Who Do You Think You Are?

 

No not the BBC TV Show, Really… Who Do You Think You Are?

I’m constantly saying sorry –

  • Sorry for information that is wrong!
  • Sorry for spelling a person’s name wrong!
  • Sorry for including the child’s fathers!
  • Sorry for listing a divorce!
  • Sorry for including info that only you wanted to have!
  • Sorry for ……

You get the idea. Almost everything that we do in family history can and does upset someone, sooner or later.

After 15 years doing the family tree I, like most people out there, have gone through a lot of issues and admittedly made a lot of the common mistakes that most newbies make. I also know that for all the issues and unhappy visitors to the site I get a hell of a lot more happy visitors. For them I keep doing what I’m doing.

So what did I learn over the years?

  • Don’t upload all your info to shared sites if you know how to have your own site.
  • Always try to remove or make private “living people”
  • Anything that seems sensitive requires more thought about how it’s to be presented.
  • Always be willing to correct, amend or add to info to help prevent issues.
  • Add source entries and links to external source info
  • This list goes on and I could keep adding to it…

I can say that after all the time I have been researching, it’s generally only a handful of people that have REAL issues with what is being published online. Some are happy after you explain your point of view and some… well as the saying goes “You can’t please everyone”

Some of the demands that have come through that always cause issues, but that are hard to avoid are:

 

Relationship Problems

VISITOR: “You have HIM listed as her father but I want that removed . I don’t like him and don’t want anything to do with him”

BFT:  “First up is he the father? If not who is?”

VISITOR: “Yes he is but…. “

BFT: In short – I’m recording genealogy not friendships

 Ownership Issues

VISITOR: “Hi, I noticed you have a lot of info on my Great, Great Grandfather”

BFT: “Yes he is my Great, Great Granduncle – That would make us cousins”

VISITOR: “Yes well I want it removed. I’m doing a book on him and have more info than you”

BFT: Great I look forward to your book but sorry I can’t remove the info.

Delete All Reference to My Family

VISITOR: “Please remove me and all my ancestors from your info now!”

BFT: “What part of it do you want removed?”

VISITOR: “All of it – I never gave permission for you to research my family”

BFT: “Please understand that if I remove it all and then keep researching I will just find it again”

VISITOR: “So stop looking for it”

BFT: “I’m happy to modify it or privatise it but I will not stop researching”

 

I’m not looking to upset anyone with my research. Most, if not all of the info is found in public domain listings like cemetery, newspaper, census, convict and military records. Anyone that is really looking to find it, can. So why do others find it unacceptable for me to find, collate and format this info in one location ??

If you are one of the people that has benefited from my research and this site, even in the smallest of ways then I have achieved my goal. Please keep coming back for the latest updates.

Try the What’s New page.

On the other hand, if you are someone that feels this is a waste of time, not allowed or even goes against everything you believe – Who Do You Think You Are?

“Just remember that if you do tell me who you think you are, it may get recorded in the family history!”

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10 thoughts on “Who Do You Think You Are?”

  1. Darryl I for one have appreciated your research and even though we haven’t yet found the link between my Brady and your Brady trees I am sure you are kin. The way you have set up the information you have gathered and the format in which you have presented it amazes me.
    I have also found out from what you have recorded that several people that I grew up with are related to me.
    So thank you for helping me and many many others to know who we really are warts and all,
    PS I love it when skeletons jump out of the closet and nuts fall out of the tree makes things so much more interesting.

  2. Thanks Maureen for the great comment, I’m glad the site is helping people. Maybe the site needs a warning on the front page.

    CAUTION: May Contain Nuts

  3. Hi Darryl
    All families should come with the may contain nuts warning. The level of detail in your research is awesome. We are not related, but I wish we were – you would have saved me a lot of work 🙂

    You can please some of the people some of the time. Some people you can’t please ever.

    Keep up the good work 🙂

    Michelle

    • Will do Michelle – The devil is in the detail – Lots of complaints are about a date being slightly out or a name needing changing but you end up going round in circles. It’s so common for different records to have conflicting info about the same person. Add family in-fighting about who is right and you may never get to the real truth.
      This is what drives me to keep the info as clean and accurate as I can…

  4. Hi Darryl, love your web site, just a quick question I can not remember if I have asked before but sorry if I have but do you have any photos of people or places connected my line of watters or do you know where I can find some any help greatly appreciated Dawn

    • Thanks for the feedback Dawn, I will see if I have any unlinked WATTERS pictures and post them for you to see.
      Anyone reading this can also help Dawn by posting them to the tree’s Facebook page if they have any WA WATTERS.

      James WATTERS – 1869-1942

  5. Hi Darryl,
    Keep up the good work. People really dont realise how important our research is until there is nobody around to do it.
    ‘To look to your past is to see the future’
    Take care.
    Billy

  6. Great post Darryl.

    What you say is very true and valid. As a fellow researcher, I just record what I know as facts (as I know you do too) and that can be proven by reliable sources. As you say, all the information you publish is available in the public domain. You are not revealing secrets.

    Keep up the awesome work.

    • Disproving a myth is more rewarding Jodie. Secrets don’t interest me until someone puts a spotlight on them…

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