That's it!!! I've had enough of folks at A*

[MythicalMarian]

That's it! I have just deleted my tree from A*. I don't mind people who are genuinely related to me sharing my info, but today I discover yet another person has pinched a load of my stuff - not from my own tree, which I made private - but from a cousin's tree (and she did not make hers private). That huge haul of docs from Preston, that cost me an absolute blasted fortune - not to mention the blood and sweat I've put in over the years sorting out my Siddall line from the myriad others - and now, everything is just pinched in a job lot! What's worse - I can't see how this person is in any way related to me or mine by the weakest drop of blood.

I'm calling a halt now. I had intended to update the tree with the new information I've just got from four new wills, but they can whistle. I might also drop an e-mail to my cousin to tell her to make her tree private from now on.

[Astoria]

I feel your pain, I too have been mugged recently.

However, today a very kind person emailed me some personal letters, that made me tingle.

For every taker there is a giver, your time will come, chin up

[AdeleE]

Why not contact this person via the messaging system? Ask all sorts of complicated questions about your ancestors..Do this every few days, one convoluted question at a time...They should have to earn your ancestors.

Adele

[stonewall]

That's it! I have just deleted my tree from A*. I don't mind people who are genuinely related to me sharing my info, but today I discover yet another person has pinched a load of my stuff - not from my own tree, which I made private - but from a cousin's tree (and she did not make hers private). That huge haul of docs from Preston, that cost me an absolute blasted fortune - not to mention the blood and sweat I've put in over the years sorting out my Siddall line from the myriad others - and now, everything is just pinched in a job lot! What's worse - I can't see how this person is in any way related to me or mine by the weakest drop of blood.

I'm calling a halt now. I had intended to update the tree with the new information I've just got from four new wills, but they can whistle. I might also drop an e-mail to my cousin to tell her to make her tree private from now on.

i have had this if i use info from someone else i always try to give something back. And i put in a note were i got it from credit were credit due for thay had done the work.as some time's other people have found thing's out you have not And then i check to make show its right I had one person have a go at me as i told them they had one brother too much. And all they were doing is useing my tree to to make it fit in to there's .

[MythicalMarian]

For every taker there is a giver, your time will come, chin up

That's very true, Astoria. I have recently been in contact with the most wonderful lady in America who I had been trying to trace for years, because she had done sterling work on one of my maternal lines. I always acknowledged her efforts, and at last we are in contact. We've had fun swapping anecdotes about our rather colourful Waltons Needless to say, this lady doesn't go near A*

And as I say, I don't mind bona fide relatives using what they can, but just to lift whole family groups without as much as an acknowledgement of the source...well, it makes me mad. It seems to be getting worse lately.

It's a real dilemma. On the one hand it's good to put your tree out there in the hope that a genuine cousin can get in touch, and I have 'met' lots of lost cousins this way. But the chancers take away all the exhilaration of making contact with a real relative, and just leave you rather deflated.

Right - that's my little rant over for the night.

[Carmy]

I like Adele's way of thinking. That's what I'd be doing, too., using various addresses.

I've never put my tree anywhere, too scared to, now I'm glad I haven't.

Sorry it happened to you, Marian.

[v.wells]

I have a private tree on both A and GR plus one on Tribal pages. The one on A is my working tree (with the sources readly available) and only 1 person lifted stuff and it was all wrong anyway. GR tree is only opened to those who share and my tree on Tribal is family only (that's where my source and other info is). I had one 2X cousin invited and I never heard from her after she had a look. When I emailed for some information she was quite rude so I changed the password. She can't get in and I haven't told anybody else yet. Obviously no one else is interested except for a something cousin in NZ and he has contributed so many pics it is only fair to let him in on the secret.

Some people just are thoughtless disrespectful oafs (a polite word). I now give the information and share but open my trees no! I recently helped a person related to my aunt's husband and she was a breed apart - she said thank you and was really pleased with my efforts and results for her.

I am sorry Marian that you've yanked your tree. As Astoria says, for every taker there are givers. Your time will come.

Most are nice but there's always a bad apple now and then. I personally would have been lost without A as it has been the most useful tool and reaped the most benefits. What I don't like is the messaging system they have now and people being non-responsive. I don't care for their excuses.

[daisycakes]

Hi ....I too had stuff pinched from my A...... tree. I had researched for years ... I did contact this mugger... ((for want of a better word)) and ya know what... they were not in the slightest bit interested... its a public tree so what!!! I was so angry.

I immediatley deleted my tree. Whoosh...thats me done. So glad everyone is not like that.

However I have to say folk on this great site have been nothing less than kind and helpful. Thanks so much

daisycakes

[MythicalMarian]

Thanks for that, Vanessa. I'm going to keep my monthly sub to A*, because it is useful for censuses (if you are imaginative with spellings!) but I'm going to keep my tree just on TP for now.

What annoyed me even more was that I would put in meticulous sourcing for my tree on A*. (There were 7 sources for my grandfather alone!) There are those, of course, who just lift the names without the source citations, but if really unscrupulous people wanted to, they could list my sources too, which would make it look as though they had got access to all the background info. Some of these sources are from documents not readily accessible to today's internet brigade. On reflection, perhaps it is NOT wise to put in your sources on published trees. Perhaps we should add some kind of 'Source citation' that says: 'Contact owner for source details'.

I have sent polite e-mails to offenders along the lines of: 'I see you have XXX in your family tree. This person was my XXX. Perhaps you could get in touch and exchange information.' Amazingly, I think the fact that a 'name' in their tree is actually a bona fide relative of someone else scares them off.

[BeeE586]

This has relevance to my recent thread about GenesReunited - tree mugging. I have nothing on Ancestry having read posts on here regarding their policy, but have a small tree on Tribal Pages and a bigger one on GR. However, I have learned from experience to open my tree only when I have made some preliminary enquiries to find out if there is any chance of a connection.

Like most of us on this Forum I too like "to give something back" and over the thirty years or so that I have been researching I think I have done so, but I have strong objections to my information just being grabbed without permission or acknowledgement. It seems many of us have suffered and the pity of it is - it may be the many genuine researchers who suffer because of the few. But then - that's life !!!!

Eileen