What Are Clues Trees?

03/03/2013

18 Comments

 
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I have read recently many people complaining about Ancestry Family Trees. The reasons are articulated below. But I see them a bit differently - I just see them as a "tree of clues."

People (genealogists, researchers, etc.) complain all the time about the contents of these trees, and these are their complaints:
  • Unsourced entries
  • People copy entire poorly sourced trees and call them their own
  • People upload their photos and then others copy them and often change the names with no attribution to the original photo provider
  • "Unqualified" people have access and upload junk.
Well, none of that bothers me - and never has.

Why is that?  

It's simple - this is the Internet world where everything is typically an unlocked door and anybody can pretty much post, steal, copy, or plagiarize anything they want. Doesn't make it right - but it is true.

And special pledges or semi-locked doors, while admirable in their intent - do not stop junk from being uploaded.

Fred Sanford made a business out of junk (as did a couple of my ancestors, by the way). I just see some of the relevant  so called "junk" info as merely a clue. Maybe a clue to help me find someone. My experience has been that I have found "cousins" or they found me; we have collaborated at times and my research has been augmented as a result. I don't upload photos to these trees because I find that to be "extra" work.

So if you wish to expend energy complaining - go for it. I will spend my time researching to see if some of these clues can be substantiated. 

And I will look at these trees as merely "Clues Trees."
 


Comments

Celia Lewis link
03/03/2013 3:52pm

I love love love clues - and those various sites with their family trees are perfect for clues. All help is helpful, as a friend used to say. Cheers.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 9:36am

Thanks Celia. I agree - if someone wants to give me a clue in any way shape or form - I will take it - AND verify.

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Janell
03/03/2013 4:43pm

I totally agree! They may not always be right, but many times they are, and I would think the current family I am researching is about half the size it probably really is without them.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 9:25am

Janell,

I haven't been able to validate that many new folks - only a few here or there. But I always verify first of course. Glad that you have been able to add that many.

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Mariann Regan link
03/03/2013 5:47pm

Kenneth, I feel almost exactly the same way. Even though many of the public trees have ludicrous information (like a son born before the mother, or a wife in a different century), I feel there may be some pay dirt in there. So working from my cousin's faulty genealogy chart of my matrilineal family, I keep checking out clues until I get some real confirmation -- such as a record of a marriage or a baptism, an immigration document, a genealogical website that actually checks out, or a scholarly-looking quotation from a book. Which book I then borrow from Interlibrary Loan and read. But then, I have been known to copy photos of, like, plaques and tombstones. Oh, well.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/03/2013 6:01pm

Thanks Mariann. It is all about one's attitude. I get frustrated with the so-called experts bitching about the junky trees. Well then - don't use the tool, or train the uninitiated, treat them as clues, or just shutup. So I just see them as reservoirs of possible clues. easier on my attitude! Glad you agree!

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Beverly Norman
03/03/2013 6:24pm

Got to agree with you on this one...glad someone had the courage to come out and say it!

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:59am

Beverly,

I don't know if I am being courageous, but I just don't understand why people complain so much. They are only clues. Even if it was fully sourced, wouldn't a researcher verify for themselves?

Thanks for visiting.

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JJT link
03/03/2013 6:30pm

Add me to the list! There are some lines that I would have gotten no where near without huge amounts of research time, but several online trees have given my direction some focus.

I'm sure some may also lead me astray, but so does normal research at times. My own public tree on Ancestry has plenty of unsourced info and experimental data to see what hints might be tickled out of Ancestry's brain. But, I also have made a point of saying so in my tree info, as well as provided what the goal and general source of that info is so I can keep track and give others the chance to follow the clues I'm pursuing. Who knows, maybe the person using my amalgamation of clues will be the one to crack the case.

Of course, I also have a "clean" tree where I keep the information based on more solid foundations that I intend to use for my official family publication.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:57am

Good for you JJT for clearly stating what is "experimental" or unsourced. It certainly helps others, although as I have stated (at least for me) everything is a clue until I substantiate it for myself. If it is sourced then I can verify that and do.

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LeAnn Knifer Atkin link
03/03/2013 6:31pm

Yes, I have a tree on Ancestry.com, but as I say in my personal information "it is a work in progress". "Share at your own risk". And that is just what it is. Unless it's sourced, it's just a Myth. Use at your own risk! I agree with you!

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:53am

LeAnn - if everyone would just have this attitude it would lessen the frustration. Thanks for commenting!

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Vicki Roberts
03/03/2013 6:39pm

I so agree with you. I have written family histories that I have used for clues, I just make sure any information I have in my tree has a source. I love the clues. It is just like the old saying that where there is smoke there is fire.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:51am

Thanks Vicki for visiting. If we just recognize the info as clues only and do not expect anything beyond that - it lessens the frustration and may just provide a breakthrough!

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Cheryl Bailey
03/03/2013 9:50pm

At last my Aussiemandas Tree on Ancestry has a name - a true of clues. Thank you. Some people think because it has 71100 people it is junk and only a small portion am I actually related to. However it is generating about 30 to 40 queries per month. It has been a project that started out as family, grew to a area, then to the entire state of Tasmania linking families to each other using primary and secondary sources. To me it is my legacy to the world each time I investigate a individual it takes about 30 minutes of my time and is offered freely as a means of thanking those who have shared generously with me over 30 years. Also a point to remember is that at some stage we were all beginners and learners. So thanks for all trees on Ancestry they all hold hope for an elusive ancestor.

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:41am

Wow Cheryl - That is quite the challenge. Good for you for taking on so much work - but as you well know - the rewards to others is well worth it. Good for you! I am very impressed.

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Linda link
03/03/2013 10:42pm

I have got lots of clues from Ancestry online trees. Just because they aren't sourced etc doesn't mean they won't point you in the right direction. As long as my trees are sourced, recorded and imaged then I'm happy. :-)

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Kenneth R Marks link
03/04/2013 8:39am

Thanks Linda for visiting. I agree - clues and keeping our own properly sourced is the ticket!

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