village of Strichen about 5-10 miles away. Where do people get their information?.
-
pinefamily
- Posts: 64
- Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:16
Re: Family trees
Where indeed. It only takes one erroneous tree and and a whole lot of lazy "researchers" copying it.
I have encountered many trees that claim a descent from one of my collateral ancestors. The only problem is he died aged roughly 11. I did get in touch with the original perpetrator, but he did not change his tree, or get back in touch, despite promising to look into it.
What puzzles me is the number of trees that give birth and death dates for individuals pre parish registers.
I have encountered many trees that claim a descent from one of my collateral ancestors. The only problem is he died aged roughly 11. I did get in touch with the original perpetrator, but he did not change his tree, or get back in touch, despite promising to look into it.
What puzzles me is the number of trees that give birth and death dates for individuals pre parish registers.
-
Mick Loney
- Posts: 371
- Joined: 15 Jun 2020, 07:27
Re: Family trees
Thunder,
I think you are being too picky. If I found an attestation for someone to 92nd foot, I’d add that as a fact in my tree. If I later found something else, regarding Gordon Highlanders, I’d that fact to my tree as well, as, not being a Military historian, I don’t know they were the same regiment, and in any case that would involve interpreting data, which one shouldn’t really do! Personally, I wouldn’t dig too deeply into his military history, unless he was a direct ancestor..
As for the deaths in Fraserburgh, could this be a registration district (RD) that covers Strichen? When I only have a GRO reference to go on, I record the event as being in that RD. so a death in West Ham RD, would be recorded as being in West Ham, even though it could be anywhere in the RD, like Plaistow or Walthamstow. Without further clues to guide me, what else would one use?
Finally, regarding on-line trees in general, just use them as a guide, and never simply copy information without first confirming its accuracy, especially when it has no source to back it up.
I think you are being too picky. If I found an attestation for someone to 92nd foot, I’d add that as a fact in my tree. If I later found something else, regarding Gordon Highlanders, I’d that fact to my tree as well, as, not being a Military historian, I don’t know they were the same regiment, and in any case that would involve interpreting data, which one shouldn’t really do! Personally, I wouldn’t dig too deeply into his military history, unless he was a direct ancestor..
As for the deaths in Fraserburgh, could this be a registration district (RD) that covers Strichen? When I only have a GRO reference to go on, I record the event as being in that RD. so a death in West Ham RD, would be recorded as being in West Ham, even though it could be anywhere in the RD, like Plaistow or Walthamstow. Without further clues to guide me, what else would one use?
Finally, regarding on-line trees in general, just use them as a guide, and never simply copy information without first confirming its accuracy, especially when it has no source to back it up.
Re: Family trees
pinefamily - Families did record BMD's in Family Bibles pre 1837, but accept this was by no means the norm. Some parish records are also very detailed and will include the birth date as well as the date of baptism. Non conformist records are usually very good in this respect.I gave up long ago trying to correct people, even on my Direct Line.
I was particularly angry when someone copied an article I had written years ago, and claimed it as their own, on their Tree, but in the end there is nothing you can do about it without recourse to the Law. I hope, in the end, true Fam Historians get fed up with Ancestry etc and move to other options over which they have total control. Although it is laborious it is why I still work with paper and pencil!
Mick Loney - agree re the military records, My Gt Grandfather transferred between regiments and I have included the different info. Regarding BMDs if I just have a Registration District then I would include Reg Dist in the place of death eg West Ham Reg Dist.
In general, the advent of Ancestry et al with their hints and clicks, has made it all too easy to become lazy when creating a Fam Tree, adding info. without checking and sourcing properly
I always work on the premise that what may be obvious to me today may not be obvious to someone down the line, and the sources I have used may no longer be available, so I include as much detail as possible on my Direct Line.
At the end of the day if you are happy with what you have produced don't worry about anything else.
I was particularly angry when someone copied an article I had written years ago, and claimed it as their own, on their Tree, but in the end there is nothing you can do about it without recourse to the Law. I hope, in the end, true Fam Historians get fed up with Ancestry etc and move to other options over which they have total control. Although it is laborious it is why I still work with paper and pencil!
Mick Loney - agree re the military records, My Gt Grandfather transferred between regiments and I have included the different info. Regarding BMDs if I just have a Registration District then I would include Reg Dist in the place of death eg West Ham Reg Dist.
In general, the advent of Ancestry et al with their hints and clicks, has made it all too easy to become lazy when creating a Fam Tree, adding info. without checking and sourcing properly
I always work on the premise that what may be obvious to me today may not be obvious to someone down the line, and the sources I have used may no longer be available, so I include as much detail as possible on my Direct Line.
At the end of the day if you are happy with what you have produced don't worry about anything else.
Sally
Re: Family trees
Unfortunately, your closing statement is precisely why there are so many poor trees on Ancestry in particular, though I am sure you didn't mean it to sound like that. The compilers are happy with what they have produced and won't accept that they have glaring inaccuracies and ignore any attempts from others to alert them showing evidence of the errors.At the end of the day if you are happy with what you have produced don't worry about anything else.
Re: Family trees
The person was my great-great-grandfather. Fraserburgh is indeed the Registration District for Strichen and I always trace the actual entries as I don't trust any family trees as being correct.Mick Loney wrote: ↑07 Nov 2020, 07:14 Thunder,
I think you are being too picky. If I found an attestation for someone to 92nd foot, I’d add that as a fact in my tree. If I later found something else, regarding Gordon Highlanders, I’d that fact to my tree as well, as, not being a Military historian, I don’t know they were the same regiment, and in any case that would involve interpreting data, which one shouldn’t really do! Personally, I wouldn’t dig too deeply into his military history, unless he was a direct ancestor..
As for the deaths in Fraserburgh, could this be a registration district (RD) that covers Strichen? When I only have a GRO reference to go on, I record the event as being in that RD. so a death in West Ham RD, would be recorded as being in West Ham, even though it could be anywhere in the RD, like Plaistow or Walthamstow. Without further clues to guide me, what else would one use?
Finally, regarding on-line trees in general, just use them as a guide, and never simply copy information without first confirming its accuracy, especially when it has no source to back it up.
Re: Family trees
No, I didn't think you were meaning it like that meekhcs, but your form of words was very similar to how I have long thought about those less-than-precise family historians, so it struck me that you probably hadn't seen the different way it could be interpreted, so I wanted to point it out in case anyone took away the wrong idea.
Re: Family trees
Oh Dear, fundamental flaw of mine. I know what I am talking about and expect everyone else to think the same way too 
I am following the FutureLearn genealogy course for the second time, and it provides a timely reminder of what we should and should not assume!
I am following the FutureLearn genealogy course for the second time, and it provides a timely reminder of what we should and should not assume!
Sally