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Gosh is it--I think it's the 1900 Census that is especially helpful; if I'm remembering correctly it gives the number of children for the mother and the number living. Those censuses have been so extremely helpful in fleshing out family trees for me; those and detailed obituaries I've found to be most helpful in my research.
Man do I feel the OP's irritation at incorrect trees. I know that there's a ton of amateurs out there (like me!) but I wish like somehow the little icon for each person in the tree can be color-coded to indicate if the person is very sure about that ancestor or if they're just copying and pasting and not really checking for documentation. I try to find concrete documentation from other people's trees regarding their ancestors but most of what I find is just that they took it from other people's trees and when I check those trees they often don't have a concrete connection. Some paperwork would give me a marriage record, but I think well the names are usually very common how can they be sure it's that specific couple? And things that just don't show a direct link, like I'm trying to find out an ancestor's parent, so it gives a marriage record but that doesn't show me a linkage to the parent of that person. It's just frustrating.
It seems to me that you really can't get much further back beyond the 1700s unless you have personal papers; much of the public documents out there don't exist anymore--have been lost or maybe never existed in the first place. Unless you can tie into a famous person (which some people have made incredulous leaps--such as a story I love to share about one guy's tree who had--man, I forget her name, it's too early in the am for me to think clearly--some noble woman marrying a Dutch peasant and the line continuing down from there. Okay--I realize its possible, but if you're going to make that statement *please* have some kind of notation backing it up like "Hey this is family history I received directly from my great-grandmother" or something).
As far as the sensitivity issue for the OP, I don't know. I would think I wouldn't be too sensitive about it, but that's me. Now my parents are still living (at the moment, but my father's in not-so-great health); I think I'd get an "Oh, that's odd" comment flit through my mind if one day I saw my parent's as ancestors in someone's tree but they had the info incorrect. I think I would definitely send that person a note explaining the accurate information. I would imagine they would be thankful to get it from me. I probably have a few inaccurate things in my tree (from other people who have posted inaccurate information on their tree) so I would be just thrilled to death to get something from someone which would point out wrong information and supply me with the correct stuff instead. How helpful would that be! In my opinion this is being really helpful to the person who had the wrong info, so if they get offended by it, then there's something wrong with them and and not the person supplying them with the right information.
I agree about the census records that ask how many live births the mother had and how many children are living, then add the detailed obituaries. Those have been gems.
I'm thankful I'm not on a paid Ancestry membership, I can't even see public trees. I can't just right click to save the branch to my tree like I know so many do. I'll keep my tree private so no one can do that.
If someone wants to "see" my tree, I give them my family search link. Those have records to back them up. Have at it. Hand enter them like I did but it's too much work for them. Oh well.
I add notes to people on my tree, laying out the sources proving my data and disproving others. Then I add a statement telling other researchers to feel free to message me if they disagree. I've yet to receive a squawk.
Same. I have had only a few people contact me, but I have noticed it results in new people copying my correct and sourced info rather than other bad info.
I agree about the census records that ask how many live births the mother had and how many children are living, then add the detailed obituaries. Those have been gems.
I'm thankful I'm not on a paid Ancestry membership, I can't even see public trees. I can't just right click to save the branch to my tree like I know so many do. I'll keep my tree private so no one can do that.
If someone wants to "see" my tree, I give them my family search link. Those have records to back them up. Have at it. Hand enter them like I did but it's too much work for them. Oh well.
I did not know that a member could just right click to copy a branch onto their tree.
I did not know that a member could just right click to copy a branch onto their tree.
Not exactly - while viewing someone else's tree, you can click "tools" and select "save to tree" and save that person and their immediate family to your tree (there's a review page that allows you to be more selective in what details exactly you want to copy over). It does not save an entire branch (not beyond immediate family), and it's not a one-click option, though it is easy (3 clicks at minimum).
Gosh is it--I think it's the 1900 Census that is especially helpful; if I'm remembering correctly it gives the number of children for the mother and the number living. Those censuses have been so extremely helpful in fleshing out family trees for me; those and detailed obituaries I've found to be most helpful in my research.
. . .
Yes. I also appreciate that they asked the month a person was born in the 1900 census. Really helps identify people, especially if they have common names. John Smith born August 1859 can be differentiated from John Smith born January 1859, etc.
Not exactly - while viewing someone else's tree, you can click "tools" and select "save to tree" and save that person and their immediate family to your tree (there's a review page that allows you to be more selective in what details exactly you want to copy over). It does not save an entire branch (not beyond immediate family), and it's not a one-click option, though it is easy (3 clicks at minimum).
Thanks for the link. As I said, I'm on a free account, I'm not able to do it.
I accidentally subscribed to world traveler a few years ago. I found out when they sent the renewal notice.
I some how was able to save people/branches from what little I do remember. I couldn't believe it was so easy.
Whatever I did, it wasn't from the profile. I had looked at hints on my tree, where it shows how many public trees there are, I clicked to view them, then was somehow able to save it that way.
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I also appreciate that they asked the month a person was born in the 1900 census. Really helps identify people, especially if they have common names. John Smith born August 1859 can be differentiated from John Smith born January 1859, etc.
