Incorrect Family Tree info

[Mike_E]

Hi all,

my first post on here, so hello to all. I've been researching my tree now for a little over 2 years, and have made good progress with various online sources, but I just pulled down a tree with my partners 2x G-grandfather on it with all the correct info, and lots of other correct data, but as I worked on checking the data before adding it into my partners tree I found some huge errors in the data with incorrect names and wrong marriages.

It looks like most of the data came from an LDS database. what do i do? I can't use the data, and wouldn't becasue it's wrong, but who do I inform? I got the tree from Ancestry, but the auther of the tree is shown as Unknown.

Hope someone has some experience of this sort of stuff.

Rgds
Mike

[Rod Neep]

We (collectively) have lots of experience of this sort of stuff. Unfortunately.

Frighteningly, reporting it will have no effect whatsoever.

I am very pleased to see that your real research has led you to the conclusion that there are flaky trees out there. Many published family trees on the internet are poorly researched and unsubstantiated.

Its all part of the learning curve.

Regards
Rod

[John]

Hi Mike, and welcome.

On the odd occasion when I bother to look at all these trees for anything other than amusement I treat them as pointers, suggestions as to which way might be the way. I certainly wouldn't accept anything unchecked however sensible it all seemed.

John

[Ed Bradford]

Hi Mike, and welcome to the forum. As you have already discovered, just because it's posted on the Internet doesn't mean that it's accurate. As John has pointed out, what you find published by others makes good pointers but as you have discovered it needs to be verified. As Rod has stated, reporting it will have no effect. Some researchers just stick their head in the sand when it comes to fixing errors in their work. It seems that you're off on the right path. If we can be of help to you in your quest, please call on us by posting an inquiry. You'll find that this is a great site to keep in your favorites list. .................Ed

[ET in the USA]

I agree. Use anything you find as a guideline, then check the data like you had never seen it printed.
I purchased a CD from the LDS website. I fell for it because I had never seen another thing with the name Thould on it, and I couldn't help myself.
The submitter (a Mr. Fox in Utah) had Henry Thould, son of Henry Thould married to Anne in 1791.
I emailed him and told him that I had been to the church cemetery and that Henry had 2 sons named Henry, but that both had died - one in 1759 at the age of 2 1/2, the other in 1770 at about 2. I also told him that the Henry who married Ann was the son of Henry's brother John and that this Henry was born in 1755. He didn't care . He'd had a 'professional do the tree for him using films in Utah and his primary aim was to go to China to teach English for a year. The small matter of having a dead 2 year old marry a 24 year old women was secondary.

[Mike_E]

Hi,

thanks for your replies. I guessed using it as a pointer was the way to go, but I had hoped folks might of had success in getting these sorts of errors corrected. Oh well,

Hope to make more use and if possibe, supply help to other forum users in the furture.

Mike