Just a warning to everyone who also uses Ancestry as a resource. Do your own work, it takes longer, but you will know it is right. Once again I have found a "tree" which is way out, once it goes back before 1841 census, and where burials in nonconformist churches have not been taken into account there is considerable room for error. I recently found a tree where I know where the individual is buried, who his mother was, and the fact that she took his father to "court" , having a copy of that record, which is listed incorrectly on the national archive, and yet someone has added a completely incorrect burial in Bradford , when I know he died in Devon!! How do we correct these trees? report it? In another one on a different line, have an individual who went to Australia, at 17, his death reported on Trove au, the newspaper site, referring to his parents and where they lived in UK, all good clues to reassure me he is the right one, yet the "Tree" online has picked up another person, living same county, and plonked him on our tree!! Its exasperating!! The Trove newspaper site is free, and is very informative, and interesting, obituaries and weddings especially.
It's not just trees on Ancestry, it is the same for trees on any genealogy site, on the web open to the general public. Use trees as a guide, contact the owners to see how you are related but at the end of the day use them as you would any suggested record hint that the genealogy sites chuck at you if you have a tree on their site. There are also some very good, well researched trees on sites that show sources etc so it is not all doom and gloom regards them. Sadly the amount of poor, bably researched trees appear to be increasing and this is in part the way people compile them these days and that is a whole different subject. But incorrect trees have always happened on any genealogy site which has a tree building function.
Hi Judith, I quite agree with you on this. There are so many errors. I usually write to the person who has put the information on and respectfully point out that they maybe wrong and do they mind me pointing this out etc. Most people are quite happy to take this on board but I also know that some are not and are convinced they are right. I call it "Ancestry Rage" !!! Sally
thankyou so much Sally, glad its not just me that has noticed. I wont bother to respond, let them go off into their fantasy, and I'll persevere with my own!!
